Hudson Valley Sketches -

  I love Pilot Parallel pens, but a couple of things about them really annoy me. One is that you cannot post the cap of the pen, so once you...

Here's the post that many have been eagerly awaiting.... THE PROMPT LIST! If you haven't yet seen the post with the dates and other ...

  It's almost that time! You're invited to join me and a bunch of my friends for this fun, educational, and motivational, annual adv...

Results are in on the lightfastness tests I did of the full line of De Atramentis Document Inks! You can see the results of the testing of t...

  Since the end of Holidays in Ink, everybody has been asking me, "What's Next?" My friend Melissa Fischer came up with an ide...

Here's a flip-through for you of the art journal from the Holidays in Ink Challenge! I'll be back with another post to further discu...

In spite of an overflowing cabinet of fountain pen inks, I purchased the 2021 Inkvent Calendar by Diamine to have 25 new inks to explore dur...

Holidays in Ink has just begun today! If you didn't have a chance to get started, don't worry; this Challenge is not a Sketch-a-Day ...

Last year, I wrote out the Holidays in Ink Prompt Lists across a two page spread in my sketchbook, and used those pages to organize my appro...

Holidays in Ink 2021-22 is almost here! Everything you need to know is in this post. DATES : Monday, November 22 through Sunday, January 2 (...

  My dad gave me this glass pen about 30 years ago, which was handmade in Venice, Italy. I use it all the time for testing new colors, and d...

Part of the fun of any art project or challenge is gathering the materials and test driving ideas. Since Holidays in Ink is 42 days long (No...

Everybody has been asking me if I am planning another Holidays in Ink challenge this year, and the answer is most definitely, "YES!&quo...

  Happy New Year, everybody! I can't believe Holidays in Ink is over. I'm still mentally processing everything from this challenge. ...

  I've been excited to have a go at the Black and White on Toned Paper prompt (Process #6). When working on a toned surface, I nearly al...

I can't believe we're more than half way through this challenge, and heading into Week 4. If you're doing the challenge also, le...

  The Holidays in Ink Challenge certainly got me out of my comfort zone this week. I had some new art adventures, discovered more about what...

  How are you all doing at the start of Week 2 of the Holidays in Ink Challenge ? Please let me know in the comments! I began Day 1 on Novem...

  Yesterday, I panicked! In spite of my posts and preparation so far, it suddenly dawned on me that Holidays in Ink was starting in two days...

It's hard to believe that the Holidays in Ink Challenge will be starting in a week! I'm getting so excited about it that it's d...

During the busy holiday season, I'll be taking this Holidays in Ink Challenge, enabling me to just sketch with pen and paper when the go...

  Most of us are experiencing a greater-than-usual sense of cabin fever this year due to the pandemic. With stores having reopened, I donned...

  In preparation for my Holidays in Ink challenge, I've got my eyes open for supplies that might be interesting to work with. That'...

  Here in the northeastern United States, October is the month when we plein air painters flock outside to capture the very short burst of p...

  A friend of mine gave me a really cute tin filled with 30 cold press Hannemule watercolor postcards. ( https://amzn.to/3cceRSN .) You can ...

I've been enjoying my gouache paintbox that I converted from a makeup kit in my previous post , and have some updates for my readers....

About five years ago, my daughter abandoned a makeup kit in the bathroom closet. It opened to reveal slide out trays with metal pan...

Immature Bald Eagle, gouache on gray paper of a Stillman & Birn Nova Trio Sketchbook (Click title if full review does not appear.)

Part of my current "Inspiration Wall" in the studio Project Megasketch has influenced and improved my art and creativity in m...

Watercolor over thin white gesso layer, calligraphy marker For many years, at least a portion of my sketches have been done in old books...

Faber Castell Polychromos Pastels have been a go-to pastel for artists because they are individually rated for lightfastness, and prov...

Pentel Pocket Brush Pen filled with Platinum Carbon Black ink, 13x44" mural drawing Here's a fun challenge for you Megasketc...

A couple of my gouache (left) and watercolor (right) palettes with some little sketches. The small, airtight plastic container has tit...

Although people generally start their New Years Resolutions on January 1, that's one of the worst days for me to begin new challenges an...

As a musician, one of the things we learn early on is that practice does not make pefect; rather, perfect practice makes perfect . If yo...

Every year, I choose a quote for the year, and write it into my planner. This year, my quote is: A year from now, you'll wish you h...

Pentel Pocket Brush Pen  with Platinum Carbon Black ink If you open up the Roger Tory Peterson Field Guide to the Birds, the first th...

When I want a bright white highlight on a sketch, I often count on white gouache to do the job. All whites are created equal, right? W...

Gouache on black paper Painted from life in Trish's back yard For landscape painters, being able to capture the character of a tr...

In January, 2015, I made swatches of the 48 colors in the Charvin Water Soluble Pastel Painting Sticks set, and cut the strips down the c...