This Years Inktober Pen Trophy

Inktober last year also had the prompt trophy and I had decided to draw a little gold statue to be awarded to my favourite pen of the round. The pen I had used and enjoyed most. It was the little faber castell Pitt Pen which uses pigment ink. I have a few fixed sizes and a couple of brush tips. They are a very reliable sketching pen and the ink permanent underwater. I had loved them for few years.

This year I’ve been trying out the Tombow Pens. One is water based but others are permanent ink. So far I’ve focused on using the brush tip pens. I’ve had them since last Christmas, the sample pack was a gift. They have proved very reliable and are still going strong, one of the grey ones maybe running out. I’ve got two black brush pens and I’ve used them interchangeably but for some reason I like the blur one best, perhaps it’s maintained it’s brush shaped slightly better over time.

The biggest thing I’ve noticed during October this year, is last year's illustrations are way nicer, much better controlled line work and more detailed stippling and cross hatching. I’m not surprised, I’ve had a lot of eye trouble and my vision is still not perfect in my right eye. What I can say clearly is I’m having trouble with my hand-eye coordination I just can’t put the nib of the pen exactly where I think I’m putting it on the paper. At this stage I think I just need to practice more hand-eye coordination by drawing more. I shouldn’t blame the pens. I do like the brush pens particularly for the style of expressive artwork. They’re also great for my cartooning efforts.

Looking for Beauty in Flimsy

I got sidetracked in man made things looking for today’s Inktober prompt flimsy. In general even things we make to look attractive by nmaking them gossamer thin, they are weak and don’t last, unlike a lot of nature. For example a spiders web which is actually very strong

Many birds build very flimsy nests from twigs and dries grass, yet they will last and hold the very fragile and often beautiful tiny eggs, safely housing new life.

I’ll Toss You

Once again a lot of obvious subjects for today’s Inktober prompt Toss. Tossing something away, creating a salad, an illegal bowl in cricket, or even a real tosser. 

I preferred the well proven method for deciding who goes first. Even the best way to ensure you get that first choice. Ssssshh!

“Heads I win, Tails you loose”

To the Rescue

Today’s inktober prompt Rescue, was particular easy to pick what to draw. Last year I painted the local Life Savers down at Venus Bay practicing in their rescue IRB (an inflatable rescue boat) crashing through the surf. They do well in the interclub and national competitions. There seems to be a lot of skill in driving and jockeying these craft but I suspect there is fun to be had as well. I had entered a watercolour I painted of it aas submission to the Poetry of Watercolour exhibition at the Victorian Artist Society. Alas; it hadn’t sold so it now hangs on the wall in our family room,

At the time I was sketching the waves looking at the colour in the late afternoon as the sun came through the breaking waves. It’s a very distinctive bluey green. It’s neither an easy to photograph or mix as a colour in paint. There is a chromatic intensity to it. It is very close to the colour that Whilhelm Ostwald described as sea green, his compliment to his red. I tend to agree, the ocean’s blue sits nicely against the green of the breaking wave, with the contrasting white foam and the red and yellow of the rescue craft and the life vest.

Slightly later a group of researchers in the USA reported on experiment Where they had exactly controlled The wavel of microbursts of lasers, exactly the green cones of their returns. I won’t go into the details here but I’ll direct you to four blog posts I wrote about this grain that they called OLO.

see also

Part 1 The Quest for Sea Green

Part 2 When Art Meets Science: The Discovery of Olo

Part 3 AI, Technology and Traditional Obseration

Part 4 The Magic of Rare Optical Phenomena

Fairies in the Forest

I got the idea for today’s Inktober prompt Mystical early. I have fond childhood memories of walking the forest trails through Sherbrooke Forest up near sassafras. On one occasion I was staying with my paternal grandmother, Nana, and went out with her friend Peg. They were looking for evidence of fairies in the forest.

What they were actually doing was collecting seeds leaves bits of fungus and twigs to make a forest floor diorama for the local state school. Which included fairies, elves and other forest dwellers, skilfully made of pipe cleaners, seed pods and leaves. I was only 10 but I didn’t buy the fairies in the forest stories. Still they were great and inspiring walk. So I decided a mystical illustration of fairies in the forest would be ideal for Inktober. Further I was inspired to create it in the style of Peg Maltby she had written several children’s books about fairies. I started thinking of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie style gumnut kids, but these of course where by May Gibbs, Whereas Peg’s illustrations were more in the style of Beatrix Potter. No matter It was fun to draw.

I’m having a bit of trouble with my phone right now, especially with the touch screen. Instagram was totally misbehaving. So After about seven attempts I gave up and returned to the computer rather than the phone This still took me quite a while to load and I ended up loading the two images I wanted in the wrong order. Such as life again.

Returning to finer line work

I’ve had a look at look back at last years Inktober illustrations. Unfortunately they are way better. I hadn’t realized just how much my eye issues are causing hand-eye coordination problems.  It was a struggle to get the pen tip to hit the paper where I thought I could see it. I must admit I also know I’m spilling coffee knocking over drinks. Putting things on the floor instead of on the table. I just need to admit it.

So today’s inktober prompt was Ram. An ideal subject for classical line drawing Of the maLe sheep with big horns. I also lifted my sketchbook up onto my watercolour easel, which is designed as a “standing desk”. Importantly I took my time and was careful to use the appropriate pen which included a couple of water-soluble gel pens and a water brush to blur them before they dried. I was actually happy with this illustration.

On the nose

 

This should be an easy inktober prompt Stinky. I remember previously doing a cartoon about smelly cheese but I thought I should try something different. It’s pretty obvious that the most likely item around the house to be considered smelly is someone else’s shoes. I’m overlooking fart jokes to maintain decorum.

I also wanted to illustrate that you can wear those favourite red sneakers just too much