Goodbye 2015

Say Goodbye to year 2015.
Today was a normal day yet it is the last day in 2015.
I made this two page spread today. I was inspired by crows in the neighbor's yard across the street. It has been misty and drizzly. They all seemed to be feasting on something, so I took a photo for reference.

Goodbye 2015, New Big Sketchbook, Mixed Media. Steve Franklin, 2015.

 I sketched the four birds using a brown colored pencil then applied masking fluid around each using a cotton swab (had to use a fresh one per bird). Next, I layered indigo blue then sepia via airbrush onto gessoed pages. Next, I rubbed off the mask and sprayed different colors, brushed gesso over many areas, sprayed a layer of transparent airbrush extender then fluid matte medium.  Next, I stamped the lettering and some line work with a black acrylic marker, covered that with fluid matte medium, and was finished.

I resisted the urge to add my favorite color that I always use: quinacridone/nickel ago gold.
Golden High Flow Acrylics used:
Golden Airbrush Transparent Extender, Indigo, Sepia, Green Gold, Quinacridone Magenta, Hansa Yellow Medium, and Phthalo Blue (Green Shade).
Other Materials:
Golden Acrylic Gesso, Golden Fluid Matte Medium, Molotow Signal Black Acrylic Marker, Daler Rowney Art Masking Fluid

Studio desk with sketchbook.

Happy New Year!

-Steve

Pen & Ink

Hi.
Here, I'm using a Speedball C-6 pen nib dipped into india ink.  There's nothing like using pen and ink. Even though it sometimes strains your eyes, I really enjoy drawing with it.

Zeta Sketchbook pages 42 (pen & ink) & 43 (acrylic markers). Steve Franklin, 2015

Zeta Sketchbook pages 44 & 45, Pen & Ink. Steve Franklin, 2015

Airbrush Pages: 36-39

Hello, wonderful person!
Thanks for visiting this page.
Here are pages 36, 37, 38 and 39 of my old Zeta sketchbook.

Old Zeta Sketchbook pages 36 & 37. Airbrush. Steve Franklin, 2015

Above, I just started free drawing with an airbrush.  I use an Iwata Eclipse HP CS.  The brush needed cleaning, but I just wanted to continue working with it.  I use Golden High Flow acrylics mixed with Golden Airbrush Transparent Extender. Since the colors are strong, I make them more transparent with the extender.

I haven't been using airbrush for the last week, because I've been thinking of making some sort of tent with PVC pipe and clear plastic, with a fan to blow out the paint particles.  I've been using a mask, but the last time I worked on a painting, I got carried away and noticed that the whole room was hazy from paint particles.  I thought that this would be bad for the dogs who love to hang out with me, so I decided to lay off the airbrush until I deal with this issue.

I did some research and saw everything from a giant garage painting booth for painting cars to the small table ones for people who paint scale models.  I've decided I need to make a smaller version, like the one for painting cars,  one that I can step into, like a two person phone booth size. In the meantime, I can work with other art media.

Below is my dog Annabel, my mixed breed rescue, enjoying some ice cream.  On the right, I just began doodling and mixed watercolor with colored pencil. I also added a bit of white gesso here and there.

Old Zeta Sketchbook pages 38 & 39. Airbrush. Steve Franklin, 2015.

Bye for now!

-Steve

So Tired

Hello, artistic person!
Here are pages 32 and 33 of my old Zeta sketchbook.

Zeta Sketchbook pages 32 & 33. Steve Franklin, 2015.

I've always enjoyed scribbling lines using ballpoint pen and sometimes I'm fortunate enough to discover an ink that slightly bleeds when adding a wet brush. Of course, basic shape and color can be important in a work. I initially started to do a portrait but when the subject left, I continued the drawing (page 32) using abstraction as the content.

Somedays, I'm so very tired that I let my subconscious mind take over a drawing.  It takes me inside the landscape of my mind where thoughts become bits and glimpses most likely taken from experience of observing things. Later, I can add color to transform my scribblings into something presentable.

Thanks,

-Steve

Cleopatra

Hi.
Here are pages 30 and 31 of my old Zeta sketchbook introducing Cleopatra. Here I called her my Baby Bunny.  I usually call her Angel Bunny.

Zeta Sketchbook page 30. Steve Franklin, 2014.

Some ideas when you don't know what to draw.

Baby Bunny Cleo, Zeta Sketchbook Page 31. Steve Franklin, 2014

Cleo has soft fur.  She's like a giant teddy bear who can knock you over.  She's very affectionate and will tap me with her big paw when she wants to be petted.  If I stop, she will immediately tap me to continue.

Take care.

-Steve

The Impossible Hand Pose

Hi. I'm still adding old journal page pics.  Yes, I am still working in two other journals, but my uploading of older pages is lagging behind, and I want to share this page with you.
Do you have one of those wooden hands or mannequins?  If so, it would make a good subject of study in your sketchbook.

This is a hand with an impossible pose. I sketched a wooden hand.  Then I tried the pose.  It's impossible---or so I thought.  Then I was showing the page to people, and one girl showed me that she was able to pose her hand the same way.  Go figure.

I painted this with liquid acrylic paints.  I left the background bottles blank and moved on to the next page.

The Impossible Hand Pose, Old Zeta Book, Page 24. Steve Franklin, 2014.

Have a great day!

-Steve

Unity, Rhythm, Simplicity.

Big Old Sketchbook pages 141 & 142. Mixed Media. Steve Franklin, 2014.

Hello, wonderful person!  Welcome.

Above are pages 141 and 142 of my Big Old Sketchbook. I combined ballpoint pen (the kind that bleeds some when you wet it with a brush), bleeding art tissue and watercolor. I really like the texture, sense of movement and vitality that comes from repeated strokes a ballpoint pen.  To provide a sense of unity and structure, I implied large, simple shapes across separate smaller ones with pen lines while at the same time, doing so with color on other large areas. At the same time, I'm interested in rhythmic movement. Some ideas for shapes come from the negative spaces left over from cut shapes, letters, rocks and natural things.  Have you noticed there are dog faces in the image on the right?  Well, those may be easy to find.  How about the one on the left?  It may take awhile to find.

Sometimes I like to just start scribbling on a page and wait for symbols and ideas to reveal themselves to me.  These things I develop, clarify, emphasize and sometimes repeat.

Well, I hope this inspires you to do your own page: try scribbling, or cut various shapes from paper.  Then take those shapes and cut shapes into them. Then analyze those shapes and divide them if necessary, arranging, grouping the shapes to create interesting shapes in the spaces between these shapes. Take a picture of these as a reference for an idea, or glue them down.  Try colored paper. Sketch these arrangements.  Draw these arrangements with pen then scribble and shade then color this. Then go back and unify your arrangements using scrubbed lines with a pen, or group areas with simplicity of color.  Am I getting too deep with this?

I like to look at Marc Chagall paintings and study them, trying to think of his sketching process.

Well, I guess sometimes I write too much.

Remember, when you're sketching in a sketchbook, the most important things to value is your own personal take on things.

Stay Creative!

Bye for now,

Steve

Letters: This time in color

Welcome dear viewer!

Here's a page with simple letters from my Big Old Sketchbook.

Big Old Sketchbook, page 40. Mixed media. Steve Franklin, 2014.

I enjoy working with color.  Layers and texture add dimension and depth.  I like how this page creates a sense of three dimensional movement.

There's an idea for a page.  Focus on layers.  Try overlapping transparent shapes & colors, adding texture.  You can make some shapes opaque by covering with white.

If I recall, I cut out a stack of bleeding art tissue into a simple cross shape. The green crosses, were, by the way, originally blue. I used rubber cement as a block out, all stringy and painterly between watercolor washes.  It looks like I used Daniel Smith watercolors: Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Nickel Azo Yellow, Quinacridone Rose, and perhaps New Gamboge or Hansa Yellow--back in 2014.  I'm pretty sure the blue is Phthalo Blue.  Oh, there's also green in there: uh, not sure which one.

Often times, when I'm in a creative mood, I become an "art animal" using instinct more than thinking.  

Then it takes awhile to figure out just how I did something by looking over it.

The most important thing you gotta do when you fill your journal pages? Have fun no matter the outcome.

Thanks for viewing.

-Steve

Letter Designs

Welcome, beautiful person!
Here are a couple of pages from my Big Old Sketchbook.

Big Old Sketchbook: Pages 137 & 138. Pencil. Steve Franklin, 2014

This is a sketchbook that I carried around for awhile, so sorry if the pencil looks a little smudged.  In the future, I may have to fix the pencil pages to avoid this happening.  I enjoyed designing these letters.  I hope this two page spread inspires you to design your own letters.  It may be fun to look at illuminated manuscripts to get ideas and realize just how beautiful letters can be.  I bet you could design your own beautiful letters.

I may just sit down and design some more letters.  It's quite fun.  Anyway, if you're not sure what to do in a sketchbook page, try this.

I recently showed someone the last painting I completed. It had the words "See Me" and was filled with abstract letter-like shapes as the subject.  That person considered it a graffiti painting, like there was something wrong with it.

I refuse to put such limitations upon myself.  Limitations are like a heavy weight you carry on your own shoulders.  I choose not to carry this weight.  Therefore, I am free to do what I want. After all, I know what I like.  If someone is not ready for viewing beautiful words and letters, then so be it.

Thanks for reading and I hope you appreciate this page.

Take care,

-Steve

See Me

See Me, page 135. Pencil. Steve Franklin 2014.

So here's a page in the Big Old sketchbook. I was doodling and drawing letters.

This weekend, I felt the need to just stop doing stuff and just relax.  I think I just needed to reset my mind.  I was kind of feeling down on myself and felt the need to watch a movie, just so I could let someone else's creation take me to another world for awhile.  Isn't that what movies do for us?  I just watched a movie on the television.  Then I watched some more, and took a nap.  That was Saturday.  Now, I can't even remember just what it is that I watched.  Oh, well.

Hey!  I had that shake today!  I had a veggie burger with an Oreo Pumpkin shake at Burger King. It was good.  I actually did the cooking this weekend.  Saturday, I made some cornbread; I cooked over easy eggs for breakfast. Sometimes I make sweet potato and egg tacos for breakfast.  This is how I make them: I peel a sweet potato with a sharp knife, dice it then place it in a pan; add real butter, some water and salt; cover it and simmer until the water evaporates, throw in eggs beaten with a drop of milk, cook that, grate some muenster cheese to throw on top, add chipotle salsa, then fold this into a flour tortilla I heated on a separate pan (comal?).  These are great.

Oh, I got off the subject.  Where was I?  Oh, yeah, I cooked.  I also made biscuits this morning with potatoes and scrambled eggs.  Since I wanted some sort of gravy to go with the biscuits, I opened a carton of split pea soup to dip my biscuits into, since I don't eat meat and had no mushrooms.  This weekend, I tried to cook with just what I could find around the house, because I didn't feel like going to the grocery store at all on Saturday.  Although, I did have to go to the store today.  I love getting a hot french bread loaf and eating some with tomato soup. I like to throw precooked chickpeas in the soup to add protein.

Often times, when I sketch lettering, I like to first draw a shape to fit letters or words into.

Take care for now.

-Steve

Well Just What to Draw

Well Just What to Draw, pages 34 & 35, Zeta Old Book. Steve Franklin. 2015.

Dear Reader,

Some days I have no clue what do draw.  I just boldly move forward in hopes that I make something--anything to get myself started.  If you have a sketchbook and haven't filled up any pages in it, then just go ahead and make an awful page.  I do it all the time.  If I spend a few days without drawing, I know that I begin to accumulate these horrible images in my being that choke up my creative flow, kind of like a bit of cookie that's stuck in the straw of an Oreo shake.  Just force it through, and I guarantee the good ones will begin to flow again.  Gee. I must be craving a shake.  I don't think I know anyone who doesn't like Oreo cookies.

Let me be honest with you.

I haven't worked in my sketchbook in at least two days, and I'm feeling worthless.  As soon as I'm done writing this, I promise I will sit myself down, open my sketchbook and fill a page.  If it comes out crappy, so be it.

Sometime this week, I may treat myself to a shake.
I think I'll listen to Songs for Drella to get myself in the mood.
What? You've never heard of Songs for Drella? It's an album by Lou Reed & John Cale for the late Andy Warhol.
Okay, I'll shut up now and get to it.
Bye,
-Steve


I'm back!

Well, I did it.  I completed a crappy page, and it feels Great to get it out of my system.  I used a gray paint marker, micron pen and watercolors.  I really enjoyed listening to the album.  Drawing and listening to the album took me out of myself and into an imaginary world of art and artists that I've never visited nor met--except in my mind. It was cold so I wore something warm: a beanie, scarf, long socks, gloves and jacket.

Thank you so much for reading.  You're wonderful.
Goodnight.

Crappy Page, New Big Book, page 68. Steve Franklin, 2015

Pen Work

Pen Drawings. Big Old Book, pages 97,98. Steve Franklin, 2014

Here are pages from my Big Old Book. On the left, I did sketching with a ball point pen and on the right I used pen & ink--a Speedball C-6 nib dipped in india ink.
Using pen & ink really takes me to imaginary worlds.

Acrylic Paint Markers

Why. Zeta Sketchbook, Page 21. Pencil & Acrylic. Steve Franklin, 2014

Here, I started with a pencil sketch then layered transparent colors with Liquitex acrylic paint markers, then finished the line work with black and white Molotow acrylic paint markers. The Liquitex markers are okay, but the set I bought had only transparent markers.  I prefer to apply transparent colors with a brush, or airbrush.  I really enjoy the Molotow markers, because the colors are opaque--ideal for line work.  The Molotow markers I own are mostly 2mm fine bullet tips.  I do own one white and one black 1mm extra fine tip marker. The Molotow markers have a good flow with one problem I've noticed--the colors seem to rub off from the surface compared to regular acrylic paint, so most of the time, I add a clear glaze on top once I've finished laying down the color from these markers (once dry) to add permanency. Maybe I've just spoiled myself because I mostly use Golden Acrylics, which are awesome!

By the way, this sketchbook is a Zeta series from Stillman & Birn.  They make very nice sketchbooks.  The Big Old Sketchbook is one from Dick Blick which have thinner pages, but over 200 pages, front & back.  Anytime I want to paint with acrylic, I find that adding a layer of acrylic gesso before painting really brightens the colors.  Just a thin layer of gesso works. Sometimes, I sketch with pencil directly on the paper then add a thin layer of gesso, which lightens the pencil marks.

I tend to like building up transparent layers of color (glazing).

I love texture!  Put some funk in your drawings and paintings!

The Golden Mean: I tend to use the golden mean when I doodle and sketch.  I use it to make decisions when drawing objects, abstract shapes, spacing, dividing, proportioning, placing, and such.  This happens quickly, and it just flows.

Why?

Abstract Compositions

Big Old Sketchbook Pages 67 & 68. Mixed Media. Steve Franklin, 2014

Here are pages 67 and 68 in my Big Old Sketchbook. I love doodling and layering shapes. I am using pens with ink that bleeds when I apply a wet brush.  On page 68, I added some light watercolor washes. 

When filling a sketchbook, I always make a habit of numbering pages and adding the date at the top of each page.

The pens that bleed are Uniball Signo 207. I got them at Walmart.

I glued down the cut newspaper shapes with regular Elmer's glue.

Did a sketchbook page today.

New Big Sketchbook: Page 38. Mixed Media. Steve Franklin, 2015

So Here's a page I did earlier today.  I did some layers.  I started with some watercolor washes followed by loosely stamped patterns on top of that.  What I had was the blue and green washes on the page. Next, I brushed rubber cement, zigzagging some rubber cement strings and dabbed some with my finger.  Once dry, I added some magenta, yellow and brown watercolor washes, dried that, outlined the resulting shapes with pen, and worked in some india ink by dipping a stick into a cut water bottle with ink diluted in water.  I enjoyed it.

Colored tissue, rubber cement, watercolors and letter stamps.

9/6/13-10/20/14

Here's an earlier sketchbook I filled from cover to cover.  I will be posting some pages from it.  I will call it the Big Old Sketchbook. : )

Big Old Sketchbook, pages 33 & 34

Rubber Cement Resist

 On page 33, I painted rubber cement to make the bar shapes.  Next, I dipped extra rubber cement and allowed drips to form long, rubbery strings from the brush to the paper and wiggled it around as the strings contacted the surface of the paper.  Once the cement dried, I placed a sheet of blue staining colored tissue paper onto the page. I dipped a brush in water and touched it to the tissue until the water soaked through and stuck it to the page.  I kept patiently adding water until the whole tissue sheet was wet.  I allowed this to dry.  (Whenever I am in a hurry, I use a hair dryer to speed the drying process.) Next, I rubbed off the rubber cement with an big eraser and all that had rubber cement was left to show the white of the page! There were blue streaks on the bars showing the big brushstrokes used to apply the rubber cement. Finally, I scribbled different colors using Derwent Inktense water soluble ink pencils then brushed over that with a wet brush.

On page 34, I painted a light watercolor wash on the entire page loosely with a size 10 watercolor brush, loosely, leaving specks of white here and there.  While that dried, I cut out a a square of card stock  (manila folder), cutting five rectangles out of it with a craft knife to use as a stencil.  I held down the stencil and repeatedly (12 times, as you can see) painted over it with rubber cement using a big flat brush.  Once that dried, I dropped a square of colored tissue over each, brushing them down patiently with a water loaded brush. Are you still with me? Once dry, I stamped each letter using those cheap rubber letter stamps with a black stamp pad.

Notice:   For colored tissue, you must give the tissue enough time to allow the color to bleed and transfer to the page. Warning! If your sketchbook pages are thin, place a couple of sheets of regular copy paper behind the sketchbook page.  I have seen tissue bleed through several pages. Of course, that would add interest to these pages so long as you are not a perfectionist.