Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf. Proverbs 11:28
Fig Leaf Sketch, ballpoint and colored pencil, Carolyn Pappas 2008
Garden Sketch (8/30/08), black pitt pens in kraft paper sketchbook, Carolyn Pappas 2008
Drawing leaves outside has been sort of a theme for me lately. I guess the main reason is that I figure that soon it will be too cold to do a lot of sketching outside and by the time I get home from work, it will be dark. I am already preparing a list of ideas for still lifes and reference photos to use for the colder season.
Despite having an extra day off, I wasn’t very productive in the art department. I have been so tired out from everything that has been going on in my life that I just lounged around at my parent’s house. I had a lot of fun playing around with the puppies, watching tv and finishing a Really Good Book. Sometimes not doing anything important is the best thing to do and I feel really energized now because of it.
Ruggles sketch, ballpoint on kraft paper, 2007
Ruggles on Chair, watercolor and colored pencil, 2008
I did these two versions of Ruggles a few months ago from a photo I found while cleaning out my parent’s attic. I am going to do drawings from all the photos I found and maybe compile some sort of collection of all my Ruggles related drawings and paintings. Now that he is gone, I wish I had spent more time drawing him when I had the chance. I really do miss Ruggles and I can’t wait until my parents get another dog. I won’t be able to get a dog for a few years and my parents getting one is the closest thing available to me having one.
I still haven’t been doing any artwork and I miss it so badly. My big exam is on Monday and I have the day off of work so I think I will spend Monday afternoon getting back into my artwork. I can’t wait until I can come home from work and do my own thing instead of studying for hours on end. Working full time has been a real adjustment for me because over the past year I have gotten used to doing whatever I wanted with no real demands on my time. Overall though, I think that working is just what I need right now.
Jeet and I went to Elizabeth Park a few days ago and I brought my sketchbook along. I love to draw scenes from nature but I don’t usually draw them on location. I especially don’t draw animals because they move around too much for my liking. But I had fun with this and I think the practice is definitely important.
My mother got this rose at church a few weeks ago and I took the initiative to draw it in various orientations on different days, until it withered. It was just an experiment to see how I would draw the same subject differently. I think I like the second one (in graphite) the best. Interestingly, that sketch was the most rushed of the four.
This is all I did last week because I was so busy with school. Unfortunately, I don’t think this week’s schedule will be any easier. Last Thursday I got a chance to go to Jerry’s Artarama and I got some new art supplies though, which is really exciting. I got the pitt artist’s pens in sanguine and Neocolor II watersoluble crayons. I haven’t got a chance to do anything big with the crayons yet but I did get a chance to use the pens (see examples below). I really miss sitting down to draw something more complex—I hope to get a chance to do it soon.
On Wednesday it was snowing in the morning. I was at school and I sat inside and sketched this tree with ballpoint just to kill some time before class.
This was my first attempt using my new pitt artist’s pens in sanguine. I was at the Rainforest Cafe with Jeet and I made a point to try out each different pen.
On Friday my Spanish teacher canceled class and I had an extra hour to kill so I sat and drew this tree. Trees seem to be one of my favorite themes these days mostly because they are one of the only interesting and convenient things for me to draw at school.
It seems like drawing relaxes me like nothing else can.
I’ve been fascinated with self portraits ever since I learned about Rembrandt when I was in grade school. I have actually done quite a bit of them in the past (see the bottom of this post for links). These two drawings were for Everyday Matters challenge #56/57, but I usually draw self portraits when I don’t have anything better to draw. 
I pulled a chair up to the dresser mirror and sat there to draw these. It was kind of uncomfortable, but the best I had at the time. I look very different in each one though—I think my mood changed or something. Since I didn’t have a lot of art supplies with me, I did these sketches in ballpoint with no pencil whatsoever which is why my proportions are a little off. Truthfully, I am happy with how they came out considering that it’s damn hard to draw self portraits in the mirror. I can feel myself improving with each drawing I make though. For the past few weeks I have been making a huge effort to draw every chance I get. I am happy that this effort is paying off.
Here are some more examples of my self portraits: my first decent sp, drawn in 2001, nose and lips, from a different angle, drawn in shadow, just my mouth, just my eyes, just my feet, with eyes closed, sideways.
I went to the library so I could study, but I looked out the window instead…
I was bored the other day so I doodled the logo from my mango juice. I have not done any lettering for quite awhile so it was practice too.
Everyday Matters Challenge #42 is draw something (in my case, someone) you’re thankful for. This is a sketch I made of my boyfriend Jeet a few days ago. I am truly thankful to have Jeet in my life—he is arguably the perfect person for me. (And he’s smart too!) When I drew this he was solving a 5 star Sudoku and he was concentrating so intensely that it inspired me to draw him. The sketch doesn’t look exactly like him but I think I got some of the major features. And it’s not bad considering that I did it really quickly and without the benefit of an eraser. He was impressed by it anyway, which was nice. Happy Valentine’s Day Jeet!
