Bike in a Line

There is this cute little market/ gift shop across from the VBS church my triplets are going to. This bike is parked here. Maybe a worker cuz' its been here a while.

Smash black marker in an abandoned book. Bit of blind contour drawing. Yeah, I peaked a few times. :/

Purple Giuiding Light

micron .02 and watercolor pencil

Susan Walker all rights reserved 2012

"Ah, Summer, what power you have to make us suffer adn like it."

Russel Baker

Ink and Watercolor Pencil Fushia

Ink and watercolor pencil in a Hand Journal sketch book.One of my favorite hanging basket types and two if my favorite colors. Together at that!

Bumpy Bus Ride for an Owl

I don't recall the school bus being so bumpy. :/ last field trip with my fourth grade triplets. No electronics on the bus..well for the kids...but I took "Hand Book" sketchbook and Pitt artist pen. I figured out quickly to let the bumping help me create the texture.

Northern Spotted Owl, Pitt Artist Pen in Hand Book Sketchbook.

by Susan Walker  all rights reserved copyright 2012

Official Status: Threatened, the northern spotted owl is Federally listed under the Endangered Species Act as a threatened species in Washington, Oregon and California, and State-listed as threatened in California and Oregon, and endangered in Washington.Critical habitat is designated for the species.

Sketchbook pages in ink:catching up

here is a few pages from my moleskine sketchbook I did while at The Children's Institute with my son. I was busier there with him attending physical and occupational therapy than i was sitting at the hospital. i managed to do a few of these while he slept or while he was in a pool game with a fellow patient. I used. my Artist Pitt pen XF or my micron 03 black pen in my watercolor molskine (the pink label)

Here i started with the bag then added some journal notes later. Came back another night and laid the shell through it and was inspired to jot down a pattern for a future tangle doodle.

This big guy here was in the playroom fish take. he was a good 4 inches. a great subject as when another fish came close he swam around the plant and sat right back where he was. i think he is some kind of algae eating fish.

this one here i sketched of Zach in pencil while he worked in speech. There is a fairly good likeness. I am pleasantly surprised. When I look at it i feel this point we were at. with his almost smooth head and very raw point in all his.

Virtual Sketchout, Boston Mass

26 Beacon Street, Boston, MA
all art work used with permision

by Susan walker copyright 2011

My sketch for the Virtual Paintout January 2011 theme: Boston. You need to use the GoogleMap Streetview application.I did this one in my moleskin with Pitt Artist Pen XF in black ink and watercolor.

Again , sorry the image is dark, no sun here at the window sill of the hospital room. :/

Hearts for inking.falling in love with tangle dooddling

used with permision by artist Susan Walker

all rights reserved 2011 copyright

 3.5 x 3.5

used with permision by artist Susan Walker

all rights reserved 2011 copyright

5x5 

I have been working on Valentines day for the kids. I decided to try some hearts in the pattern art I have been doing lately. Again using my Pitt Artist penns and Pigma micron pens.

I  am ususally not a heart person but I really enjoyed these. I find the entire process of placing just the right pattern for an area challenging and fun. I 'm thinking there will be more hearts to follow.



IF- Illustration Friday: Chicken

Curly the chicken

artwork used with permition by Susan Walker

all rights reserved 2011

I haven't done an Illustration Friday challenge in forever. I think I have only done a few at most. I checked in as my ambtions are high each new year with 'resolutions'. I have been enjoying this tangle doodle/pattern art drawing and applied this pen and ink to the challenge. my daughter named him Curly.
also can apply to EDM challenge #186-something you have always wanted. Yep- chickens. Small mint colored ones and there relation that is light purple...

Stary Eyed Suprise in a Zentangle(R)

used with permision by artist Susan Walker

all rights reserved 2011 copyright

This is my Stary Eyed Suprise for the 4th weekley challenge at the Im the Diva. The week went faster than I could keep up with and only finished up Saturday night. I used my Pitt Artist Penn XF and Pigma .03 micron pen with a 'smushed up' tip that I love.

If you look close you will find the 'surprise'.

Ink Zentangle

Zentangle in ink by Susan Walker

copyright 2010 all rights reserved

I have recently discovered "Zentangles". Well, actually the term. I think many artist have done them in some form or another but now have a trademark name. "Inchies"come to mind as well. What has attracted me to the idea is the Zen like mind set you get into while working. Right now at this point in my like with my son facing two brain surgeries an the pain I still feel in the loss of my mum, I find focusing hard to do. My mind wonders from this to that and I am forgetting where I was and what I am to be doing. Drawing for me use to be a pleasure but I had been struggling with form and ideas. Zentangles have been quite therapeutic.

A Zentangle is to be 3.5 x 3.5 but this too is not written in stone. I use an Pitt Artist pen by Fabre Castel XF and F. I am using a smooth 140# paper I cut down to my desired size.


From the Zentagle website:
Abstract
You always succeed when you do a Zentangle because you always create a pattern. A Zentangle has no up or down and is not a picture of something, so you have no worries about whether you can draw a hand, or a duck. You always succeed in creating a Zentangle.


Meditational Art form
Zentangle’s non-verbal language of patterns and proportions can open doors to insights which seemed locked before. Creating Zentangles opens those doors, not because they were locked, but because those doors swing on non-verbal hinges. When you create a Zentangle you can enter a meditative state in which intuitive insights flow freely. Get inspirations, ideas and answers unhindered by expectations or worries.

Give it a try and hope you enjoy them too!

Turtles ACEO hatching and a swimming for a cause

Ink on Watercolor 2.5 x 3.5

The turtle eggs barred deep in the sand on the beaches of the Gulf are being relocated with hope of better survival.

To read details go to http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/gulf_oil_spill/sea-turtles'-eggs-relocated-due-to-oil 

New Houses for Hope

Stop by "Art for a Cause" and see the latest ACEO Cards available.

A preview of my ACEO cards for animal victims of gulf oil

Thses will be the next ACEO cards I will have up at Ripple.Stop by often to see the lastest work of many wonderful artists and tell your friends too!

Practice at an an Eye

I am struggling with different features at the Open studio I attend. so upon my frustration I pulled out some old anatomy books I have here on my selves.. To my disappointment they focused on the full body,muscle and skeletal structure. Not so much on the facial features. I pressed on and found an ad in a magazine on how to put eyeshadow on. What great close up and clear photos to work from. These are in my moleskin journal, done in pencil over a watercolor background treatment that was done ahead of time.

A few journal pages with pen,ink and watercolor backgrounds

A few journal pages.The backgrounds I do a head of time. About 4 pages at a time.These were done with watercolor.Often while making dinner or in bed while watching a bit of tv.I lay a couple water filled brush stokes across the the page. I pick up some color and drop it in the wet area and dragging it across some dry as well. Also rolling the water/color around letting it flow where it will across the page.Shaking salt into the wet also can make a nice effect. (Be sure to wipe it off when dried completely,)Then allowing to dry. Standing the book up on its spline I can keep the four pages away from eachother to allow to dry. After a few attempts I have found I like the lighter washes of two colors using yellow,orange, blues and greens.My writing and pen and ink sketches seem to work better together. But have fun experimenting and find just the right combinations for you. Look forward to hearing what you find.

ATC Birds

American Robin Northern Beardless Tyrannualet

I used a Pitt Artist Penn xf on Bristol scraps cut to the ATC card size. I like to have some of these cut for times like when I am watching TV or in the doctors office. I just tuck a few in my bird book, wallet on the counter and they are in easy reach to create when given several free moments.
When do you find yourself doing your ATC cards?

ALERT ALERT-do you get alerts?

I am reading the book " I 'd rather be in the studio" by Alyson B. Stanfield, The Artist's No-Excuse Guide to Self Promotion. I am enjoying it tremendously. I have gleaned so much information already to help my pen and ink illustration business that I can not get to the 'actions' as Alyson puts it, fast enough. Which brings me to: do you know what the Internet has to say about you? Have you ever 'googled' your own name or business name? If you would like to know where your name ,city, medium,competitors etc . might be apperaring out there in the internet world you can have it sent to you in your email through 'Google alerts'. Sign up is free and you can register any workd you want the search engines to track.

A little journal page abut school preperation.