A solitary rowboat drifts across a muted, restless surface, unanchored and unattended. Rendered in charcoal, ink, and subtle white highlights, the vessel exists in a quiet state of motion—moving, yet going nowhere. The surrounding water is suggested through loose, rhythmic lines, emphasizing atmosphere and isolation over realism.
The boat is sharply defined against the hazy background, its dark contours and interior shadows contrasting with the soft, unsettled environment. Oars rest unevenly, implying recent human presence while reinforcing absence. The name Perditas—Latin for “lost”—is affixed to the hull, anchoring the emotional weight of the piece without explanation.
This work explores themes of solitude, uncertainty, and endurance. With no shoreline or destination in sight, Perditas becomes a reflection on drifting—physically, mentally, and emotionally—inviting the viewer to confront their own sense of direction within an undefined space.
For the doodle-a-day prompt 'kiss' I went for a thimble to keep with my loose 'lost boys' theme! If you don't remember: Wendy offers Peter Pan a kiss and he holds his hands out, he doesn't know what a kiss is. She then hands him a thimble. Pretty cute - stick a cute face on it then it's SUPER CUTE
Gouache painting. I've been trying to paint more abstract references quickly and loosely, but I'm finding it a struggle. I'll keep trying. I finally got around to scanning this. This was painted May 15, 2020.
Loosely inspired while playing a game Far Cry 4. I like the environment of the high mountains, the Himalayas, and Buddhism and Hindu art references. The bell is cracked like the Liberty Bell, which always reminds me of Leonard Cohen lyric "There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in."
Chari is one of my favorite folks to draw! I have been drawing a lot more while out and about. Using the cheap graph composition notebook, non-expensive art supplies and going to a coffee shop to draw people. Sometimes I can get a likeness with my mind, eyes, hands and draftsmanship and other times it is the "many moods of my subject." :-) This is a place (in my book) where I can learn from my perceived fails. ****The images are sideways! I know this. I do not know how to make them portrait orientation. They started out as portrait-scaped orientation and now they are landscape. Well..... Okay then. The figurative landscape. Hahaahhha! Cry. I even tried the visa versa. Nope. They want to be on their sides.
Pen on lined paper, I liked the aesthetic of this, what would normally be writing by pen familiarly associated with this lined paper, is instead a loosely sketched portrait.
My favourite Lappish activity - moving with these traditional skis through the snow. Sometimes you might be crashing into trees or into each other and sometimes you might loose a binding and sink into the deep snow, but it’s always fun and exciting.
A bit on the rough side right now, since I'm just getting started (again) on watercolours. I've never painted this loosely before so this is a big step for me. Maybe I'll try a selfie again in a few months to see how I've progressed.
Finally had a day to sit and scribble, first day in a long time. It's fast and loose, but I like how it turned out, and I had fun! My reference was a toy squirrel; but, I think love and death are a bit more interesting. Done in Photoshop. Another color version & reference- https://leglessmermaid.blogspot.com/2024/05/love-death-are-gumball-machine-toys.html
Gone are the days... Digital sketch combining loose brush pixel line work with clean vectors and photo; plus a little typography. https://leglessmermaid.blogspot.com
