What a wonderful Kirkus review!
(Paired here with my favorite improper contraction.)
"A thoughtful look at life, in all its beauty and strangeness.
...
This delightfully deadpan musing on life urges compassion for others. Howden’s straightforward text is on the philosophical side, though also rooted in the absurd. Hahn’s spare black graphite pencil watercolor, mostly set against a white background, are imbued with humor and empathy for the pickle, with the foodstuff’s expressive eyes conveying many emotions at once. "
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sarah-howden/the-wise-pickle/
THE WISE PICKLE
by Sarah Howden ;
illustrated by Sabina Hahn
RELEASE DATE: June 23, 2026
Drawn in 2019, this is a graphite and ink portrait of my mum's horse that I did as a birthday present for her. I used Fine liner pens and 5H, HB, and 6B graphite pencils on A4 150GSM art paper.
This is a graphite pencil drawing of a conch shell I found on the beach in Florida. I used this sketch as a base for a intaglio print I made. The sketch features the cool textures and forms of the shell in a harsh contrasting light.
“Faerie, Dark of the Moon”, Shift Your Skirts and Dance. ~ 9 x 12 in, ~ 23 x 30.5 cm, graphite pencil on paper. c. 2023 Thanks, NFT’s not available. Commissions closed. #faerie #faeries #mythologyart #folkloreart #pencildrawings #generalpencilcompany #strathmorepaper
Had some doubts on this one. Originally planned for more in the back and foreground. Felt it might take away from the wolf as the focal point. Graphite pencils. Black was charcoal pencils.
I didn't know what to draw but I know Valentine’s Day is this month so I decided to draw hearts for today. This month Im going to try to stick to two mediums painting and sketching with graphite pencils to build my skills with them.
I modified the challenge a wee bit. I didn't use the same paper for the various drawings since I was using (top row, left to right) hard graphite pencils (3H to HB), watercolor pencils, (bottom row, left to right) brush pens and ballpoint pen. These media work best on very different paper textures and moisture absorbing qualities. The second picture shows the object of my study --- and the apparatus I use to hold botanical subjects. "Third hand" tools are very useful and cheap. This one was under $10 and serves my purposes well. Just FYI. (Each drawing/painting was scanned and composited in Photoshop.)
