Two Pears Still Life -- Pencil

This is my first shaded pencil pear sketch. I have wanted to do some pears for a while, but could not find anything to sketch.  When I finally found some pears to sketch, I found I could not duplicate all the details into my picture. In the original oil painting there were a lot more highlights, but for some reason I could not get that many to work in my sketch.  Either the difference is in the medium, or the artist. Other than that, I had a lot of fun doing this sketch.  I got to stretch a lot, as I learned more about sketching fruit.  The inspiration for this came from the oil painting 'Pears' by Ann Thompson Nemcosky. You can see the original here. Her painting was so beautiful that it made me want to sketch it. I also asked and received her permission to post my sketch.

Glass Piggy Bank -- Pencil

I found this one in a magazine ad. It was interesting to sketch, and more complicated than I though it would be.  The ears and the tail were the hardest. I redrew them several times trying to get the glass look. Still could be better, but finally gave up trying. However, I am content with this one, as the glass piggy bank made it such a cute and fun sketch to do.

Flower in a Glass Bottle -- Pencil

This one was inspired by a picture I saw in a calendar. Often I can sketch the picture exactly as it is with no changes or additions,  and it looks OK. Other times I have to play with the sketch for the pencil version to look right. Here I had to play with the flower and the shadows in the drawing for it to feel right. In the picture the flower was partially closed, and the shadows would not work out right. I redrew it open, adjusted the shadows, and things started to come together better.

Art Is Where You Find It -- Pencil

When you start sketching, you do not think about it taking you in directions you never imagined. I never expected to be drawing shoes. Even though the Everyday Matters group has a drawing prompt (#1) for a shoe, I had never had a desire to draw one. A couple of weeks ago after I finished a sketch, I happened to see a shoe on the floor. Immediately I was enraptured by the angles and sculptural qualities of the shoe, and I had to sketch it. Above is the result.

Later I saw another shoe that had even more angles and curves (and texture!) than the first shoe, and I had to draw it. This shoe is so silver and shiny  in places that it ought to be painted so it could appear in all its glory. I opted here just to leave the lighter parts white and all the rest in its various shades of darker gray. So, I hope you enjoyed my journey into shoe art. There may be more, because if I have learned anything from this is that art is where you find it (or it finds you).

Boat on the Lake Shore -- Pencil

While I was visiting with some friends I saw this boat on the shore of the lake. It kept calling to me to sketch it. Yeah! I was prepared for once, because I had brought my little sketch book "just in case". I have wanted to do something like this for a while, so I have been on the lookout for opportunities to sketch. There were a lot of angles, and not sure I got them all correct. However, the most important thing is I was able to practice sketching, and on site. It was very enjoyable.

Spring (First Try) -- Pencil

 

While on wasp patrol outside (this time of year they are trying to nest every where), I decided to draw my pear tree, which I have wanted to do since it started blooming. Lacking time and desire to put in every detail, I drew it loosely (while keeping eye out for wasps to spray). The big white blooms are really groups of  four or more blooms, and the tree is covered in small new  leaves. I am enjoying this  warm weather here in the southern U.S.,  but it will not last.  This is just the first try at Spring. We usually have one or two hard freezes here before May that either kills the blooms or fruit of my peach and pear tree. Thus, we only get fruit about every third year. This was an enjoyable project to do, because I have always wanted to sit on my front porch and sketch.