Next one up

A simple ranch

I opted to take the simplest one of the remaining three to do next. My eyes and brain need the rest. LOL  It would appear that this was a wedding at someone’s residence.  The house has white siding, asphalt shingles and a massive stone fireplace.  It’s not quite as exotic as the last one, but it is lovely in its own way.  I will enjoy all of that lush landscaping, too.

Finally finished

It’s finally done

After 8 days of work, this one is finally done. For a pen only architectural, this took a lot of time. Way more than usual.   From the pointed arches atop the windows to the spires on top of the railings, it seemed as though everywhere I looked there was some little detail that needed to be addressed.  Still, I am pleased with the way it turned out.  I saved the patterned corner area for last.  I wanted to make sure that its angles looked good with the rest of the details and it was going to be easy to mess that up.  I must have drawn and redrawn them in pencil half a dozen times before I was confident enough to finally use the ink.

The next one up will be easier on my eyes and brain.  It is pretty straight forward as it is an house entryway with lots of landscaping.

This is a hard one

Four days in on the inking

This one is taking a while.  Four days into the inking and this is where it stands.  There is so much going on here, I have to check and recheck my preliminary pencil outlines before I can ink it in.  My eyes and brain tire faster than usual and I have to quit before I make a mistake I can’t correct. That diamond pattern on the upper corners will be the last thing I do before putting in the shadows.  Still, I think it is going well.  There will be one more day of serious inking before a day of rest to clear my mind and then a last session to finalize it.

First of four pen and ink wedding gifts

Pencil

This is a complicated one.  The pencil up took two long sessions and a lot of detail is still left out. I had to quit working each time because my eyes were crossed and my brain fried.  There are so many details here, it is mind boggling.  I can’t even imagine structure like this being built today.  Still, I will enjoy the challenge of making this special memory for the recipient.

After I do the palm trees and grass, I think I will work a building section at a time. Usually after the plantings, I move in to work on all of the windows, but this is so detailed that I will try to mostly complete a smaller area except for the facade surface detail.  Even though there will be no color, I bet it takes just as long.

We saw something very interesting yesterday afternoon when  we were almost home after buying some supplies to fix a leaky water line from Lowe’s.  Up ahead of us on the side of the road, I saw a large black and white bird.  My first thought was that it might be a pileated woodpecker.  However, as we got closer, we both saw it was an adult bald eagle!!!  We couldn’t see what it was trying to feed on at the edge of the road, but as we approached, it rose slowly into the air and flew off into the trees on the other side and out of view.  Almost made the leaky water line worth it.

Final colors – looking good

Pretty much done

The portrait is finished and on its way to its new home.  I really enjoyed doing this one.  A varied stone facade, a slate roof, and luscious landscaping.  Even a red door.  What more could I ask for in a commission.  The pebbled steps were also an interesting lead up to the entryway.  This was pure fun.

Next up is a set of four black and white portraits that a client will give as wedding gifts.  She has been doing this for several years and I look forward to working with her.

That’s a lot of stone!

Inking done

Once in a while I get something that is extra interesting and challenging to do. I think that this is one of those. The inking is done and I am pretty pleased with the results.  I really enjoyed doing the stonework as well as all of the landscaping.  There will be colorful flowers amidst the lush greenery.  I hope I can do this lovely home justice with the watercolors,

Day 3

Day three

Day 3 of the inking and it’s going well.  This project is probably the most fun I’ve had with a drawing in a long time. Lovely landscaping and interesting stone work.  What more could I ask for in a drawing.

The landscaping is pretty well done and the doors and windows are in.  Next session will concentrate on finishing the stone facade.  It has been a while since I have done stonework and I am looking forward to it.

I’m back from vacation and back to work

New commission

What happens when you try to go on a little vacation in the dead of winter after the Christmas holidays?  That’s when someone decides that she needs a commission piece done for a February birthday gift. Right in the middle an out of town trip to visit family, I got a request for an 8×10 architectural watercolor and a few days before I returned the etsy listing was purchased.  So there I am, happy to have a job to come back to, when the woman who has had me draw wedding venues as gifts the last couple of years contacts me about doing four 8×10 pen and inks for her.  So I am back in the studio and booked for February.  Yippee.

This first one has quite lovely landscaping, with irises and peonies flanking the pebbled concrete stairs.  The facade is various sized rough stone work with an archway over the front door.  I think it’s going to be quite lovely when it’s done.