Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all my family and friends!

If you are just getting started with Evernote, Ana Tirolese suggests that you buy Brett Kelly’s remarkably practical e-book, Evernote Essentials, Second Edition. It is worth setting aside a couple hours to work through this brief, 95-page book. It will save you DAYS of learning Evernote on your own.

642 Things to Draw #52 - A Water Tower

A Water Tower
Pen and Ink

Quite frankly, I have not seen an actual water tower in years. I am sure they exist, I just have not been anywhere, recently, where there are any.

A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water supply system for the distribution of potable water. ~ Wikipedia

Water towers vary in shape and size. There is a good article about them in Wikipedia.

Book: 642 Things To Draw -- this is an Amazon affiliate link. If you would like to purchase this book please use this link. Thank you.

642 Things to Draw #51 - A Paper Airplane

A Paper Airplane
Pen and Ink

I used to enjoy making paper airplanes, although, to be honest, mine never flew well. This one was made by my sweet Anthony and it flew across the room right to me. I had asked him to make one and he did.

Book: 642 Things To Draw -- this is an Amazon affiliate link. If you would like to purchase this book please use this link. Thank you.

642 Things to Draw #50 - Draw a Synthesizer

My brother, Joe, playing keyboards
Coloured pencil and ink

I found that synthesizers looked boring so I drew this image of my brother playing keyboards. This is from an image he put up on Facebook of himself. He was playing a gig.

Book: 642 Things To Draw -- this is an Amazon affiliate link. If you would like to purchase this book please use this link. Thank you.

Muddy Colors: Composition Basics: Sketching Thumbnails

Excellent post on composition and thumbnails written by Dan dos Santos

Muddy Colors: Composition Basics: Sketching Thumbnails

Ana's Ramblings & Art Corner: Girlish Giggles

Ana's Ramblings & Art Corner: Girlish Giggles: Girlish Giggles 8" x 10"  Coloured Pencil on Paper Laura is giggling at something Anthony said. She is crazy about him. This was to...

Fountain Pens Make Drawing Fun!

Self Portrait in Pen
Pen and Ink

I drew this in my sketchbook as an entry to the Fountain Pen Day contest.  

I was having a little fun with this by making it look like my self portrait was pulling away from the pen.

October 7 Zentangle

October 7 Zentangle
Ink with watercolour

I created the above Zentangle as a way to relax while watching television.

Zentangle is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns.
Almost anyone can use it to create beautiful images. It increases focus and creativity, provides artistic satisfaction along with an increased sense of personal well being. The Zentangle method is enjoyed all over this world across a wide range of skills, interests and ages.
We believe that life is an art form and that our Zentangle method is an elegant metaphor for deliberate artistry in life.
We invite you to explore our web site and learn more about this wonderful and uplifting method and artform.
~ Definition from Zentangle.com

I find that when I need to relax, drawing patterns in pen really does the trick for me. Please go to the Zentangle site or Google "Zentangle" to see some amazing pieces.

Packing the Bus & FunFact's New EP

Kelly Packing the School Bus with Equipment
Watercolour and Ink

Kelly packing his drum kit into the school bus for an out of town gig.

September 19, 2012 FunFact released their new EP. You can get a free download (for a limited time) at FunFactMusic.com

Packing the Bus with Music Equipment

Packing the Bus with Music Equipment
Pen and Ink

Packing their equipment into a bus to go to a gig. FunFact was playing out of town.

The is a teaser for FunFact's EP:

Download FunFact's EP for free for a limited time.

Here is a video showing us how they make picklaces for promotional handouts:

Toes on Tile

Toes on Tile
Ink with Watercolour

My middle toe does not really stick out that much. I enjoy drawing my feet every now and again. Here I am standing on a tiled floor.

Here are some previous posts with my feet in them:

• Draw Your Foot
• March 5, 2009
• TSP2013 - Draw in my sketchbook

642 Things to Draw #49 - A Crystal Ball

Crystal Ball
Ink and Watercolour

This is a pretty sad crystal ball. When I look into it all I see is myself looking back, holding a paintbrush. On the other hand, we could say that it is an accurate crystal ball in that it is claiming that I am an artist.

Book: 642 Things To Draw -- this is an Amazon affiliate link. If you would like to purchase this book please use this link. Thank you.

Ana's Ramblings & Art Corner: Fun Fact's New EP

Ana's Ramblings & Art Corner: Fun Fact's New EP: FunFact! has a new EP out. For a limited time you can download it for free from their site. Feel free to download the EP and to share it with your friends and family.

EDM #21 - Draw Something Old, Antique, or Vintage

An Old Iron
Ink and Watercolour

This iron belonged to my dear Mother-in-Law, Maria Grazia Ciolli Tirolese. She used it for many years before getting an electric iron. She would place hot coals in the body to heat up the iron.

We have it now, but it is no longer in use, other than as a sentimental decoration. My mother-in-law gave it to my husband many years ago, as he was admiring it.

642 Things to Draw #48 - A Sundial

A Sundial
Watercolour and Ink

This sad looking sundial was from my brain. I have only seen sundials on television, movies, and online. Here is a wikipedia entry about sundials.  I am not happy with this image.

Book: 642 Things To Draw -- this is an Amazon affiliate link. If you would like to purchase this book please use this link. Thank you.

642 Things to Draw #47 - Jelly Beans

Jelly Beans
Watercolour Pen

My family and I really enjoy jelly beans. We don't have them often, so they are a treat. I like the red and the black ones of the regular kind. There are too many too name in the Jelly-Belly brand. My son loves the green jelly beans, which are my least favourite.

Book: 642 Things To Draw -- this is an Amazon affiliate link. If you would like to purchase this book please use this link. Thank you.

EDM 18 - View from My Window

The View from My Window
Mixed Media

When I sit in my corner of the sofa, I am close to the patio-doors in our living room. We don't have windows in our apartment, but rather two patio doors, one in the bedroom, and one in the living room. We are on the 10th floor of our apartment building and face the street.

What you see here is my view from my sofa corner. I pulled the curtain back a bit so I could look outside. That is my brown curtain on the right. At the top you see the roof our our balcony (or the bottom of the upstairs balcony). Then you see cloudy sky. The two black areas is my veranda (railing). You can see the tops of buildings between the top and bottom sections of the veranda (railing). At the bottom you see a bit of street and some tree tops between the bottom of the veranda and the floor of my balcony.

I used ink, watercolour, and Derwent Inktense pencils, both wet and dry.

642 Things to Draw #46 - A Bag of Hammers

A Bag of Hammers
Pen and Ink

Bag of hammers, according to Urban Dictionary means: "An insult referring to either the stupidity/low intelligence of another, or the uselessness of an idea, remark, or person."

You can say something like, "He sure is pretty, but he is as smart as a bag of hammers!"

I drew a literal bag of hammers.

Book: 642 Things To Draw -- this is an Amazon affiliate link. If you would like to purchase this book please use this link. Thank you.

Seagulls in the Parking Lot

Seagulls in the Parking Lot
5 Minute Sketch
Pen and Ink

The other day Alexander and I went shopping. It was an overcast day and there were dozens of seagulls all over the parking lot. While Alexander ran inside a shop to grab something, I sat in the vehicle and quickly sketched a few of them. This was not easy to do because they kept moving around.

642 Things to Draw #45 - A Jar Full of Pennies

Penny Jar
Pen and Ink

Well, it is not exactly full of pennies. It is only a third full. This is my penny jar. It is in the shape of a Teddy-Bear and was originally full of Kraft peanut butter. These bear-shaped jars came out in 1987 as a limited time promotion. The lid had a coin slot built in to it so you could use these as coin-banks.  Ours is a large (1.5 Kg) glass male bear with a red lid.

Kraft bear-shaped jar banks
circa 1987

Book: 642 Things To Draw -- this is an Amazon affiliate link. If you would like to purchase this book please use this link. Thank you.

Beverage Receptacles

Left: Drinking Glass; Right: My Favourite Mug
Ink and Watercolour

Recently I saw someone draw some mugs with bold coloured backgrounds. I don't remember where I saw this or who did it. However, I liked it. So, I thought I would try it too.

The image on the left is of our son,s empty drinking glass. He had diet cola in it. There are still some ice in it that has not melted and there is a straw. I am looking at the glass from a slightly lower perspective. Yes, I felt a tiny bit silly drawing this practically lying on the table (okay, with my head down like I were going to take a nap in school). our son is used to me and he claims I do not embarrass him. 

The drawing on the right is of my favourite mug. My husband brought this mug for me. He purchased it at the Museum of Civilization. It has an image on it from one of my favourite artists: Alex Colville. I have illustrated this mug twice before. I drink my morning coffee in it. 

Other posts with this mug in it:

• EDM#4 Draw Your Mug or Cup
• TSP2013 - Make Coffee

642 Things to Draw #44 - A Juice Box

Rubbermaid Juice Box
Pen and Ink

I was going to draw one of those cardboard juice boxes that you can purchase in the grocery store, however, it made more sense to me to draw the Rubbermaid Juice Box that we used when Alexander was younger and took lunches to school. These are reusable and litterless. You can even purchase replacement inner straws when needed. I used to fill this with apple juice for Alexander (his favourite).

Book: 642 Things To Draw -- this is an Amazon affiliate link. If you would like to purchase this book please use this link. Thank you.

Side-View Mirror

View from the side-view mirror
Watercolour, Ink, and Inktense pencils

This view is from the passenger-side side-view mirror. I was on an errand with Alexander (he was driving) and I looked in the mirror and loved the way the clouds were being reflected on the windows and side of the vehicle.

I took half a dozen photos with my iPhone to remember the moment. None were perfect so I used several different ones, plus my memory, to come up with this image.

Perhaps some day I will recreate this in a large painting.

642 Things to Draw #43 - Pom-poms

Pom-poms
Ink and Digital Colour

Pom-poms. My little cartoon girl is showing off her cheerleader moves with pom-poms. This is something I have no experience with. I was never a cheerleader, nor did I want to be one.  I have never enjoyed sports enough to want to be at games. And, I am extremely uncoordinated, as it is. When I was going to school cheerleading was not a sport, in itself.

Book: 642 Things To Draw -- this is an Amazon affiliate link. If you would like to purchase this book please use this link. Thank you.

Anthony & Lucha Libre

Lucha Libre (Left) and Anthony (Right)
Pen and Ink

Lucha Libre mask.

These are not related drawings except that they are both on facing pages in the purple Moleskine, both are pen and ink.

I am attempting to perfect my skills with pen and ink.

642 Things to Draw #42 - Synchronized Swimmers

Synchronized Swimmers
Pen and Ink

I have to admit, I do not understand the appeal of synchronized swimming. It looks silly to me. I realize that it does take a lot of skill and talent to do. I understand it is not an easy thing to do. When I watch this sport I all I can see are the weird movements and the bizarre facial expressions. I am certain synchronized swimming is one of those sports where it is more fun to do than to watch, like golf.

Truth is, I am not fond of any sports so I am not the best person to comment on something like this.

Book: 642 Things To Draw -- this is an Amazon affiliate link. If you would like to purchase this book please use this link. Thank you.

Two Tiny Dolls

Left: Dollinha, Right: Herbunculous
Watercolour and Ink

I have illustrated and written about Dollinha before. If you go to the previous post, you can see more about her, as well as see some photos of Dollinha. Dollinha is about two-inches tall.

I gave given Herbunculous the wrong name in my sketchbook. Both Alexander and Anthony informed me that the doll is NOT named Mr. Homuculus but Herbunculous. This is a small thread doll that used to hang off the rear-view mirror in our vehicle. There has been a previous post about Herbunculous that explains more about it.

642 Things to Draw #41 - A Gold Medal

A Gold Medal (from the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008)
Watercolour with Ink

The Summer Olympics just occurred in England this year (2012) but I decided to do the gold medal from the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008. I thought it was prettier.

Book: 642 Things To Draw -- this is an Amazon affiliate link. If you would like to purchase this book please use this link. Thank you.

At the Park with Alexander

At the Park
Ink with Watercolour

Another park image of Alexia's son on one of the playground slides. The kids were having a really good time on the playground equipment. This is from the park behind my home.

642 Things to Draw #40 - A Tulip

A Tulip
Pen and Ink with Watercolour

Book: 642 Things To Draw -- this is an Amazon affiliate link. If you would like to purchase this book please use this link. Thank you.

Al

Al
Pen and Ink

On Monday and Fridays at 10 am there is coffee in the building's social room for tenants of the building. I go when I can.  This is Al from the coffee group. He is fascinating to talk to. His life has been so interesting. He has traveled all over the world.

UPDATE DECEMBER 28, 2012

I am sad to say that Al passed away on December 26, 2012

642 Things to Draw # 39 - A Submarine

A Submarine Sandwich
Pen and Ink

They probably meant for me to draw a submarine boat but I am more familiar with the submarine sandwich so that is what I drew. I sometimes make our own subs for lunch, but more often than not, if we are going to have subs for lunch I go to Mr. Submarine or Quiznos. Both are walking distance from our building.

Book: 642 Things To Draw -- this is an Amazon affiliate link. If you would like to purchase this book please use this link. Thank you.

Cake and Coffee

Coffee and Cake
Pen and Ink with Watercolour

I really enjoy a bit of cake with my coffee, not that I have this often. This is from Anthony's birthday and I drew this from a photo because I was craving something sweet and didn't have anything in the home.

Of course, I made a nice black coffee in my Tassimo.

642 Things to Draw #38 - An Old Key

an old key
Pen and Ink

This is a pretend old key. It is actually the key to one of my jewelry boxes.

Book: 642 Things To Draw -- this is an Amazon affiliate link. If you would like to purchase this book please use this link. Thank you.

Laura at the Playground

Laura at the Playground
Pen and Ink with Watercolour

Laura checking something out at the playground in the park behind my home. I just really like this image.