light

Last month's sketchbook work. Slightly wonky because I was kinda rushing it. 2023, Double Page Spread-5” x 8,” Ballpoint Pen on Moleskine Sketchbook.

New Matchbox painting. Available on my Etsy shop

(HB pencil on 50mm x 80mm paper) A simple, yet strange, little character for these Guardian Spirit cards I've done.

The cat in this doodle is inspired by "The Beast" from a cartoon that ran when I was a kid. The abstract mushrooms are a slight deviation from my usual botanical abstracts.

(2B pencil on 80mm x 48mm paper) Another of my Guardian Spirit pieces drawn on a much smaller format so that I can hand them out to people I meet as calling cards.

EF Platinum 3776 pen and ink with light preliminary sketch

Skylight from Dialogues in Paradise by Can Xue. The light shrank back into two dots. A dark shadow brushed by, a clumsy night bird that shrieked and swooped toward the skylight, its huge wings tapping the roof fiercely, echoing like thunder.

lighten

Doodling of the Day

Progression drawing 5 of 7. This is an earlier drawing of a how-to video from Emmy Kalia. All credit to her. This one may not seem like a lot of progress from the last upload, but I did manage to lighten up that dark spot on her cheek. Link: https://youtu.be/80ewdDwAVk4

Did this in a sketchbook for fun - a bit of science fiction.

Progression image 5 of 6. 11x14 Marker paper, Medium Graphite Pencils (asst. B-5B). Here the drawing started to come together. I used a metal tip to a mechanical pencil and dragged it along the paper to create the highlight effects in her hair. It is effective but irreversible, so I don't do it very often.

Have a very inclusive Christmas!

16 x 12 acrylic

Scratchboard skull study

Digital art portrait

Title: Windows to the Soul Medium: Ink on sketch Book Paper Size: 10” X 14” Year: 01/09/2020 This Illustration is a pulmonary design/study for a future painting. Theme was born from a poem I wrote a couple years ago, by the same title. The main massage is that Christians are to be windows that Jesus Christs can shine His light of, Love, truth, mercy, salvation, hope, new life, in to a darkened world by the power of sin. The power of sin is what subjects all creation under destruction, suffer, death, decay. The Devil, and countless fallen angel use these tools to destroy the human race. Christians Have victory, through faith in Christ, from being a salves to sin, they have obtain adoption into God’s family, and removed from the coming damnation that is for the rebellious angels and the humans. Christian still are still temped to commit sin, and still make bad choices. Christian’s sin, hinder their effectiveness to be a witnesses for God’s kingdom, their short comings are like black drapes, that hang in a widow, that hinder the sunlight from brightening and warming a dark cold room. The massage communicated by symbolism The stair well leading down with the railing around it: The railing: The 3 petal flower is a Keltic symbol for the trinity of God. The railing around the stair well: Represents, God’s desire that none should perish but to repent. It also represents that people go to hell by their own choice, through their deliberate rebellious living against God. No ne accidently end up on the wrong side of the railroad tracks. The Stairs going down: Represents sinful humanity that is separated from a holy God. Without a spiritual intervention, we all have one destination that is the lake of fire, which is the finale judgement for sin. The open glass pane door: Represents God wants humanity to except his invitation to commune with Him, receive the new life He offers to provide for them. The stair case without railings: Represents the path to TheHeaven, which must me travailed by faith. The partly open drapes hanging in the Picture widow. Represent sin that try to prevent the light of truth to penetrate the darkness of deception. The railing with the fishes and crosses: This represent the Heavenly destination of Christian. It also stand for Christian being God’s Life guard. While living in the world, their mission is to take the salvation message into all the world. The second Floor open door, the entrance filled with light: This represents the entrance to Heaven. The globe sculpture represents a world needing to be repossessed, from the power of the curse of sin. By the hand of God, it will made new, absent of rebellious angel and humans. Absent from destruction, suffering, death, decay. Stephen J. Vattimo 1/10/2020

Twilight pen and ink on paper

Dmitry Shostakovich (1906–1975) Shostakovich’s contemporaries do not recall seeing him working, at least not in the traditional sense. The Russian composer was able to conceptualize a new work entirely in his head, and then write it down with extreme rapidity—if uninterrupted, he could average twenty or thirty pages of score a day, making virtually no corrections as he went. But this feat was apparently preceded by hours or days of mental composition—during which he “appeared to be a man of great inner tensions,” the musicologist Alexei Ikonnikov observed, “with his continually moving, ‘speaking’ hands, which were never at rest.” Shostakovich himself was afraid that perhaps he worked too fast. “I worry about the lightning speed with which I compose,” he confessed in a letter to a friend. Undoubtedly this is bad. One shouldn’t compose as quickly as I do. Composition is a serious process, and in the words of a ballerina friend of mine, “You can’t keep going at a gallop.” I compose with diabolical speed and can’t stop myself.… It is exhausting, rather unpleasant, and at the end of the day you lack any confidence in the result. But I can’t rid myself of the bad habit. - From Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey #dailyrituals #inktober #shostakovich @masoncurrey

A very closeup drawing in 4B, 6B, 8B pencil on Fabiano hotpress Studio paper. I bought some Pitt Graphite Matt pencils and wanted to give them a maiden voyage. They are much lighter on the scale of deep blacks than I expected. More like rarified F pencils. But I like them.

Superstition : Cigarettes. The superstition that it is bad luck to light three cigarettes from one match appears to have originated during the Boer War. It was said that a sniper could spot where men might be as the first cigarette was being lit, take aim as the second was ignited and fire with deadly effect at the third. Two lights were enough for any group of men who valued their lives. From "A DICTIONARY OF OMENS AND SUPERSTITIONS" by Philippa Waring

Wanted to keep it simple while working on blending watercolors. I hope the highlights are nice, and the muted palette makes you reflect.

A commissioned piece of original artwork for a client that I drew which incorporates various elements of strength (as chosen by the client). It also illustrates that even in dark times a light will come shining through.

I am delighted to share that I Am a Dragon! has been named to the Pennsylvania Center for the Book's 2024 Baker's Dozen: Thirteen Best Books for Family Literacy! Here is the list ( I am in such a good company!): - “10 Dogs” by Emily Gravett - “ABC and You and Me” by Corinna Luyken - “Bear with Me” illustrated by Kerascoët, Sebastien Cosset and Marie Pommepuy, - “The Concrete Garden” by Bob Graham - “How to Count to ONE (And Don't Even THINK About Bigger Numbers!)” by Caspar Salmon and illustrated by Matt Hunt - “I Am a Dragon! A Squabble and a Quibble” by Sabina Hahn, published by HarperCollins. - “If I Was a Horse” by Sophie Blackall - “The Kitten Story” by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Brittany Cicchese - “Mr. S” by Monica Arnaldo - “Night in the City” by Julie Downing - “Ruffles and the Cozy, Cozy Bed” by David Melling - “Simon and the Better Bone” by Corey R. Tabor - “You Go First” by Ariel Bernstein and illustrated by Marc Rosenthal

gentle smile

The source reference image was from an impromptu photo shoot I did several years ago. The available light in the room was magical and the model was just sitting there meditating. Pencil, Charcoal Pencil, Pastel Pencils on 9” x 12” Strathmore Archival Sketchbook Paper.

My first venture into artist grade colouring pencils - and I'm smitten! I never thought I could achieve such boldness and blendability with them! I'm still getting used to them and will think about choosing smoother paper with less tooth next time. The texture and weight was more for the water-based gouache along with alcohol inks (which are very unforgiving to even primed heavy paper!). Apologies for the unevenness of lighting between the 2 sides of paper; will correct that when I'm making proper image files.