koukla carolyn

Banana Bunch, pitt pen and colored pencil, 2008

Flower Sketch, sanguine pitt pens, 2008

These are a few sketches that I’ve done after work. These days Jeet goes to his martial arts class and I have time alone to putter around the house. I’ve wasted quite a few of these nights by watching tv when I could be drawing, but these are some of the things that I accomplished.

Magnolia, watercolor and ink (7.5” x 4.5”), 2008

This is based on a photo I took of the magnolia tree in front of my apartment building. I spent a Sunday afternoon working on it and I am happy with how delicate the flowers look. Now that it is spring, I am excited about getting outside more and drawing nature.

Nesting Cups, watercolor (10×7), 2008

Lately, I have been trying to improve my skills by choosing subjects that are more challenging. This painting was a real challenge for me but I am especially proud the way it came out, even though there are things I would change about it if I were to do it again. I like the way the background came out and the inside of the top cup. The hardest part were all the elipses.

Spring Drive, Watercolor (5×7), 2008

This is a watercolor that I did for my aunt, based on this photo: Blue Ridge Parkway on Flickr. I wanted to do another landscape based on the Blue Ridge Parkway but I didn’t have any more good photos that I took myself. I did change it around a bit, by adding more shadows and making the road a dirt road instead of asphalt. I also made things more green in the painting. I am pleased with the overall piece and I want to do more landscapes like this in the future.

This week I failed miserably at my art goals, mostly because I was just dead tired when I came home from work every day. My job is not physically taxing, but it certainly is mentally exhausting. This week I am going to try to do small sketches when I come home from work. I think one of the reasons why I put it off this week is because I didn’t have enough time to get involved in a big finished piece. I think I will just do small things so I at least get going on something.