Archive for the 'sketchbook' Category

Sketchbook ~ Pearl

Pearl

pencil

Sketchbook ~ Fox

Fox - ink sketch

Fox | ink + digital

I’m starting to experiment a little with approaches to colour for the book I’m working on. I’m neck deep in working the drawings out still so I haven’t allowed myself to fully delve into playing with ink and paint yet. But this was a quick little 15 minute thing I whipped up this morning. After labouring over getting drawings right, it’s nice to just ignore that aspect completely and just play with an idea.

sketchbook ~ preening pigeon

EOS 40D1967

pencil on cartridge paper

Sketchbook ~ Capilano Canyon

EOS 40D1928

Capilano Canyon 1 | watercolour on arches cold pressed 7″x10″

EOS 40D1926

Capilano Canyon Rocks | watercolour on arches hot pressed 7″x10″

I did a little bit of work on these back at home without the distraction of the scenery. I darkened the water a little in both pieces, and did a couple of additions to foliage in the background of the rocks painting. I find I fall in love too much with some of the things in the actual scenery and they don’t alway add to the painting. So to come home and do a bit of touching up in the studio is sometimes helpful – I can concentrate on eliminating things that don’t serve a purpose and accentuating nice little paint accidents. But things can sometimes go the other way and get overworked. And there’s a danger of losing the essence of a sketch done in the field. These are just sketches, in the end. Not meant to be anything but exercises. If I have to paint 200 bad paintings to finally get a good one, I’ve got about 180 of these to go.

The canyon was about the coolest place to be yesterday. While I painted an odd mist would drift down the river, covering up the reflections, and bring cool air with it. Then it would disappear again and the temperature would rise slightly. People came down to the water to jump off the rocks and play with their dogs in the freezing water. And then they’d leave and the surface of the water would get glassy once again.

Sketchbook ~ Salt Spring Island

From my vacation last weekend.

EOS 40D1785

Three Friends on Grandma’s Beach, Ruckle Park, Salt Spring Island | watercolour on arches cold pressed 140lb 7″x10″

EOS 40D1786

Ruckle Park, Salt Spring Island | watercolour on arches cold pressed 140lb 7″x10″

Sketchbook ~ Calgary road trip sketches

Sketches from a trip back in June.

EOS 40D1782

Yellow House, Nelson, BC | watercolour on arches hot pressed 140lb 7″x10″

EOS 40D1783

Calgary, AB | watercolour on arches cold pressed 140lb 7″x10″

EOS 40D1781

Nose Hill, Calgary, AB | watercolour on arches hot pressed 140lb 7″x10″

EOS 40D1784

Nose Hill, Calgary, AB | watercolour on arches cold pressed 140lb 7″x10″

sketchbook ~ Killarney Lake, Bowen Island

A watercolour sketch from today, painted on location at one of my favourite painting spots at Killarney Lake.

Killarney Lake

Yellow Water Lily in Killarney Lake | watercolour

Sketchbook ~ false creek

burrard street bridge

false creek boats

drawn while waiting for the water taxi at Granville Island.

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about the blog

Inkonwove is a blog by me, illustrator/designer Kirsti Wakelin.

This blog contains a sample of much of the things that go into my working life. With everything from notifications on work added to my illustration and design portfolio, to work-in-progress and process sketches, pages from my sketchbook, odds and ends that interest me, the occasional non-art related ramble or up-close and personal photographs of invertebrates, Inkonwove is a kind of artistic junk drawer.

I also maintain another blog over at My Secret Elephant where the work I do for children's books, and everything about that subject, ends up.

© 2009 All rights to content, including photos, art, designs, writing, and copyrights are property of Kirsti Wakelin or the respective owners.

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