To help pass time and keep my creativity at the front of my brain, I keep a half sheet handy and challenge myself to fill the page with lines, shapes and shadows before the shift is over. Never a theme planned I let the pen take me on its own adventure. I’m just a passenger.
I never imagined I could capture so much emotion in an eye—especially on just my second attempt. This piece came to life through intuition more than technique. The values, the shadows, the highlights… they felt like they found their place on their own. Maybe emotion, light, and shadow have always spoken to me—I just finally listened.
The Tool Bench marks my 50th canvas—completed exactly one year to the day after I finished my very first one. This piece is a tribute to work, memory, and the quiet corners where both creativity and responsibility live.
Drawn entirely freehand, it’s built like a snapshot of a lived-in workspace: mismatched tools, worn wood, scribbled reminders, and the little personal things that actually make a place yours. The clipboard holds a “Honey-Do” list that never seems to end. The Polaroid-style sketch of my wife sits taped to the wall like a reminder of why the work matters. The shadows on the back wall match the tools lying on the bench—suggesting a moment in progress, a task paused, life happening between motions.
this was just a fun little doodle I did of a pretty plant I saw. it was absolutely stunning and the bright salmon/rose/red flowers just POPPED! this was a nice leisure time doodle to do in between some other projects of mine. I find my happy place sometimes being taking care of my plants, taking pictures of pretty trees and plants, walking around a plant nursery, and now drawing beautiful plants I see.
my favorite fact I learned about the amaryllis was that is comes from the Greek word amarysso, which means “to sparkle” or “to shine”, as this plant does indeed sparkle and with its magnificent flowers when it blooms.
I enjoyed mixing mediums and doing one as a graphic doodle with my Micron pens and the other with watercolors - it was a good study for me seeing the detail come to life by lines/dots and then come to life by colors/shadowing colors.
Continuous single line with shadow for depth. A figure laying on back with one leg extended and the other bent in. One arm up and the other down along ground. Looking away too I suppose.
This a self portrait drawing of myself as a younger man, with a lot of shadow play on the portrait itself and a stylized background of a sky, clouds and the sun, rendered in a kind of an imaginary dream-like almost surreal scenario. Many thanks for looking.
the Jack of the Lantern. He stalks through the night on his broom of flame. Laughing all the way to unholy Hell. He takes what he pleases, he takes many souls. And he vanishes into the darkest of the shadows.
Shadows follow but I will move on! I have PTSD, so I am tormented by my past. Anxious for what's behind me. But I won't let that stop me! I may have "Lead in my shoes" (Dutch "Lood in mijn schoenen"), sometimes feel empty while on other times I am red from anger, nothing will stop me moving on. There will be temporary throwbacks, progress is not linear, but I will get there. I won't drown in self-pity this time.
Inspired by the Neo-Classical period, I pushed myself as an artist to portray subjects in an idealistic fashion combining drama and artificial lighting. The subject is my sister who modelled as a reference, enabling me to control the shadowy effect over her face. The dim lighting and dark background resonated with the period style, focusing on the facial parts that are visible. The end result looks like she is emerging from the darkness. A somber atmosphere is illustrated through visual expression.
Adding the fast drying oil on the brushes improved the blending of the colours on the canvas which was especially useful when it came to applying strokes on the face smoothly. Visit https://www.martiaposts.com for more
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.
Against the weight of a storm-dark sky, tender stems lean forward—some bending, some breaking, some still reaching.
They hold their fire at the tips, waiting to bloom, waiting to burn, waiting to belong to light.
Perhaps this is all of us:
stretching through shadows,
searching for the thin, golden line that divides earth from eternity.
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.
A captivating original painting by Ty Patmore depicting a dandelion seed head bowing under its own weight. The Seed Crown uses powerful shadow work to give this common sight a monumental presence, reminding the viewer of the beauty found in nature's final, quiet moments.
