Connections

Starbucks Aiea, Watercolor on paper, 11" x 14"

"Beauty is made out of connections."
~ Jean Cocteau

This was drawn at Starbucks Aiea and is one of the first pieces I did using the water color pencils. I was little heavy-handed with the pencils, the watercolor color came out dark, with a lot of the burnt sienna brown. This took about forty minutes to complete at the Starbucks. Afterwards I touched up some of the painting to better render it.

There are things I do not like in this, like the perspective, but I do like the way the light comes through the window and the light on the floor. The shadows are nice.

Use the Experience

Cramming with Passion Tea, watercolor on paper, 11" x 14"

"Nothing is a waste of time
if you use the experience wisely."
~ Auguste Rodin

This was done at Kaneohe Bay Shopping Center Starbucks and the subject was focused on her laptop, cramming for a test. I was able to get a lot done on the drawing. It took me awhile, more than and hour, to do this one. It was still in the early set of drawings that I did in 2010 and it is one of my favorites. I like how the bag was rendered. I like the chair.

Courageous Soul

Vanishing Boy, Ink on paper, 8" x 10"

"And moreover, to succeed, the artist must possess 
the courageous soul… the brave soul. 
The soul that dares and defies."

 ~ Kate Chopin

This was done at Kaneohe Bay Shopping Center Starbucks and it is one of a series that I did with FriXion ink, thermo-sensitive gel pens.

I initially liked the idea of working with erasable ink, using a ballpoint with clean lines and nice erasing. So I could create really strong lines AND be able to erase my mistakes.

I really loved the results of working with these pens. However, as I used them, I discovered some problems.

I started to notice that the pens were not working, because the ink was coming out but there was no pigmentation. Could it be that leaving the pens in my hot car was a bad idea?

I once tried to preserve a drawing done with this ink by laminating it, but it was a horrible idea. Once it ran through the hot laminator, the ink was totally gone.

I discovered that the thermal ink disappears with heat as well as friction. So this drawing has probably vanished like water vapor in the Hawaiian heat.

Thus, I no longer draw with FriXion ballpoint pens.

Creative Train of Thought

Barista on Break, ink on paper, 8" x 10"

"A creative train of thought is set off by: 

the unexpected, the unknown, the accidental, 

the disorderly, the absurd, the impossible."

 ~ Asger Jorn

I was on a roll, drawing a lot with the friXion pen because I could erase the ink. It took me less than 30 minutes to draw this one. So it worked up quickly. I like how her legs are crossed and the shadow on the wall.

Get to Work

Students at Kapolei Middle School, Watercolor on Paper, 11" x 14"

"Inspiration is for amateurs.
The rest of us just show up and get to work."
~ Chuck Close

This is one of the classes that I was observing my student interacting with others and I was able to draw as I observed. This was rendered quickly. 

Kapolei Middle School is new, so the furniture, specifically the solid plastic chairs, was fun to draw.  These two students were watching a video about bullying so I was able to capture them.

Sketch Everything

Girl Watching Video, Watercolor on Paper, 11" x 14"

"Sketch everything and keep your curiosity fresh."
~ John Singer Sargent

I really enjoyed working with watercolor pencils because I could work quickly. It took me 15 minutes to draw this one. 

Feels Like Something

Teacher with Students, Watercolors on Paper, 11' x 14"

"A painting is good not because it looks like something 

but rather because it feels like something." 

~ Phil Dike

I enjoyed drawing multiple figures. I was trying to test how many figures I could do in a drawing and was happy with how they were coming out.