Behind Simply Black

 

Simply Black, Available

This and other ink drawings are now in the Gallery. The Simply Black series is something I've been working on for more than a year. It was not without second thoughts if I should upload these or not.

Why? It seems most people like colorful art. That goes for detail too. These ink sketches have neither !

But, who is going to make simple stuff like this for those who want 'less' busy art for their walls?

Most of these drawings are 5x7 inches and look good in black frames. I hung a few in my studio to see if I could stand to look at them for more than a few days. Turns out, I do like this art style.

There are big plans for the future with the series. I want to make some with background effects, and even some with sorted color schemes. After all, there should be versions for people that think these things are too simple for their taste. Also, maybe there could be some that are larger sizes, as in 8x10 or 9x12. If you, the reader, like any of these ideas, please let me know in the contact dialog. What I do with art is not only for myself, but for you as well.

I used the phrase "not only for myself" above. That's because some folks believe all art should be only what artists want to do in order to connect to their true-self. "If you are making art for you, then your viewers will love it more because it's from your authentic self."

It's hard not to agree with that. Yet, I'm tempered in an unusual way. My past career of 27+ years was based around making on-demand items of art for point-of-sale customers.  That was so entrenched in my brain that I've never been able to completely shift gears away from it.

I was immersed in my work. It was what I was all about. There were other interests too, but when I was working or preparing for it, my mind was all in. 

However, when it's time to sit at the drawing table now - the conflicted intent crops up every time. It is a balancing act to stay centered and draw what I like while trying to capture it in ways that the viewer/buyer would see as something you want to take home and be happy with.

This little chop above is to invite you into my mind and the mental processes an artist may go through during their efforts while creating. You may only see the art and form a conscious or subconscious opinion. Behind the art is a person (excluding AI stuff  we are seeing now), and this person may not want to dampen their image with personal problems and the like.

But... who are you buying art from?  We as artists don't have to tell our whole life story, but it has been proven to me in my years of work that the customer is indeed interested in you, up to a point. They know art isn't magic. But beyond that, what made you want to be an artist? How do you feel about your work? Where do you come up with ideas and so on?

If you like knowing how an artist (this artist) thinks > please subscribe to this blog to keep up with my work. Also, pick up on the motivations and techniques I use to make art and learn how I avoid doing what I'm supposed to be doing according to my own design. :-)

 Now... The gallery is at last setup and going. I was able to locate a site that was created by an artists, for artists. The site is Foundmyself.

The site has a very nice look to it and is easy enough to navigate. I also like the method in place to allow the artists to directly interact with the public and potential buyers.

To me this is important. If you like a certain piece of art I have listed, you can contact me directly and the owners of the server do not handle the process. 

Also, if you buy that art, you would simply click on the button under it witch takes you directly to PayPal. PayPal puts that payment into my account that I have with them. They alert me that you bought that piece of art. I like this arrangement.

Soon, I'll be in Colorado and am looking forward to the mountains and tall trees we have all around where we live. Last year, I started a new series called Colorado. These drawings are simple ink sketches that has been one of my most rewarding. 

There should be more of those coming off the art table when I get back there. I'll get a chance to brush up on my camera work too.

 

New-Old Skerch of Trees

 

'Two trees' 4x6 ink sketch   

This drawing has been with me for a while. I have taken it off the wall while re-organizing the studio. I'll miss it, but there's much more coming down too, and I'm getting ready to spend the summer in Colorado.

 

I have countless boxes of art supplies and tools that have to be packed. It's worth the effort though. OK.. short one this time. Got to find my toothbrush and run.

Pumpkin Cat

( Plumpkin' )

 

    Glory to fat cats.  I have an Instagram account and see them all the time. This is a simple piece of art that I enjoy doing when there's not a lot of time. There's hundreds of them lying around here.

We are in Colorado for a few more weeks, then headed back south. There's a small town called Victor near our home here in CO. (an old mining town), and we go there for some of the festivals the city puts on during the warmer months. One is called (Victor Pack Burro Race). 

 

It's funny to see people running along with their donkeys or Burros. The person along side the animals are dressed like old 49ers, to look the part. The animals may have the gear of a real pack mule and carrying tools and blankets and so forth.

 

While at one of their festivals, I talked with an artist that does super creative photography and art. I picked up one of her cards so that her name and website could be featured here on my blog (Claire Steele, Thesteelshutter.com).

If a great artist/creator as her comes along while I'm out, I'll post them here so you can take in their skills for yourself. See my page called Helpful Links For Artists where I'm slowly building a small portal for what I call important links to cool stuff for artists and others as well.

Working on an art gallery

 'Art Gallery Soonish'

 

  Hi... please stand by. I'm working on my Art Gallery right now. This may take a while because of building a web site is not my strong point...Ha

Free food this way

(Free food)

    Had fun with this little pig design. I’m thinking about doing it on a Sketch Card soon. It will be at one of my shows.

Could be late fall before I setup again this year though. A Christmas event might be a good one to add to the calendar. So for now, I’m working on a lot of sketch cards for this fall, and into the spring.

He's still kicking

(The old bird)

    It's fun to draw birds every now and then. I seem to be brought back to birds and trees for the most part. Might as well give them a strange personality too.

Any Last Words ?

(any last words)

 

 

 

 

If this were your last day - What would you say?

On a happier note;  I have been working on some drawings that have not only black ink, but some gray as well. Not long ago, a bottle of Lexington Gray from Noodlers came. This is a very nice gray with an almost graphite look. It's light-fast, and can be washed over with watercolors. Not many inks can do both.

FW makes an acrylic ink that is a cool-gray. This one is nice too, but settles in the bottle pretty quick. A bit more pain to use because of that. It is a lighter shade than Lexington G. Even though the ink on the nib drys so quick while using acrylic ink, it's still worth the effort.

I'll put up a couple of these soon.

Lost Rabbit

(Lost Rabbit)

    A 5x7 sketch of a little bunny that was tossed into a storm drain by a rotten kid. Lucky for him, a nice fairy happened along to take him to a better home.

I have been working with a lot of different ideas lately. Almost all in black ink. It has been hard for me to choose one idea to go with. But now I feel better about my work. I fell into a trap of thinking too much. That caused me to make my concepts over complicated. So, I'm stepping back from that, and grabbing pencils again to work out themes before jumping so fast into the ink.

 I got a batch of new fiber-tip pens. They are Staedtler Pigment Liners. A big set. But after using them for a while, I no longer like that brand. They stay wet too long... easy to smear.

So the search is back on for a better pen... *Update; I now like ( uni PIN, and Deleter Neopiko ). These pens do well for me. :-)

Thanks for stopping by this page.

Basil, the rabbit

(Basil)

    Basil plants carrots every year like his neighbor rabbits it this part of the country. But unlike other rabbits, he also grows pumpkins. This year was great for this patch. He has the biggest and best pumpkin around, and sure to win a prize.

 

There's always some varmint that wants to bore a hole in it though, so he has to stand watch every night to protect it. The fall festival is coming soon, and he'll be ready to take the blue ribbon.

(Angry all the time)

    Living in a field with no limbs, you are at the mercy of any critter walking by. Jackson has had it with all the clowning around.

Claymore

On Halloween night, Claymore found out just how many enemies he had accumulated over the summer.

* I put this up well after Halloween. It was in queue to be posted, but I forgot about it. Better late than never.

Ink a tree

(Lone tree)

(Vines on tree)

    I'm getting more work done in pencil and ink. These may be on my store as prints soon.

There was some old forgotten nibs in a box that I just found. They are extra fine nibs from Hunt/Speedball, #102.

Great dip pen nibs to work with.

It seems this old house in Colorado needs endless work. So I can only draw on certain days when I'm not so tired. It's easier working in the studio now. The clutter is for the most part cleared away, and I can walk thru it. We have been here a year, and it may take about 10 more years to get it together.

Tempered by time

(Tempered by time)

    This ink and watercolor tree was made right after New Years Day. It was raining and put me in the mood for a sketch like this.

I'll be glad when spring comes back. With all this central Texas rain, it will be an early and green spring.