Well, hello hello!

Hello dear blogger friends!
I have not been blogging much recently as now I am very busy. Back in September I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. We named him Santino, a "little saint".

Santino has been growing very rapidly, demanding all my attention and time, therefore I haven't been able to draw much. That's pretty much why I haven't been posting anything for all this time. I even haven't changed my top banner!

Anyways, I will try to write more often. Here are a few sketches of my baby sleeping.

Coo Coo sketches

Coocoo's face is very funny. She always looks very surprised and at the same time almost upset. I tried taking her picture with my camera, but every time camera clicks, Coocoo squints and that funny look disappears. I tried sketching her, but she moves too much, and I can't catch that funny expression. She doesn't move though when she stares through the windows, or lounges on the floor. So that's what I sketch...

Ehh.... and yes, she is a fatso :))







Here is the original :)

Summery

Just a summery pic, for no reason.

More sketches

A couple of other sketches that I colored in photoshop.

I'm back (click on the name to expand)

Hello my friends! I am back from vacation. We went to the Dominican, it was great! The weather was awesome, a bit windy, but just right.

The ocean was warm, the palm trees and the sand were there, food and drinks all included. I still have the resort bracelet on my wrist.

I made a few photos, I'll show them later. I brought my sketch book and my pencils with me, and was sketching away on the beach, in the lobby, and in the airport.

Here they are. Actually, I will start with a photo from my phone (I brought my blackberry with me, downloaded 6 books and was reading them on the beach. I don't need a separate reader, I can totally use my Blackberry for anything! I love it!)

Journal ball pen sketch: F.M.Brown

Just a relaxing time not watching TV...

Sketch of Rembrandt's "Pallas Athene"

"Rembrandt's passion for rich materials and the opportunities they gave for effects of chiaroscuro and of lighting led him often to this use of precious armour and of cloaks. This picture and the "Mars" in Glasgow were probably companion pieces. In both, the crimson and gold flood the shadows with warmth". (From "The Outline of Art")

Anyways. I tried to translate the Rembrandt's genious of chiaroscuro into a little ballpen sketch..



And then I went crazy and .. just couldn't stop being crazy. I just felt so bored and decided to give this masterpiece a little twist. yeah... hm.... Call it "remix" if you wish :^)

Sketch of Raphael's "Pope Julius II"

I really needed to draw something last night. I felt like I wanna go and eat something, and this was right after dinner. Actually, I felt I want either eat or draw.... huh!

So I opened my book on the history of art and the random page it opened to was this portrait of Pope Julius II. This book of mine only has black and white pictures, so I tried to copy and stay as close as possible to the original. But unfortunately, the black and white version blended lots of colors together, and it looked very much different from the original.

I looked it up on the internet, and found that the original was the portrait of an old sick tired man, while on the black and white version he looked more like an angry man. At least at first.

So here is my "excuse" for my sketch not being similar to the original.

Oh! And apparently there are 2 portraits of this Pope by Raphael: one is in London, and the other one in Uffizi.

My old art journal

When my friend gave me this journal I was very excited and thankful, but had no idea what I want to do with it. And so I started doodling away, practicing drawing eyes and hair styles. And only later I decided I want to do "sketches" of the classic art and just photos from the internet. Nice practice. I finished off my old journal within a few days. Here it was:



Here is my last sketch - Adonis by Titian. I was in a pretty irritated mood, if I may say that, so I finished it off just looking forward to finish it. No heart.

My new art journal

Yesterday I had a day off. My little art journal finished, no more pages to doodle and sketch, so I went and got me a new one.

Here it is. All flowery and summery and all.



And I immediately sketched a Venice by Velasquez with my ball pen. Weird. I love sketching with ball pen, prefer it to a pencil.

Edwards Gardens sketch

I went there after work with my friend. What a beautiful place! So serene, pleasant and inviting!

We sat near a stream and talked and I sketched these stones with my ball pen.



Here is what they looked like when we were leaving (I took a snap with my phone for later reference and just to show you what it really was)



I will definitely go back there with some more colorful sketching supplies. Or maybe even with an easel! I wish I had a sketching partner ...

Few more pen sketches

My mind is bubbling at work from all those repetitive tasks I have to do. Same questions, same answeres, and no way out in sight...

sigh...

Anyways. Internet is still partially available to me. I cannot really browse my favorite bloggers' art, because blogspot and other blogs are blocked by the company firewall. Well, I can still browse classic art as much as I want, and recently I've been on this sketching spree, so I decided I can totally sketch classic art. I don't have to sit in a museum on a floor and do it in "the comfort" of my own cubicle.

Here are a few recent sketches.


This is just a sketch from a photo I found on the net.

Here is the original

Here are a few "good luck" charms I found on the internet. Sketched those too..

This is a "dragon jaw". Supposed to bring moneys and riches.

This one is supposed to bring positive change. Boy, do I need that!

Art weekend. Few more sketches

Yesterday I took my mother-in-law on a little art trip around Thornhill.

A bunch of artists and photographers agreed to invite people into their houses to look at their art and, maybe, buy some too. We didn't see all the artists' houses, but the ones that we saw I really enjoyed.

One of the artists - Gary Wein - is actually somebody I know in the real life. I asked him if he ever goes on sketching trips, and he said that not normally but it would be a good idea! So we decided to go on a hiking trip together to the Rattlesnake Point, not far from Toronto. It doesn't even have rattlesnakes, so it is safe and beautiful. I better get me some hiking sketching gear!

Then I came home and made a few more sketches of my husband, a magazine cover and just doodles.









Also, almost every day of the past week I was trying to draw a friend of mine. But I keep failing and not liking the results. She liked this one, but I know the whole face here is wrong... I better figure this out

Sketches

So everybody is sketching... well, not like EVERYBODY everybody, but many people that i encounter on the internet. I decided to sketch too.

We went for a ride around Toronto yesterday. I sketched a bench. Not the best sketch, but we didn't have much time and I was mostly laughing rather then sketching, because my husband was sitting next to me, saying that my drawing attracts flies!!!! LOL!!!! (You know what flies are attracted to... you know.. starts with "s", and it is not "sketch")



And then we got home and I sketched tomatoes and parsley.



I can't sketch people on subway and admire those who can do that.

Some art from my past

Here is a picture of the most beautiful woman I remember seeing in a real life. I saw her on a bus once and was stunned by her noble features and how she projected this "nobleness"... I stared at her like you probably would stare at a work of art. Then I came home and tried drawing her. I think I was able to make my drawing come a little close to the real girl appearance... Not perfectly though.

And then I showed the sketch to my then boyfriend-now husband and he suggested scanning and coloring her. Here is what we came up with. I did my version in Illustrator, he did his in Photoshop and brought it later in a frame... I have to admit, his is way more presentable, but the charm of the girl is more visible on mine.

Here is my version:



and here is my hubby's version:



UPD: it is rather embarrassing when I go back to read my own post and find numerous spelling mistakes! Sorry guys :)

UPD2: Thank you everybody who commented! Really helps me see my own work through other people's eyes.