Monet's Garden

Monet's Garden, Giverny, France, May 2012. Copic markers on Arches watercolor paper.

Paris Windows

Paris Windows. Uni-ball Vision pen and Winsor & Newton watercolors on Arches watercolor paper.

Street in Victoria, British Columbia

Street in Victoria, British Columbia. Copic markers on Arches watercolor paper.

This drawing is based on a photo I took in August 2009. I'd rather look at these flowers than at the bleak wintry scene outside my window today.

Barn

Barn. Copic sketch markers on Arches watercolor block.

I was looking at some Van Gogh and Monet today and felt inspired. Of course, it's hard to get the right effect when using markers instead of paint, but I tried anyway.

Houses

Houses. Uni-ball Vision pen and Winsor & Newton watercolors on Arches paper.

Deer

Deer. Uni-ball Vision pen and Winsor & Newton watercolors on Arches paper.

When visiting the Washington, D.C. area this past spring, we took a walk on a trail that was supposed to have a view of the Potomac River.  As we headed back from the less-than-impressive view, several deer appeared in the woods. These two turned to look at us for a moment before bounding away.

Car Wash

Car Wash. Uni-ball Vision pen and Winsor & Newton watercolors on Arches paper.

Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius. Uni-ball Vision pen and Winsor & Newton watercolors on Arches paper.

Another drawing based on photos from my visit to the Metropolitan Museum.

Armor

Armor. Uni-ball Vision pen and Winsor & Newton watercolors on Arches watercolor paper.

I visited the Metropolitan Museum in New York last month and took some reference photos in the armor court.  Here you can see the drawing before I added watercolor and then after.

Cafe

Cafe. Winsor & Newton watercolors and Uni-ball Vision pen on Arches watercolor paper.

I've been trying to take reference photos of even mundane scenes from my daily life in hopes that I will have something to draw from later. That is how this drawing came about.

Chevy Bel Air

Chevy Bel Air. Winsor & Newton watercolors and pigma micron pen on Arches watercolor paper.

I drew this too large and couldn't fit the whole thing on my piece of paper. Oops.

Illustration Friday: Totem

Totem Square, Sitka, Alaska. Uni-ball Vision pen on card stock.

This is just a quick sketch for this week's Illustration Friday theme. I used a photo taken on our Alaska trip as a reference.

Organ

Organ. Winsor & Newton watercolors and Sakura pigma micron pen on Arches cold press watercolor block.

This organ was in an old house where we stayed recently, so I took a photo of it, hoping to draw it later.  I decided to draw with a pen rather than doing a pencil sketch first. It means mistakes happen on the page, but I think I'm okay with that.

Sketchbook: Frog or Toad?

Frog or Toad? Winsor & Newton watercolors and Pigma micron pen in Moleskine watercolor notebook. Drawn from a photograph I took last week at Dingmans Falls in Pennsylvania.

Sketchbook: Stuffed Toy

Stuffed Toy. Ballpoint pen in Moleskine plain notebook.

My husband won this on a trip to Cedar Point several years ago and brought it to me as a gift. I came out of work and found it pinned under the windshield wiper of my car.

Sketchbook: Desk Lamp

Desk Lamp. Ballpoint pen in Moleskine plain notebook.

Books on Japanese/Japan

Books on Japanese/Japan. Pigma micron pen and watercolor pencils on Aquarelle Arches watercolor block.

A small section of my bookshelves is devoted to books on Japanese and Japan. I'm no longer studying the language, but I can't seem to get rid of them.

Sketchbook: Office Chair

Office Chair. Ballpoint pen in Moleskine plain notebook.

Teapot

Teapot. Ballpoint pen in Moleskine plain notebook.

Backyard

Backyard. Ballpoint pen in Moleskine plain notebook.

I drew this over the past three Sunday afternoons when the light was about the same. There was snow on the ground when I began the drawing, but no longer. Spring is here at last.