Chickadee Claybord
Another 6”x6” Claybord using ink, this time a little more stylized.
Tag: drawing
Robin in Ink
I truly love winter, but during this cold snap, I suddenly remembered robins and crab apple blossoms and planting a garden and hanging clothes outside to dry. The next thing I knew, I was drawing this robin.
This may be the only time I’ve used this paper with any success. It’s a bamboo paper that seems to absorb water well and the colors are nice and bright, but the surface is soft so that I’ve never appreciated the rather dreamy effect until now.
Ironically, I based this painting off a photo I took a few years ago in November. I remember thinking I was seeing the last of the robins until spring. I used another photo of this same robin in another drawing, one of my favorites, I think.
Sleepy Sparrow
Yet another 6″x6″ drawing on Claybord of a little bird, this time a very sleepy female House Sparrow. I used ink, graphite, and scratchboard techniques.
Above are four different stages, with the final one at the top of this post. As always, part of me likes the first version of this as much as I like the final version, but I can admit I’m not crazy about anything in between. If I ever had enough nerve, I’d experiment with a more stylized version and stop with a sparse, simple final product… but I kind of doubt I’ll ever have enough will power to actually do that.
Claybord Birds
These are both 6”x6” Ampersand Claybord panels with ink for the backgrounds and a combination of graphite, ink, and scratchboard techniques for the birds and branches. I can use a spray varnish on these and simply pop them into a frame, which is a real plus when using a surface like Claybord.
I love using this type of surface compared to paper because it’s both an additive and subtractive process. I add in colors, shapes, and values, and then I can scratch and erase detail and highlights. With these two birds, I used graphite for shadows and dulling some of the bright white lines that happen with scratching.
