Milborn Light

                Like many of the things I draw, this was done in too big a hurry, and too little thought. But also, like much of what I do under those circumstances, when I find it later burried in some misplaced sketch pad, I end up kinda liking it for the very spontenaity that caused me some angst in the beginning. I had been thinking of doing the car for some time. but as it turned out on this day, I was still up the large central stairs in the Watkins museum, while all the family that had come with us was waiting at the entry for me.  They could see me from where they stood, and were politely wondering just how long I was actually going to take.

Gray-headed coneflower

This quick drawing showing the upper portion of the plant was started as they all seem to be lately, with a pencil while sitting on a camp stool along the trail at Prairie Park.

Here is another gray coneflower, done close-up and in pencil, showing a couple stages in the maturing of the flower. The disc florets were just beginning to open and turn dark near the bottom on one side of the central flower. The middle flower has a full gray "cap" and the top flower is just beginning to reach its ray pedals out.  The whole drawing is about 3" tall.

O'Connell Stone

Grammie likes this one. I posted another of this place in mid June that was done after this one.
Nothing on this house is where you think it should be.
Nothing lines up like it should- that makes for some good subject matter...

M-B

Here is another drawing done in pencil of the Murphy-Brommelsick house- it was early May.

India ink and stick drawing

This stick drawing was done with india ink. Black and white in the truest sense of the term.
The jpeg image was on my phone for some time, but just now got added to the possible postings.
The original sketch came from the stack of quick studies done on trips to see the grandkids.

Decided to do a couple Spiderwort from memory. That did not turn out so well, even though the drawing  is ok .   Although I had a good idea in my head of what I was aiming for, I found that it was much easier if I had something to look at while drawing. Otherwise it took me repeated roughs to get to a workable image. The top one was done mostly from memory, and the bottom one was done from a previously drawn flower.

But this one is more what I was looking for. Not only did I use an earlier study as a reference, I also used a photo or 2 as well. Is that cheating??   Actually, the photos greatly aid the memory when looking for just the right shape or angle. But only when you are working in the studio, away from the actual subject. Which is sometimes necessary if you are sitting in the sun and the sweat is running into your eyes, or your back is beginning to ache from holding one position way too long.

Paw Paw & Hackberry

This drawing of the pawpaw leaves was an attempt to help me identify the tree in the undergrowth along the Wakarusa River in the wetlands. What I have not done yet is done such a drawing with a Zebra Swallowtail butterfly or 2 sitting on a leaf. The Pawpaw is their meal of choice I understand. A few days before starting this, one of those "Zebras" had landed right at my feet for a picture.  

There are a couple small Hackberry trees growing in the background and also a bit of poison ivy going up one of them.

Here is the same drawing after getting a good start on the ink. I had gone over most of the pencil with a fine line pen, and was starting to rough in some of the background.

Here is the drawing as it was when I left the woods for home. I was tired of the mosquitos, as I had forgotten my DEET, but was unwilling to quite on the pencil until there was enough to get a finished ink drawing out of it. 

Alex Auto

I was in North Lawrence to talk to Alex about the car and took just a minute to get a sketch of the cavernous opening behind a couple cars they were working on.  These are a lot of fun to do, and can be done pretty much on any walk through any neighborhood. Just make sure you are not upsetting any of the locals, which seldom happens.

Second bloom

It has taken forever for the clematis by the  mail box to get taller than I. But this year it has done it!  It was some fancy variety, but has not grown very robustly. So a couple weeks ago while it was showing off its 2nd flush of bloom for the summer, I thought it time to do an ink drawing.  And here we have it.

Here is the drawing after I had added fine line ink to most of the pencil layout which was done standing at the curb.

This was done in a 7" x 10" Canson pad of 98 lb paper.

The pen was a Misulove Needle Drawing Pen, probably the small one- 005

Hackberry ink

I was again along the woodland trail in the south east corner of the wetlands proper. It is endless- there are so many plants with a zillion different postures, that a person could draw endlessly I suppose.  Can't say I was terribly impressed with the way I dealt with the jig jag nature of the twigs as they jog from leaf to leaf.  That was one of the things I wanted to emphasize. Oh well, another day!

The fuzzy designation at the top- MS807A- is the number on the disposable pens that were given me for Father's day.  From .005 nib to 20 brush tip. Lots of range. Much more simple than keeping a whole range of Rapidograph points clean!

Sundae girl

Another India ink drawing from the 1980's.

Sting Nettle

There are some pretty immense patches of nettles along the eastern most trail in the wetlands. The trail runs along the Wakarusa River through the woods for a half mile or so.  I had been interested in how each plant displays a very flat arrangement of leaves at the top of the plant.  I was able to get a drawing to approximate it from the side, using a ball point pen that I found in the car, as I had forgotten to put anything in my pocket to draw with. 

Here is another plant, drawn a little more from the top.  Shannon gave me a 3 legged camping stool for father's day which I was sitting on for these pencil sketches that I finished up with some ink at home. As kids we used to run through this stuff on the way to the river, sometimes chased by a billy goat. Fortunately the blisters seldom lasted even until we returned home for supper.

Wash Day

I had stopped by our daughter's for some reason or other, and could not resist getting a drawing of her car as she was cleaning it out with the doors standing open.  The actual was yet to come. This was last weekend. Started this sitting in the shade in her garage looking out at the car with the woods and the sun behind.  I did some pencil, then added ink over the top later on.

the classy Spiderwort

Here are a couple more spiderwort inks.   Classic shapes 

O'Connell Stone

It is not that I don't have more drawings of spiderwort from Prairie Park, but let's have a little change.

This little stone farmhouse was one of the original structures on the east side of Lawrence. When it was built the town was no doubt 2 or 3 miles north west. It was a long time before the road ever got named O'Connell Road. 

I can get there in a few minutes on a bicycle, and maybe should do some more drawings of the place.

with milk weed sprouts

Perhaps the most varied of a dozen or more ink drawings done of these delightful blooms.    I do not think there is a flower in Prairie Park all year that is as elegant.  With leaves & bracts both integral and independant, all finding a complimentary place in the sun...

These guys are even this morning still trying to bloom, though the amount and size of the blooms are reduced.

Dress Tie posture

Let's go back to the series of inks done 30+ years ago. 

I found this set of photocopies last year. I suppose they were done with India ink and a radiograph pen, if anyone still knows what that is.  There are quite a number of these sort of inks sitting around here...

and again

 Yes, here are yet more of these dandies. These were done on two consecutive days last month.

Across the entire field they open daily to the morning sun . But close up in the midday heat.

Spiderwort again

Here are some more of the irresistible spiderwort. This was the first day that I began drawing them. I can stand along the trail dong one after another until my back is screaming for a break...

Every morning the south end of the prairie at the park is peppered with these guys. But take a walk just before sunset, and you will not find a bloom. Do they fold up for the night or drop to the ground? I find no evidence for either! 

I suppose that I should do some of these in color. That remains for another day.

The lines created by this plant are fantastic and they compliment well the flower atop.

Spiderwort

I do not think there is a flower in the park all year that is as elegant.  With such integral yet independant leaves and bracts, all reaching for their place in the sun. All supporting the pale blue gems sitting atop the stem.  Everything is so simple and direct.

Drawing from the memory

It is funny how you can remember how some drawings were conceived. This one I remember very clearly.
There was in those days a Valentino's Pizza joint on the north side of 23rd street. They had a pizza buffet.  We took Grandma Chick there on special occasions, because you could feed 4 or 5 kids pretty inexpensively, and Grandma loved it. This was on one of those occasions, while we were sitting by the window, maybe waiting to be seated and watching others getting served. The star in the background was actually part of the decoration on the wall.

paper, wood, scissors

How 'bout a couple studies from our trip late winter with Fred & Sue...

Block o' blade.
As is often the case when I finally pick up a pen, it was fairly late. We had spent the day with Fred and Sue, and were winding down in our own room. Our small kithen had not been used, as their adjoining room had a fully equiped one.
So these knives had sat there in the corner of the counter for our entire visit wishing someone would notice...
Believe it?

An here is a detail from our window of the retaining wall in front of the building where we stayed. Done in pencil, I just wanted to see how the pattern would look on paper.

Co-op south elevators.

This was one of the views from a small rise just east of the Rail Trail. This is the line that used to run to Baldwin early in the 20th century.  Now it is part of the bike trail around Lawrence. Follow it north and you pass within 20 ft of the elevators in this drawing.  The flag is actually a remnant from a drawing that was on the bottom of the page.
This used to be the County yard. Now it has moved east of the county jail. There is a lot of activity though; two buildings are being put up. You can see some of the steelwork in this drawing as well.
There are north elevators along the tracks a few miles north across the river. Although you cannot see those elevators from our side of town, you can sure hear the trains  - especially at night when laying in bed going to sleep.

the 2 cedar

These cedar never fail to catch my attention as I walk through the wetlands.
And an ink scribble is abrupt and somewhat permanent.
Here the view is foreshortened by the angle from the west foot bridge, so all the trees along the road seem closer together.

Afternoon sun

It was a bit of a surprise- the shadows coming through the blinds and falling on the drawer next to me while I was busy at the computer. 

The goal was to catch the shadows distinct and close.  But the sun was dropping so fast that the shadows were constantly in flux. I had to just grab pencil and paper, pick a point at which the shadows were significant, and go with that.

The little cabinet is one that Matthew made in shop class...

Wakarusa west

There are plenty of "easy" views of this bridge from above along the new cut from Alabama on 23rd to the old road. I have done more than one of them, some in watercolor.  But this view is from the edge of the Wakarusa, accessed from the parking along E1400 road at the edge of the wetlands.
This pencil sketch was done in late winter.

North of the tracks

So there was a few minutes left, just enough to get this sketch of the view across the tracks to the north while I was sitting in the depot parking lot in North Lawrence. This depot is no longer functional, but is a visitors center and a great place to draw.

Wakarusa looking east

The Wakarusa river has been an attraction for some time, though admittedly low key!  It is very  typical of creeks in eastern Kansas that dump into the Kaw (Kansas River), with its steep banks and winding stream bed.   It is actually a bit larger than some of the Kaw tributaries.    Lined with trees of all sizes that often lean toward the water. This bridge is one of the newer ones. Many were still truss bridges 40 years ago when we came to the area.
If it were not 32 degrees out today, this would be just about perfect morel mushroom  hunting weather, and the perfect place for 'em in these stream banks.
On this particular day in early March, I was down on the river in the middle of my daily constitutional. It was rush hour so to speak, so there was some traffic on the bridge, but it still seemed very quiet on the bank where I was seated. This pencil drawing was done in a 9" x 12" pad. A bit larger than what I usually have with me.
There are more pencil drawings from the last couple months, both of the river and the adjoining wetlands that I will try to post in the next few days.

Rail Trail barn

This little barn on the back side of the rail trail is always interesting.   This drawing, though was done as a study from one done on location a couple days before while I was out walking. I was used a sheet of 11 x 17 inch paper on one of my Plexiglas drawing board. I think Jeremiah gave me those chunks of plex some years ago, as they were leftover from a job he had been working on. The pen was a gel pen that has since ran out of ink...

T-9127

This forgotten drawing was tucked into one of the sketchbooks from...      Discovered it buried there the other day and immediately took a shot of it for the blog.   I never figured out what the numbers stood for- whether it was a factory number, or one assigned by the owner in some long forgotten warehouse...

tsuki-yo shaker

This fountain pen has been sitting on the kitchen table for a month or so. The idea is for me to use it once in awhile so it does not dry out, which it seemed to do one time. But on this day, for this drawing, it responded immediately. I had filled it a couple weeks ago , used it a bit, and left it sitting until now. That was nice that it worked fine... I have had to touch a drop of water to the tip sometimes to get it going.
For some reason, the ink reproduced in 2 different shades. No surprise.
A fountain pen needs to be held fairly vertical to make it work. You can hold a pencil flat to get a wider line, or a  ballpoint flatter to get a narrower line, but not this puppy. Hold it a bit flat and it will give you no line at all!  But that is good- surprises like that keep your mind engaged in the process.

Of course the salt shaker has a darker twin . I should do them together.

St. Paul in June

We were driving through St. Paul, headed to a match or program of some kind, when I got a sketch of this place and was able to do this ink later.
You can see the dates.
This is another one of the India ink stick drawings. The first ones of these that I did back in the '70s, were done with twigs I found on location, and if they worked well, I might save them for another drawing.

last tractor standing

Google up a satellite view of East 23rd street and find Kaw Valley Industrial. You may see in the back a couple old ford tractors sitting among the vehicles behind the building.. This drawing is of one of those tractors.  On the 20th, when I did this drawing I did not catch on that the place was closed, only that it was cleaned up from before. Not until walking past the front one evening did I realize it actually was closed. A scribbled sign says they have moved to Eudora.

This tractor is the only thing left on the site, other than the building and a couple signs out front. 

It was an old school place that had served Lawrence residents  many years.
Probably since before we came to town.

But google for once is not as up to date as the drawing- It still shows the scene below...

I ran into this drawing while sorting through sketch books from last fall.
This is way closer to what Google satellite will show you now, though it is actually a couple months out of date.
You can see the 2 twin tractors side by side. The one on the left is the loner done full size above, and the only thing left on the site when the top drawing was on the 20th of March...
This 2nd drawing was done earlier, as it says, on the first of December, 2017.
It is a sketch of the back of the building while they were working no doubt in an attempt to get things cleaned up for the impending move.

feeder sketches

This red bellied woodpecker comes sometimes to our suet feeder when the weather is a bit snowy. I know, this drawing is a bit exaggerated in the perspective but seems to still catch some of the essence of the bird.

We had a couple days of ice, so I kept the drawing board close to the window so it could be grabbed quick. The birds are right by the window when on the suet feeder, so you have to be as still as possible. Makes for good practice.  Some of the sketches were with the fountain pen that I keep close there as well.

This little sketch would not photograph. But I like the bird!

Clear Sky at last

The name "Clear Sky at Last" comes from the original sketch that was done when the sun came out for awhile after a few days of cloudy and snowy weather. We had been on our trip into Minnesota, south west Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

It is the last of  the inks done from that foray into last years road trips.  I used this style for years occasionally to make original note cards for Stephanie. None of these are large, but I have done some full size drawings that work well on a high quality paper. A so-called "kid" finish paper is very nice.

Hill silos

These sketches of silos are a nice motif for a drawing. I have done a few watercolors of them as well.

These are also India ink stick drawings. Just like the other day.  The process is very basic.  A dark ink that gives very little options for mid-tones. Or I should say that once the wet ink on the stick is gone, it begins producing textured light gray lines that can be very expressive, but limit your tonal range to a minimum.  You are constantly working from dark to light, dark to light, as you repeatedly dip the stick in the bottle.

A very similar motif taken from the same original road trip thumbnails. These 2 sketches are each less than four inches tall...