observation

made with gel ink pen for a future art book about mediterranean way of life. A bit different in the colors choice this time

Here is a painting I made from observation on the top of Mont Bélair in Canada, just before sunset. I am painting those in a 5x8 very convenient moleskin watercolor book. I previously eyeballed the dimensions of this book at 4x6 when I had no ruler to verify but I was slightly wrong. Now the info is exact. :)

Currently exploring image making with fountain pens: immediate mark making, no pencil, no eraser. I'm enjoying the discovery process and embracing the stray mark made with semi-blind contour and continuous line drawings.

A few of my favorite pages from my sketchbook documenting my trip to China in the summer of 2017. An amazing and life changing experience.

More sketching from observation out at a truck stop deep in South Florida

Abandoned and discarded.

Some stray cats in the greek streets

made with gel ink pen for a future art book about mediterranean way of life. Here a girl by the sea, reading a book

I suppose this was just a tester/practice piece? My first actual still life from observation and my first time actually using charcoal (yes, I've never truly used charcoal before. Charcoal and pastels are two things I avoid. Their looseness and freeness scare me, considering how rigid I can be). Not sure how to feel about this one. I'm my worst critic, and I've known that for a long time now. There's a lot of practice and progress to be made, but it turned out half-way decent.

Back on my travelbook, made with gel ink pen for a future art book about mediterranean way of life. Greek Mozaic tiles and enjoying the sea

made with gel ink pen for a future art book about mediterranean way of life. Greek Street and pomegranate

an observational study, photo reference is somewhere in here: http://www.petnyaku.com/photo/kucing-dan-anjing-kalau-ngantuk-ya-nguap-aja-gak-peduli-tempat/

Another watercolor I made from observation. This is a quiet place near my father's home, where I use to go with my friends when I was a child. I am painting those in a 5x8 very convenient moleskin watercolor book. I previously eyeballed the dimensions of this book at 4x6 when I had no ruler to verify but I was slightly wrong. Now the info is exact. :)

The second set of pages from my trip to China last summer. Spent time in Beijing and Hong Kong and hiking/camping out on a portion the Great Wall. Truly amazing.

Observational pencil sketch of bananas.

Posted the sketch of this earlier, but I thought the ink looked nicer, so here you are! I love dragonflies. Deadly hunters, slaughtering their prey without mercy, yet beguiling enough to somehow convince humans they are harmless as butterflies. They have their own sort of deadly, sleek beauty.

Ms. Nathan was a play production teacher with flair and a big personality. She wore colorful clothing and loud socks that never matched. Her joyful, chortling laugh filled the room—or the hallway—wherever she happened to be. Staff meetings and PD days have always been strong invitations for observational drawings. Over the years, I’ve found that there are many boxes to check in a wide variety of systems. I often created my own boxes—and checked them with sketches of my colleagues. This one goes out to the colorful Ms. Nathan.

A quick gesture of a friend pouring over the financials. He epitomizes Ben Franklin's observation that "well done is better than well said."

Micron pen and colored pencil on paper

Learning to see through drawing. It is a form of therapy.

A striking, high-contrast graphite study of a hand in the act of writing. Created in a rapid 45-minute sitting through self-observation, this piece captures the intricate anatomy and focused tension of the artist's own hand as it holds the pen. The tip being pencil the top being pen and finger tips slightly smudged incorporate all aspects of the mediums used to create it.

made with gel ink pen for a future art book about mediterranean way of life. Flock of fish passing by in front of you

The first of four illustrations drawn from... well, the name of the piece! :)

Practicing observational drawing. Continuous contour line drawing of a man I do not know. I bet he has some amusing stories.

watercolor painting I made from observation last summer in a scout camp.

Observations from an expedition to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, which features an incredible paleontology hall. I brought with me a pad of sticky notes, a couple Micron plastic nib pens, a set of Copic Markers, my fanny pack, and some headphones. Prehistoric life has been an infatuation of mine since childhood, and there is something very humbling about drawing in the shadows of these fallen giants.

To draw is to notice. To notice is to pause. And sometimes, all it takes is a barefoot boy in a camping chair, chasing the drips of a popsicle, to remind us what it means to be here. This is Popsiclence—a sacred kind of focus. It’s where observational drawing leads us: out of the swirl, into the now. And in that now, we heal.

I keep seeing the word 'binary' crop up a lot in various discourses I’ve caught a glance at recently, whether it pertains to discussions around things like cancel culture or countless other things too numerous to mention. Funny what the lack of a middle ground these days does to certain people, irrespective of their political/ethical viewpoints...

Whenever I’m channel surfing, I often find myself stumbling into a film midway through it’s running time, and tend to stick around if there’s elements that pique my curiosity and just catch my eye etc. My Girl 2, of all films, was one of them this time around. A line about “barbaric customs” or roundabouts prompted me to pick up my drawing kit...and here we are!