One more time

September 4, 2019 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

I don’t like to repeat subject matter, but since I have done…just how many drawings of bicycles this year? I’m breaking my own rule once again. Rules are meant to be broken, even your own.

This time it’s after the storm pieces. For instance, this:

But one attempt at a rainbow, seemed okay, but not quite hitting the mark.

Btw,I did a long treatise on the false notions on the cheerful subject of rainbows. My picture came out kind of hhopeless. Not a good rendition of the time honored symbol of promise

So,I’m working on a rework of a rainbow.

After this, I expect to be working on a fall or winter theme. In case I haven’t mentioned it,I seem to do my best work in the winter.

Why? Because I get sick of flowers and foliage! I was moaning about my boredom wwith this a few years ago.

So,bring on the change of seasons!

Of course I had my failures too.

Now that I have reminded you ,let’s forget about this:

Having my Cake

August 28, 2019 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

So, here are the most recent little drawings:

You know what I’m thinking……….Just how many small pictures do I need to do a show? I already have plenty. Doing them is definitely disappointing too. I can’t sink my teeth in them as I can with the large drawing.

It’s like going into Costco, being handed a bite-sized piece of cake…and that’s it. You want the whole damn thing, and the only way to get it, is to buy it. It’s just that I want my cake and to eat it, too.

Thinking further, I’ve only done little mixed venues. In an art show, that’s limited to fine art/fine craft, maybe the larger pieces would sell, because the type of customer attending would be different.

So, I’m going back to the large cake, and eating it, too.

Let’s Be Realistic

August 23, 2019 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

So, I’ve been diddling and doodling around with these drawings, so far, try to get the perfect balance of realistic drawing and fanciful design.
I redid 101. Having done the one that was mostly a half-hearted try at a good realism, I decided to have a little fun instead. Here’s the redo, of 101.

These go so fast……..last night I knocked out one in a couple of hours. It was more fun in this case, to draw as realistically as possible. I was a little hesitant to do this drawing…for fear it would turn out as a colored pencil Bob Ross. It didn’t, and I’m quite pleased with it.

Early in the summer, my friends and I went to a park in Connecticut……….Kent Falls. I snapped a photo to work from in light so bright, I couldn’t see the viewfinder. Somehow managed to come out. Worked on it, last night. This was the result.

Once again, I’m getting tired of summer, not only artistically, but weatherwise, too.
Late summer, with all its mugginess, and its bugs. I don’t mind the crickets and other night insects, so much, but the break room at my day job, is decorated with fly traps and fly paper. All well populated.

I’m doing one more summer drawing and then maybe a still life. By then, I hope it will be clearer, cooler, pretty early fall weather. So, for now, I’m working on an improvement of this card:

Also, I am eager to put together the tent and display panels, to get ready for show biz. Since I think it’s late to do any shows this year, I figured we’d wait until less oppressive weather to assemble the display

Cosine of a Learning Curve

August 15, 2019 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

I actually liked math, except for trigonometry. So, forgive if I use the terms wrong.

So, here’s the latest:

It’s not perfect, but I’m reminding myself…..I’m learning. The secret was in the details of the larger pieces. That’s hard to do so small. I did this piece, as a sketch…..

To work out this:

I used this:

To work out this:

See what I mean……..it’s close, but it’s not yet getting there.

Speaking of Math…and we were a while ago, if you haven’t forgotten, I’d like to discuss numbers.

I have a friend who is adamantly sure about the validity of numerology. At times when I find myself needing to put numbers in a picture, I often wonder if I should use that number symbology to add meaning. I believe in meaningful coincidences………..

But if I faked them, they wouldn’t be coincidences. So, I’m doing the numbers as they appear in the study, letting the coincidences fall where they may.

The picture I just finished is : 101

This is 35

And this one was done long ago, when I picked a number at random:

Turning Back Time

August 11, 2019 roxannebaldwin 2 Comments

I was wondering, thinking about the learning curve I’m facing, whether it would be best to keep making versions until I got one that I liked. That, is, after all, the way I learned to handle colored pencils in the beginning…….I’d just go over them and over them, until I was so frustrated, I nearly started biting my fingernails again.

I did get good results though………………

Started these in the mid-eighties, and ended in the late nineties. Started in Greenwich, CT and ended in Manhattan NY.

They have a place that’s dear to me, like looking at an album of old photos.

The first I dd was this one:

And following in no particular order:

So, how did the redo of Bough Bows turn out? Here it is:

And that’s that.

Yet another learning curve

August 7, 2019 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

Okay, I finished another small, masterpiece…sort of. Thing is, these small works are not as successful as I’d like.

In the past, I’ve done little work, as preliminary sketch for bigger drawings. For instance:

I got this:

From this:

I got this:

In the past, I’ve managed to put in lot of detail in the small drawings

And this is the latest one:

Bough bows

So, what am I doing wrong?

I guess, when I finally got around to drawing the large pictures, I planned them with a black and white sketch, then a color sketch. I worked on the large drawing slowly, paying attention to detail. Can I still do that in small size?

I guess it’s another learning curve. I tell you, my art career would make a good design for a roller coaster.

The Saga of Pumpkin

August 5, 2019 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

I had a dream that we had two female kittens and I named them Thelma and Louise. No particular reason to tell you this, but I enjoyed the dream.

So, I’m going through making small drawings, the kind that I can sell at an impulse price. What would be a collection of my work without a cat drawing. In particular, Pumpkin, the cat from New York City.

We’ve had many views of Pumpkin, as my favorite model over the past few years.

First off, when we first moved here…..

And then this; the original sketch

Caught him in the sunlight

And then made him into a notecard, which left something to be desired.

I can’t find a photo of that card, I guess I didn’t like it enough to shoot it.

I made another version of the drawing on the notecard. It’s small, but successful. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you Pumpkin

Among discarded shoes.

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