tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196413722024-03-07T13:06:33.131-05:00Pen Pencil Paper - a sketchblogA visual journey through life. “The sketch hunter moves through life as he finds it, not passing negligently the things he loves, but stopping to know them, and to note them down in the shorthand of his sketchbook.” ~ Robert HenriJan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-58002613570718573562012-12-14T09:49:00.000-05:002012-12-14T09:49:41.296-05:00Product Review: Stillman and Birn ZETA PaperTo see my paintings visit my website www.janblencowe.com<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKBKg4bqC05xV-qFD-_pBegyfDd9BiojNJFd76aejvjA_lI0GYCGF4ESyrCSXh86_6lqntC9xZjbpUunxbbr6vcA28ZXwrArmqt378OL5fTUviOQGque40K66Rvb4M2VD8dqNOA/s1600/ZetaTest1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKBKg4bqC05xV-qFD-_pBegyfDd9BiojNJFd76aejvjA_lI0GYCGF4ESyrCSXh86_6lqntC9xZjbpUunxbbr6vcA28ZXwrArmqt378OL5fTUviOQGque40K66Rvb4M2VD8dqNOA/s400/ZetaTest1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
As many of you are aware Stillman & Birn makes what I think to be the best sketchbooks currently on the market today. The quality and variety of papers, and the variety of formats (size, spiral, hardbound) covers a broad range and offers just the right product for any sketchbook artist.<br />
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Stillman & Birn sent paper samples of their newest paper choice, <i>Zeta</i>, to a number of artist to try and review. I have not read any of those yet so that I would have no preconceived notions about the paper going in. But you can read Jamie Williams Grossman's review<a href="http://hudsonvalleysketches.blogspot.com/2012/12/new-product-review-introducing-stillman.html" target="_blank"> here</a>, Jeanne Forsyth's review <a href="http://nannys-room.blogspot.com/2012/12/zeta-coming-in-january-from-stillman.html?spref=fb" target="_blank">here</a>, and a review from Liz & Borromini <a href="http://www.lizsteel.com/2012/12/testing-s-zeta-paper.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Yesterday, I gave the new Zeta paper a whirl. If you're familiar with my sketches you know that I am a mixed media maven! One of my top requirements in a sketchbook is that the paper be able to handle all kinds of media, both wet and dry together in one sketch, or on one page spread. <br />
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The Zeta paper is a "cousin" to Stillman & Birn's Epsilon series paper. Plate smooth, and really lovely to the touch. While the Epsilon is 90lbs, the Zeta is twice that, at a beefy 180 lbs. This for me is a big plus right out of the gate. I just have to have a heavy weight paper to work on. Something substantial so I don't have any worries about the paper buckling, the surface peeling, getting rough or abraded, or any reservations about scrubbing, lifting or layering. <br />
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The Zeta paper, like all Stillman & Birn papers is sized inside and out, which means that wet media like watercolors and ink lay on top of the paper without sinking in too fast and reduces "staining" the paper meaning that you can lift color. Yay! But this is a little different than hot pressed watercolor paper, flat and graded washes may be a bit challenging on the other hand wet media brush strokes will remain, (as you can see especially in the lower left hand background in the sketch above), and that can be an exciting advantage adding, spontaneity, energy and movement to a piece, something I like. <br />
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<b>So what exactly did I throw at this paper?? Well, pretty much everything but the kitchen sink......</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>Uniball Vision Pen -black</li>
<li>Sharpie Marker-black</li>
<li>Daniel Smith Watercolors</li>
<li>Winsor & Newton Gouache</li>
<li>Plaid Folk Art Gold Acrylic Paint</li>
<li>DecoColor Opaque Paint Marker - white</li>
<li>Uniball Gold Gel Pen</li>
<li>Blue Painters Tape</li>
</ul>
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I worked on this sketch for about 1.5 hours. There are a LOT of layers and a lot of wet media used, that's important to know because I watched closely to see if the paper would buckle when wet. It did, but only slightly, and from it's wettest point when I could see the buckling it dried and flattened to only a slight wave in about 15 min. Today the paper has just a slight curve but if I put it under a book I'm confident that it will flatten out completely. That means that bound in a sketchbook the paper once dry will flatten out beautifully once the book is closed. <br />
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<b>Pen on Zeta</b><br />
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I started this sketch using a UniBall Vision Pen, then later on switched to Sharpie and added <i>bling</i> with the gold gel pen. I am happy to report two things that made me very happy...<br />
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<ul>
<li>the pen never <i>missed</i> or <i>skipped</i></li>
<li>the ink dried very fast on the surface and there was no smudging</li>
</ul>
A third quality I noticed is neither a pro or con just something to be aware of is that multiple pen lines close together, or in cross hatch pattern, could get very dark very fast<br />
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<b>Paint on Zeta</b><br />
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Three kinds of paint were used in this sketch, watercolor, gouache and acrylic <br />
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<ul>
<li>watercolors were very clear and bright and were able to be <i>lifted</i></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>the gouache is a perfect match for this paper being a little thicker and less watery than watercolor and really appreciates the sizing so it can sit on the surface in all it's glorious velvety, opaque, matte beauty</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>acrylic is a pretty friendly medium overall and is pretty much able to adhere to any surface, so this was more a question of whether the paper could handle it, and I found no problems using it </li>
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<b>Painters Tape on Zeta</b><br />
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One of the things I like to do in my sketchbooks is tape off a margin around the edge or tape of a rectangle or square to work in. Here's what happened...<b></b><br />
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<li>blue painters tape pulled up the surface of the paper leaving it " fuzzy" and abraded </li>
</ul>
Next time I will try using drafting tape (which is what usually I carry in my sketch kit) which is less sticky, and should be gentler on the paper. <br />
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Next I'm going to test my vast marker collection on Zeta, so stay tuned! Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-59421464455030597542012-06-16T13:47:00.000-05:002012-06-25T11:43:48.569-05:00Sketching Sculpture<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
To see my paintings visit my website <a href="http://www.janblencowe.com/">www.janblencowe.com</a></div>
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Trips to museums make great sketching days. At the Slater Museum they have life size plaster casts of all the famous sculpture form antiquity. Pencil and gouache were used to capture the Hermes Belvedere and the Dying Gaul.</div>
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The next town over from where I live has a <i>Sculpture Mile</i>, a mile long section of the downtown that has a sculpture exhibit that changes every year. this privately funded effort brings art into the public spaces of the town. Pencil, watercolor and gouache capture two views of this figurative piece.</div>Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-67345602216766883622012-06-15T13:42:00.000-05:002012-06-22T16:19:43.390-05:00Spring Sketching, Lilacs and TreesTo see my paintings visit my website <a href="http://www.janblencowe.com/">www.janblencowe.com</a><br />
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Every year I make sure that I do something with the lilacs when they bloom. Sometimes it's a full painting, sometimes just a watercolor or sketch. This year it was a sketch. These come from a large shrub in my mom's yard. I brought her a huge bouquet of them as she was in the hospital recovering from a hip replacement. The scent of lilacs is just intoxicating! Watercolor, pen, acrylic marker.<br />
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This quick watercolor was done just at the edge of our property looking up the road. It was very overcast and while I was working it started to mist creating beautiful star patterns in the paint similar to what you get when you drop salt on wet watercolor.<br />
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<br />Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-17333222526149375982012-06-14T13:35:00.000-05:002012-06-20T11:58:52.302-05:00Beaver Pond, Compositions and a Trip to the MuseumTo see my paintings visit my website www.janblencowe.com<br />
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I've been documenting the activity in our beaver pond, and around the rest of our property. Here you can see the beaver's lodge and the trees they have felled. There are ducks, and swifts. Occasionally I hear a Great Horned Owl, and we have some lovely birch trees too. Pencil and watercolor.<br />
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One of the things a sketchbook is good for is testing out compositions before you commit to a large painting. This is a local scene on our downtown and I admire the weeping cherry tree every spring. Four small, fast paintings let me explore several compositional possibilities. Then I was able to make notes analyzing what I liked and didn't like about each. In the end I went with a version similar to the one in the upper right. Golden Fluid Acrylic.<br />
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One of the really nice things about keeping a sketchbook journal is capturing the places you go and the things you see. This page has some figure studies of customers having lunch at Denny's along with my fruit salad! Then a trip to the museum followed where I jotted down the information on Tonalism that accompanied the painting by Emil Carlsen that I did a sketch of. Below that is a sketch of Willard Metcalf's sketchbook that he kept when he was in New Mexico and to the left two Canada Geese who were on the museum grounds enjoying the rain.Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-23964440629114385822012-06-13T13:24:00.002-05:002012-06-13T13:24:58.868-05:00Working in a Stillman & Birn Beta Sketchbook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the cover page for my Stillman and Birn Beta Sketchbook.....<br />
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...and the first page. You can see by the dates that I am way behind in posting. In fact, this books is filled and I've moved on to a new one! I'm really going to try hard to get caught up and to post regularly, as I finish pages. For now if you want to keep up to date I post frequently in Cathy Johnson's<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/artists.journal.workshop/permalink/381242798598637/?notif_t=like" target="_blank"> Artist Journal Workshop Group on Facebook.</a><br />
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The SUN page above is done with pencil, watercolor, gouache and marker. <br />
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The Bird feeder page is one of my fav's. The very quick sketches (birds don't stay still very long!) were done with a blue/black Uniball Signo pen, and since the ink is not waterproof when touched with a waterbrush loaded with yellow ochre watercolor beautiful green, browns were created, perfect for depicting the green enamel of the feeder and the color of the seed inside. <br />
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Beautiful spring colors on Messerchmidt's Pond near my home, the top three are gouache and the bottom is a watercolor. These small landscape studies are invaluable for preparing me for the plein air painting season. <br />
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One of the things I really love about the Stillman & Birn beta sketchbook is it's fabulous heavy weight, (180lb, unheard of in a sketchbook!) multimedia paper. This paper takes everything you can throw at it with no buckling or rippling, no bleed through, and the surface stays perfect even with repeated applications, even a fair amount of scrubbing. All of that is important to me because I know that I have the freedom to experiment and to keep working a sketch until I get it working to my satisfaction, even if I have to add several types of media to do it. I really feel fearless when using this sketchbook! And that is very, very good for unleashing creativity!Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-25800258710628785842012-05-05T19:44:00.002-05:002012-05-05T19:44:14.908-05:00Sketching LunchTo see my paintings visit my website <a href="http://www.janblencowe.com/">www.janblencowe.com</a><br />
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Just a couple of quick foodie sketches! Pen and watercolor in a Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook...and below Faber-Castell brush tip markers in a Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgneNL8gh2XF36pGpTL_Q3G0gYUYGoWWlEUZDKWD5SYwODjlVYfPEQ85xa9wEnvDEKJUDoibeJGf7pGuKe6esvJZoiyZrCv1cG-fsygOrfwd8KfbNzJDTvhSNZSrOsqusegM9rZMA/s1600/SaybrookSoup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgneNL8gh2XF36pGpTL_Q3G0gYUYGoWWlEUZDKWD5SYwODjlVYfPEQ85xa9wEnvDEKJUDoibeJGf7pGuKe6esvJZoiyZrCv1cG-fsygOrfwd8KfbNzJDTvhSNZSrOsqusegM9rZMA/s400/SaybrookSoup.jpg" width="395" /></a></div>Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-37344094107954612082012-04-23T17:19:00.000-05:002012-04-23T17:19:50.354-05:00Sketching Spring TreesTo see my paintings visit my website <a href="http://www.janblencowe.com/">www.janblencowe.com</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexteORGaNwTfxzO-YBvMk4j4MQ66JG31rFCTABKxsejv18Ds_99LHkpThd3pRAVi4ao1GYhXCIWrd_Q_XNzzzG-5eD9txmgC5jHvJlMSQfwoaFvb4-LtdfKIfE8_LVzDnLxSrFQ/s1600/SpringTreesBauer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhexteORGaNwTfxzO-YBvMk4j4MQ66JG31rFCTABKxsejv18Ds_99LHkpThd3pRAVi4ao1GYhXCIWrd_Q_XNzzzG-5eD9txmgC5jHvJlMSQfwoaFvb4-LtdfKIfE8_LVzDnLxSrFQ/s640/SpringTreesBauer.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Spring Trees, done on Easter Sunday, UniBall Vision pen, Daniel Smith watercolors, Stillman & Birn Beta series sketchbook. <br />
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Winsor & Newton Gouache,
Stillman & Birn Beta series sketchbook.<br />
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I thought this wold be an interesting comparison of two similar (yet very different!) mediums ,watercolor and gouache. Gouache is sometimes thought of as opaque watercolor, in the 19th century it was called<i> body color</i>, meaning that it had a heavier consistency than watercolor, hence it had more <i>body</i> to it. You can thin down gouache like watercolor and create semi transparent washes or you can build up color as I did here. <br />
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The watercolor and pen is a very fast way to work and the transparent color seemed the best choice for capturing the very sunny day and the light colors in the trees. When i did the second sketch clouds were rolling in and the weather was changing and layers of heavier gouache seemed the right choice for that particular situation.<br />
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Gouache and watercolor also work well together, allowing you to sit opaque layers or areas on top of transparent areas which produces a really nice effect.Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-58091084099518649892012-04-16T10:31:00.000-05:002012-04-16T10:31:50.284-05:00The Books-a-Million Cafe SketchTo see my paintings visit my website<a href="http://www.janblencowe.com/" target="_blank"> www.janblencowe.com</a><br />
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As much as I love eBooks, Kindle, on line magazines, shopping at Amazon.com and digital media in general I still will always and forever love a beautiful hardcover book with gold gilded edges and visiting a book store. </div>
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I also really love bookstores that have cafes. They are perfect for settling down and reading your latest purchase or for sketching. Usually people are relaxed and likely to stay for an hour or so and therefore they make good models!</div>
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I'm trying to improve my skill with gouache, and I think this is my best attempt so far. My biggest problem with using gouache is that I water down the paint too much, and don't dip back in or make more mix frequently enough and struggle to spread too little paint too far. Or as Bilbo Baggins stated on his 111th birthday <i>“I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter, scraped over too much bread." </i>~ JRR Tolkein</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gouache can be delicate and the previous layer can "lift" or dissolve into the layer you are adding if you don't allow enough dry time. I read in the Daniel Smith catalog that you can use Golden Super Loaded Matte Medium with gouache to create a surface that does not lift when re-wet. This sort of makes your gouache more like an acrylic but not really as you have total control of how much medium you add and at which point in the painting you add it and if you add it all at in certain parts. I'm finding it very helpful right now.</span><br />
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This done in a Stillman & Birn Alpha Sketchbook, with W&N Gouache.Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-40922472408800568572012-04-15T18:49:00.000-05:002012-04-15T19:50:03.248-05:00Zoo SketchesTo see my paintings visit my website <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_150201790">www.janblencowe</a><a href="http://.com/">.com</a><br />
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Sketching at the zoo is very challenging! Some of these are from on the spot observation, others developed and fleshed out from photos I took. I wish there was a zoo close to home so I could go frequently and become adept enough to capture the animals quickly and accurately while observing them.<br />
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The lions are done with 2B pencil and gouache, in a Stillman & Birn Beta Sketchbook.<br />
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The Baboons were very entertaining to watch especially the very young one, who persisted in pestering his elders even after getting a scolding. 2B pencil and gouache, in a Stillman & Birn Beta Sketchbook.<br />
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Wish I could have gotten the Bactrain Camels to turn around, but they were at the hay baskets munching the afternoon away. 2B pencil and gouache, in a Stillman & Birn Beta Sketchbook.<br />
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This part of the zoo was fascinating. It's called the Deer Forest and a herd of 90 Fallow Deer roam free as you walk along the paths. The deer will come to you to eat if you buy corn from the little dispensers, they will follow you and walk freely in and out of groups of people. Here you see a chocolate variety, and a spotted. There is also a white coated variation. Watercolor, 2B pencil and gouache, in a Stillman & Birn Beta Sketchbook.<br />
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This was a spur of the moment visit on our way home from my daughter's college in Beverly, MA and I would have missed the opportunity to enjoy these beautiful animals if I didn't always keep at least one sketching kit in the car at all times!Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-85422457147161027122012-04-11T13:56:00.001-05:002012-04-11T13:56:32.270-05:00Sketching Sea TurtlesTo see my paintings visit my website <a href="http://www.janblencowe.com/">www.janblencowe.com</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sea Turtles at the Maritime Center in Norwalk, CT. Pen, and watercolor in a Pentallic Nature Sketch sketchbook</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lots of fun watching these beautiful creatures swim and move, but challenging to sketch because they're always swimming and moving! </span>Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-91542157390016632522012-04-07T20:48:00.000-05:002012-04-07T20:48:20.208-05:00Easter Egg SketchTo see my paintings visit my website <a href="http://www.janblencowe.com/">www.janblencowe.com</a><br />
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Have a beautiful, blessed Easter ! And Happy Passover and Happy Spring, too!Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-82213594440174733382012-04-06T13:02:00.000-05:002012-04-06T13:03:02.279-05:00Landscape SketchesTo see my paintings visit my website <a href="http://www.janblencowe.com/">www.janblencowe.com</a><br />
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Beaver Dam, Golden Fluid Acrylics, Beta Stillman & Birn multimedia sketchbook<br />
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Having a great time taking my paints outdoors and doing quick painted sketches. The beavers have repaired their dam this year and the water level in the beaver pond on our property has risen significantly. <br />
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Hammock River Sunset, W&N Gouache, Beta Stillman & Birn multimedia sketchbook. Getting accustomed to what gouache can do. For this sketch I primed the paper with some acrylic matte medium. This forces me to use a thicker application of paint (otherwise the gouache will bead up) which is good, it keeps me from thinning the paint too much. <br />
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Spring Sunset, pen & watercolor, Beta Stillman & Birn multimedia sketchbook. Always nice to return to one of my favorite combos, wc & pen.<br />
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Florence Griswold House and Daffodils, W&N Gouache, Beta Stillman & Birn multimedia sketchbook. Always challenging to do architecture in pen! it's a bit wonky but full of character!<br />
<br />Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-24510263558496527442012-03-31T17:50:00.000-05:002012-03-31T17:50:55.789-05:00Flowers in the SketchbookTo see my paintings visit my website <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_276164456">www.janblencowe</a><a href="http://.com/">.com</a><br />
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Golden Fluid Acrylics, Alpha Series Stillman & Birn sketchbook<br />
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Golden Fluid Acrylics, Alpha Series Stillman & Birn sketchbook<br />
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More birthday flowers as promised! OK, so I am blown away over how amazing the fluid acrylics are in this sketchbook. The paper took multiple layers, glaze, scumble, wash with no problem. I actually think it ripples less than when using watercolor, and it doesn't ripple much then. Compared to the paper in the Beta, which is specifically for multimedia and is a heavier, (180 lb. compared to the 100lb in the Alpha) the paint moves more freely on the Alpha paper, less so on the Beta paper which is more absorbent. This means that with watercolor the paint soaks right in and leaves a brush mark, with acrylics the paint also soaks right in but as you continue to work you build up a layer of paint then it becomes much easier to move the acrylic around on top. <br />
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I really love heavy weight paper, so when I use my Beta series books for acrylic I will seal the paper with matte medium or gesso first and that will do the trick. When I use watercolor I'll simply plan on incorporating the brush marks into the paintings or stick with a very light wash. With markers I find a colorless blender helpful.<br />
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But back to the Alpha. I am so impressed with this paper, it's really standing up to everything I'm throwing at it. Gouache is next. If I could design a sketch-book's specifications I'd make one with the exact same kind of paper as in the Alpha (suitable for dry or wet) but just a little heavier, like 130-140 lb. <br />
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<br />Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-73222802323240981632012-03-30T16:54:00.001-05:002012-03-30T16:54:17.604-05:00Golden Fluid Acrylics OutdoorsTo see my paintings visit my website <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1890921480">www.janblencowe.com</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">I've
been dying to try Golden Fluid Acrylics in my Stillman & Birn, Beta sketchbook, and today was the
perfect day. Spring sunlight is so beautiful and clear making all the
delicate colors of spring pop! I worked on the paper as it is, no gesso,
no priming with matte medium. The paper is very absorbent which is
fine, as long as you know that. Next time I might coat the paper with
matte medium first. Other than that the paper is wonderful and held up
exceptionally well to repeated layers, scumbling and glazing. This is by
far my favorite sketchbook for outdoor landscape work.</span></span></h6>
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">One of the great things about being able to paint in your sketchbook is well, that you can<i> paint. </i>The sketchbook then becomes a very valuable tool in which you can practice color mixes, compositional strategies, explore a location for plein air painting, make color notes, catch an atmospheric effect or fleeting time of day quickly without worrying about completing a "painting". The work becomes just another <i>sketch, </i>which for me anyway means I'm freer, looser, more intuitive and means that I'm more likely to take creative risks, instigate happy accidents and in general be more expressive. </span></span></h6>
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">A sketchbook that I can paint in becomes a safe place to push boundaries without fear of failure or judgement, my own or someone else's.</span></span></h6>
<a class="uiPhotoThumb largePhoto" data-ft="{"type":41}" href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150689848411877&set=o.160548623999347&type=1&ref=nf" rel="theater" title="I've been dying to try Golden Fluid Acrylics in my Beta and today was the perfect day. Spring sunlight is so beautiful and clear making all the delicate colors of spring pop! I worked on the paper as it is, no gesso, no priming with matte medium. The paper is very absorbent which is fine, as long as you know that. Next time I might coat the paper with matte medium first. Other than that the paper is wonderful and held up exceptionally well to repeated layers, scumbling and glazing. This is by far my favorite sketchbook for outdoor landscape work."></a>Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-53673188306100746462012-03-28T15:50:00.000-05:002012-03-28T15:50:12.319-05:00Birthday FlowersTo see my paintings visit my website <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_285702473">www.janblencowe</a><a href="http://.com/">.com</a><br />
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Yesterday I celebrated my birthday! Since my birthday is in the spring and since I love flowers and gardening I tend to get a lot of flowers for my special day and yesterday was no exception. These beauties are from my husband who also got me an ipad3 much to my delight! I also got flowers from my friend Joan , pansies for my flower boxes from one of my sons, a container of tulips from another friend, and a gift certificate to the local garden center from my mother. Needless to say you'll be seeing sketches of flowers in the next few days.<br />
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This is done with my fav Uni-ball Vision pen, Daniel Smith watercolors, and Golden Fluid Acrylics. I'm really pleased with how well the 100lb. paper in the Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook takes all the wet in wet water media I throw at it.<br />
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I've put links to the Stillman & Birn website and Facebook page in the sidebar for you to enjoy!Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-76593537368305085682012-03-27T15:48:00.000-05:002012-03-27T15:48:24.438-05:00Sketching at the TableTo see my paintings visit my website www.janblencowe.com<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">Waiting
for dinner at my favorite casual dining, Italian restaurant, Illiano's
in Old Lyme, CT (Isn't this what EVERYBODY does while waiting for their
meal? LOL) A lovely glass of Pinot Grigio, fresh baked bread and red
pepper and Parmesan shakers on the table. Pen and watercolor in a 7x10
wire bound Alpha series sketchbook.</span></span></h6>Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-85557838761949751622012-03-25T10:07:00.001-05:002012-03-25T10:09:07.688-05:00Landscape SketchesTo see my paintings visit my website www.janblencowe.com<br />
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This old New England stone wall borders part of our property and seemed a suitable subject for this wonderful long format (6x9) <a href="http://www.stillmanandbirn.com/index.html" target="_blank">Stillman & Birn</a> Gamma series sketchbook, 100lb. ivory vellum paper which is quite lovely for pencil work.<br />
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I found some really neat pencils the other day at Jerry's in West Hartford. They are made by<a href="http://myobon.com/pencils" target="_blank"> O'BON</a> and instead of the 2B graphite being encased in wood the pencils are made from recycled newspaper using their patented Rolled On method. This method of construction protects the lead so it doesn't break easily and will last 2-3 times longer than an ordinary wood pencil. The pencils are non-toxic, easily sharpened and are also water resistant. The O'BON pencils support international recycling policies and are available in HB and 2B as well as colored pencils. The only downside is that they are made in China. China is the number one polluter in the world, and surprisingly, by a big lead. In 2010, China had a total CO2 emission of 8.2 million thousand metric
tonnes, almost TWICE that of the USA. *Sigh* I can only hope that by purchasing these I'm helping O'BON earn a profit and someday be able to manufacture their pencils in the USA in a way that is environmentally friendly, and thus probably more expensive.We live in a complicated world. <br />
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Also in the S&B Gamma sketchbook a view of the Indian River as it empties into the Long Island Sound. This was done using a<a href="http://www.jerrysartarama.com/discount-art-supplies/watercolor-pencils-and-sticks/caran-dache-watercolor-pencils-and-crayons/caran-dache-supracolor-ii-watercolor-pencils.htm" target="_blank"> Caran d'Ache sepia, Supracolor watercolor pencil. </a></div>
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<br />Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-70435426124848002922012-03-24T17:19:00.000-05:002012-03-24T17:26:55.465-05:00The Foodie SketchbookTo see my paintings visit my website www.janblencowe.com<br />
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Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook, Uni-ball Vision pen, Daniel Smith Watercolors, Golden Fluid Acrylics and W&N Gouache.<br />
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This piece is a veritable water-media extravaganza! I was set on giving the Alpha a thorough work out to see how well the paper stood up to multiple wet media and it was wonderful! What a joy to work on, no worrying about wrinkling, bleeding through or the surface of the paper becoming mushy or abraded.<br />
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So here we have a Luna Di Luna bottle, a wine I recently bought (for the beautiful color of the bottle and the nice label design LOL) and discovered it's also a really nice wine, a Chardonnay/Pinot Greigo blend.<br />
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Same S&B Alpha sketchbook with Uni-ball Vision Pen, DS watercolors, and a bit of W&N Gouache.<br />
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The point of this sketchbook is food, with its interesting textures and wonderful colors and it's also a celebration of the interesting and fun places we meet with others to share a meal. Even though we sometimes eat left overs alone in our own kitchen food is still an ordinary blessing we give thanks for each day.<br />
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S&B Alpha, pencil and DS watercolors.<br />
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We've had such wonderful, unseasonably warm March weather last week end my daughter and I drove up to an orchard about 45 min. north of us and got lunch and sat out side on their picnic benches to share our first<i> al fresco </i>lunch of the year. We also brought home and incredibly delicious maple walnut apple pie for the rest of the family.<br />
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S&B Alpha, Uni-ball Vision pen, DS watercolors.<br />
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Savvy Tea Shop is a favorite place for my daughter and I. After bringing four of her pastel paintings to a review for a possible scholarship we waited at the tea shop enjoying lunch and the charming atmosphere.Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-58949544968511766432012-03-16T08:55:00.000-05:002012-03-16T08:55:14.112-05:00Sketching at Salmagundi Club, NYCTo see my paintings visit my website www.janblencowe.com<br />
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Antique books from the Salmagundi Club Library. You may recognize the sketch of Rembrandt's Road to Emmaus, in the open book. Pentalic Nature Sketch, 8.5 x 11, 130lb. 25% cotton paper, various markers including Vision Uni-ball, Copic, Bic Mark-It, Prismacolor, Utrecht Design Markers. <br />
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A few months back I joined the Salmagundi Club Library Sketching Group, a newly formed group in an old organization.<br />
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Founded in 1871, the Salmagundi Club is one of the oldest art
organizations in the United States. Housed in an historic brownstone
mansion in Greenwich Village, New York City, its members have included important American artists such as Thomas
Moran, William Merritt Chase, Louis Comfort Tiffany, N.C. Wyeth and
Childe Hassam.<br />
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Pentalic Nature Sketch, 8.5 x 11, 130lb. 25% cotton paper, Sepia, Caran d'Arche Supracolor II Soft pencil<br />
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Historic palettes on the walls in Salmagundi Club library, including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Albert_Blakelock" target="_blank">Ralph Blakelock</a>'s, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Lawson" target="_blank">Ernest Lawson</a>'s, one of <i>The Eight</i> of the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashcan_School" target="_blank"> Ash Can School</a>,<a href="http://www.askart.com/askart/b/carl_christian_brenner/carl_christian_brenner.aspx" target="_blank"> Carl Brenner</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_175200125">William Henry Lippingcott </a><br />
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The Salmagundi Club originated in 1871 as a sketch class in Johnathan
Scott Hartley's studio and purchased this mid-nineteenth century
brownstone house in 1917 as its second home.<br />
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Originally formed as the Salmagundi Sketch Club in 1871,
the Club adopted its present name a hundred years ago after Washington
Irving published his potpourri of wit and wisdom called "The Salmagundi
Papers". The name also serves as the club dining room's famous
"Salmagundi Stew".<br />
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Today, the club is reviving the sketch class that began over 140 years ago.<br />
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Bust of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Moran" target="_blank">Thomas Moran</a>, Pentalic Nature Sketch, 8.5 x 11, 130lb. 25% cotton paper,Derwent, burnt sienna, watercolor pencil.<br />
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Pentalic Nature Sketch, 8.5 x 11, 130lb. 25% cotton paper, 2b graphite pencil<br />
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This charming fellow sits atop the mantle in the library and I'm beginning to think of him as the group's mascot!<br />
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<a href="http://salmagundi.org/virtualtour2.htm" target="_blank">Salmagundi Club Library</a><br />
<br />Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-89321466519187542872012-03-08T21:33:00.000-05:002012-03-15T16:36:00.717-05:00Sketching Farms and FoodTo see my paintings visit my website <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1625167513">www.janblencowe.com</a><br />
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Tiffany Farm, Old Lyme, CT, Stillman & Birn Beta Sketchbook, Copic, Prismacolor, Utrecht Design, Mark-It, Uniball Vision<br />
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Really loving the new Stillman & Birn sketchbooks. 180 lb. paper in a sketchbook is just fantastic.<br />
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This was done late in the day this past Sunday. Tiffany Farm is one of the few remaining working farms in Connecticut. I pulled off to the side of the road and sketched from my car. It's a view I've done before and i always find the buildings challenging. I liked the rows of stubble in the field in the foreground. Corn will be growing there in a few months.<br />
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Here we go with the Stillman & Birn Alpha, spiral bound sketchbook. White, 100 lb. paper which is working very well for ink and watercolor washes. I'm using a Uniball Vision pen and Daniel Smith watercolors. <br />
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Here's a close up....<br />
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This was done at Savvy tea Shop in Madison, CT a favorite hang out of mine.<br />
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Tea and Scone at the Books-a-Million cafe in Waterford, CT also in the Alpha sketchbook, Uniball Vision pen and Daniel Smith watercolors. Using a lot of water to lighten the background washes and the paper is holding up well. The page does buckle somewhat when using watercolor, but it doesn't curl like some sketchbook papers do. The buckling doesn't bother me at all because once the sketch is dry and the book is closed the weight of the cover (and other pages when you get further into the sketchbook) flatten out a lot of the buckles.<br />
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Still in the Alpha (which I think is going to become my foodie sketchbook!) Uniball Vision pen and Daniel Smith watercolors.<br />
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This week end I'll be in New York City sketching, so stay tuned!Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-15687315344717208932012-02-27T15:50:00.002-05:002012-02-27T15:50:54.576-05:00New Sketches: Late Afternoon CloudsTo see my paintings visit my website www.janblencowe.com<br />
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Here's a couple more from yesterday. Still working in the Stillman & Birn Beta series sketchbook and using markers: Copic, Utrecht Design, Bic Mark-It, and Uni-ball vision pen.<br />
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Markers are a really fun medium. They're quick, can be layered, blended with a colorless blender, and they require you to simplify, a good skill to hone for plein air painting.Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-37232909774041101342012-02-26T21:49:00.000-05:002012-02-26T21:51:33.945-05:00New Stillman and Birn SketchbookTo see my paintings visit my website www.janblencowe.com<br />
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Stillman & Birn have developed a new line of hardcover sketchbooks, so naturally I had to get one! This is their Beta series book, with extra heavy 180 lb. natural white paper and a rough surface. This is the 7 x 10 in. 25 page book. Sketch done with Bic Mark-It Markers and a Uni-ball Vision pen. <br />
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I really, really like working on heavy paper, the heavier the better. Stillman & Birn says that this paper has enhanced wet strength and is suitable for mixed media. I like it because it takes markers and while the marker does show through the other side of the paper it does not bleed through to the next page. Sketch done with Bic Mark-It Markers and a Uni-ball Vision pen. <br />
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This sketch was done with a Uni-ball Vision pen and Daniel Smith watercolors. I wanted to see how the watercolors did on this paper. It's certainly a good paper for watercolors, strong, little to no buckling as the paper gets wet, but I did find the paper slightly less absorbent than the 130 lb. paper in my Pentallic Nature Sketch sketchbook. So that answered my question of which sketchbook to use for watercolor and which for markers. But I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one for watercolors, it's very good for that, it's just that I'm used to the way the Nature Sketch paper performs and I'll stay with that for convenience.Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-84701419231675968172012-02-18T20:05:00.003-05:002012-02-18T20:05:32.077-05:00Starting up Pen, Pencil & Paper Again! I've decided to start up <i><b>Pen, Pencil & Paper</b></i> again.!! I haven't posted in six, count'em six years. But that doesn't mean I haven't been sketching. These two were done back in 2009, at Hammonasset State Park in Madison, CT, summer and autumn.Both are done with a Uniball Vision pen in a Pentallic Nature Sketch 8.5 x 11 sketchbook and Yarka watercolors. The autumn sketch also makes use of a yellow ochre Prismacolor marker. <br />
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I'm going to start posting my favorite sketches from the past six years plus new ones as they are completed. <br />
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To see my paintings visit my website<a href="http://www.janblencowe.com/"> www.janblencowe.com</a>Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-1156288168062190142006-08-22T17:59:00.000-05:002012-02-18T19:22:32.321-05:00New Sketches<div style="text-align: center;">
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I have been so busy, teaching a drawing class for one thing and doing a lot of plein air painting and art shows for another that my drawing time has been severely limited :( I've also had some problems with my scanner:( But I do have some new sketches to share today! The soup, roll and white tea was lunch at Bruewiler's Bakery which is right downstairs from the art center where I teach and my daughter takes lessons. We stopping in fo lunch one Saturday after her animation class. My daughter is into a card game based on the Japanese anime show Yu-Gi-Oh! and every couple of months they have tournaments and she likes to go and that's the room full of people you see here. After the tournament we went for an early supper and I drew the salt/pepper and sugar bowl. Hopefully there will be more sketches soon.<br />
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<a href="http://technorati.com/sketching" rel="tag">sketching</a><br />
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<a href="http://technorati.com/moleskine" rel="tag">moleskine</a>Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19641372.post-1153959330050393152006-07-26T19:00:00.000-05:002012-02-18T19:19:50.226-05:00Posting Again, Finally!!<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7394/1647/1600/cafeallegra.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7394/1647/320/cafeallegra.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7394/1647/1600/blackboot.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7394/1647/320/blackboot.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7394/1647/1600/vase.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7394/1647/320/vase.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a>Busy, busy, busy!!! I bet you thought I wasn't posting because I wasn't drawing LOL Not so! Actually I'm teaching a drawing class right now, also have an oil painting student, doing lots of<a href="http://http//janblencowe.blogspot.com/"> plein air painting</a> and continuing with the <a href="http://http//www.art-agent.com/collection_view.php?collection_id=3429">Flower-a-Day series.</a> Oh yeah and then there's the rest of my life, husband, three teenagers, dog, rabbit and turtle and garden to take care of LOL I need sleep!! Here we have #8 black boot and 9 Oriental vase from the WetCanvas scavenger hunt which I am woefully behind in. Someone won the first hunt and they are well into the second now. I'm left in the dust! The others are in my large moleskine cinnamon raisin bagel from Dunkin' Donuts, Cafe Allegra a restaurant down town which never got finished because it started to rain, and the prayer garden at the new school my daughter will be attending in the fall. I went for the bagel and sketched while she was taking entrance tests. I'm hoping to get back into the sketching groove again, I miss it when I don't draw everyday.<br />
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<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/drawing" rel="tag">drawing</a><br />
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<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/moleskine" rel="tag">moleskine</a>Jan Blencowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12436446226095902175noreply@blogger.com4