Sketchbook Wednesday #3

 These week I'm sharing a couple pages out of my daily sketchbook.  I've been developing a habit of sketching first thing in the morning.  This week I decided to do multiple small sketches on each page based on photographs from a magazine consisting of custom cars and hot rods.  

These sketches are only for my own practice and to add to my visual library.  I start each sketch with a fine black pen with no lay-in, just straight to it.  I pick a shape, draw it and then start drawing and adjacent line or shape until I've sketched the whole car, then I shade the sketch using gray brush pens.

Drawing Larger

 I've done some larger charcoal drawings but have never gone larger than 8" X 10" in pen, that changed this week with this fairly complex 11" X 14" rural landscape drawing.

"The Barn Has Seen Better Days" 11" X 14" Pen on paper

This drawing is loosely based on a scene I found in the rural Utah town of Morgan.  I simplified the barn and surrounding space a little.  For example there were about eight or so tires leaning against each other in a row against the barn not two and there was more fencing and junk to the left. The cluster of cottonwood trees were there but they were not behind the barn but rather much farther to the right. I think I about went cross eyed drawing all of that foliage.  Also the distant hill was lower.  The tractor was actually there in that spot.  The fenced corner was there but had beefy, square posts...and a goat. 

I took the reference photo years ago, given the state of the barn at that time I'd be surprised if it's still standing. 

Here are a few detail closeups.

Abandoned Model AA Ford Truck Pen Drawing

 I'm finding I'm enjoying pen drawing more than ever and have completed another one this week.

Most people are not aware of Ford's truck history.  While Ford introduced the Model T in 1908 they didn't introduce a truck version until 1917, called the Model TT.  The Model TT has essentially the same chassis and drivetrain as the Model T except for a worm drive rear axle that was geared lower for more torque and heavier springs to increase the load rating to one ton. Even then Ford didn't supply a full body, just the front fenders and hood.  The buyer had to supply a body himself or send the chassis to a body manufacturer to fit the body type of his choice. Ford did start supplying a full body until 1922, a steel cab with a wood bed.  In 1925 Ford finally offered a light duty pickup body on the Model T chassis.  

By the time the one ton Model AA came out in 1927 Ford offered several body styles.  An abandoned Model AA is the subject of my latest pen drawing.  The truck in my drawing is equipped with a wood bed with removable wood sides, I don't know if this was a bed supplied by Ford.

"Abandoned Model AA Ford Truck" Prints Available

This was a fun drawing to create and I guess you could say I've now got a series of pen drawings of abandoned Ford trucks.

(the original drawing is sold, but prints are available, click on the image)

Getting back into Pen Drawing

 I took a sharp turn from the impressionist and abstract acrylic painting and picked up the pen this week. 

"Rural Horse Shed Pen Dwg" Prints available

To warm up my pen drawing skills I started with this small sketchbook drawing of a simple rural landscape.  The drawing is based on a photograph I took in Eden, Utah in Ogden Valley during autumn. The old horse shed appears to be no longer used as there is no path leading up to it and it's somewhat in disrepair.  I modified the composition a bit from the photograph by moving the light colored tree to the left so the shed overlapped it.

"Abandoned 1963 Ford Farm Truck" Prints Available"

For my second drawing this week I chose a more complicated composition and drew it a bit larger.  I don't remember where I took the reference before but it was basically a ready made subject, I changed very little from the photograph.  As usual, I'm never sure what I find appealing about such subjects but these old abandoned trucks just call to me to be painted or drawn, especially when surrounded by such interesting debris. 

Daily Sketch Challenge - Wheeler Farm - Day 25

You might have noticed that I skipped day 24, that would be because I didn't make a sketch on day 24.  I had a couple things come up that took up too much time and didn't get around to sketch, but never fear, I made up for it on day 25.

Daily Sketch - John Deere Tractor - Day 25

I took advantage of a beautiful Memorial Day morning and went to historic Wheeler Farm, a park owned by Salt Lake County that just reopened after being closed for nearly two months due to the pandemic. My first choice to sketch was an early "styled" John Deere tractor, I'm guessing it's from the early 1950's going by the disk wheels with rubber tires.

Daily Sketch - Shed and Box Elder Tree - Day 25

Next I sat on the ground leaning against a tree next to Little Cottonwood Creek and sketched one of the sheds at Wheeler Farm that had an old box elder tree next to it.  The shed isn't old, but the tree sure is, it was probably there when the farm was active many years ago. I used a fiber pen and brush pens for both sketches to keep it simple.

I wasn't the only artist at Wheeler Farm that day.  There was a plein air oil painter working on a very nice little painting of one of the many historic structures on the property.

Daily Sketch Challenge May 2020 - Day 19-21

Again, three more days, three more sketches.  I think this is the longest I've ever stuck to a challenge like this.  It hasn't been easy and it has eaten into my painting time but I think it's been worth.

Day 19 - Abandoned Dodge Truck - Daily Sketch Challenge May 2020

Prints Available

I decided to stick with a fine pen for this one, a Copic Multiliner .05 except for the darkest parts where I used a .1.  This means all shading was done with hatching.  I found this old abandoned Dodge farm truck in the rural central Utah town of Loa.

Day 20 - Abandoned Country Store - Daily Sketch Challenge May 2020

I stuck with the fine pen for this one but then colored it with watercolor washes. The old country store actually exists, at least it did the last time I visited Boulder City, Utah. The vintage tow truck out back was taken from another reference photo.

Day 21 - Winter Barn and Fence - Daily Sketch Challenge May 2020

Prints Available

Time was short this morning so I had to keep today's sketch simple, so I went with a winter scene, the fact that most of the ground is covered in snow helped keep it minimalist.  The composition as it sat in the refence photo was almost perfect, everything leading to the focal point, the abandoned barn.  I especially liked that wrecked fence gate in the foreground, it pointed right up the snow ridge and to the barn, I did add a little tuft of grass in the lower left to point to the fence.  I found this scene in the small rural farming community of Eden, Utah in Ogden Valley.

Daily Sketch Challenge May 2020 - Day 14-15

This post is black and white, as in the art materials used, or more accurately, shades of gray.

Day 14 - Abandoned Bulldozer - Daily Sketch Challenge May 2020

While I was on vacation in Capitol Reef National Park in central Utah a few years ago I decided to take a little side trip to Hanksville, Utah.  Now, there isn't much reason for a vacationer to go to Hanksville, it's a small town in the middle of nowhere.  The only recreational opportunities remotely close to Hanksville besides Capitol Reef is Bullfrog Marina about 60-70 miles south at the northern end of Lake Powel.  Because of that there is a small airport there and a small motel, as well as a place to store and repair houseboats but not a whole lot else. That is unless you're an artist who enjoys rustic scenes of old buildings and vehicles.  I spoted a few of old trucks and tractors in front of an old run down shop and also noticed a couple men talking over a tractor under repair.  I pulled into the lot and went over to ask permission to take photos.  Not only was I given permission to take photos of the stuff you could see from the street I was also given permission to roam the property out back and that's were I found this small bulldozer just sitting there with the blade propped up on a log and backed by a bunch of what I think are alder trees.  I know, it's a very odd subject for a work of art but artists like odd things.  This image has been sitting in the back of my head for a long time and this daily sketch challenge finally gave me an excuse to get it out and on to paper in pen.

Day 15 - Derelict Shed - Daily Sketch Challenge May 2020

Prints Available

I broke out the black dusty sticks for this sketch, ie charcoal.  I first toned the paper with sepia watercolor.  Just one of those odd rustic subjects that artists love.  I found this scene in Mapleton, Utah, a small rural farming town between Springville and Spanish Fork.  The shed seems kind of small to me, I don't know what the farmer used it for but he apparently spent a fair amount of time in it judging by the fact there is a stove pipe coming out of it.  Maybe it was his "man cave".

Daily Sketch Challenge May 2020 Day 6-8

A couple more days have passed, time for an update, three more sketches to share.

Day 6 - Rural Landscape

Prints Available

This sketch is based on a photo I took in Castledale, Utah, a small desert town in central Utah.  Obviously there's some water there too since there is some farming in the area, basically a bit of an oasis in the desert, this scene in particular is quite green, not just in my sketch but for real too.  While exploring the town I noticed an old, unused bridge at the end of a dead end street.  I went over to investigate, walked across the bridge and encountered this bucolic farm scene.  I think I'll have to make a painting of this one too.

Day 7 - Abandoned Classic Chevy

Prints Available

I found this scene also in Castledale at the north end of town.  I liked how the dilapidated fence echoed the sorry state of the abandoned 1950 Chevy sedan and I even "enhanced" the disrepair of the fence in the sketch.  This one also goes on my "to be painted someday" list.

Day 8 -Rural Hay Shed

I kept this one simple and small, just used sepia toned pens.  This scene is in Wanship, Utah, a very small rural town a ways east of Salt Lake City just off I-80.  The Weber River runs behind this rustic old hay shed.  I've attempted paintings of this hay shed a couple times before and didn't care for the results, that was several years ago, maybe it's time to try again, this time using the knives.

Adding Some Color

Back in October 2017 I started to participate in Inktober, the annual social media event that encourages artists to produce one piece of art per day using ink. I only made it about two weeks before I abandoned it but that was better than previous years.  Since then I've had these pen sketches laying about and I decided recently to add some color to a couple of them.

Click on image to enlarge

"Abandoned Ford Flatbed Truck"

Pen and watercolor on paper, 6" X 7"
Original - $35

This first one is a 1935 Ford flatbed truck left to rot out in a field in the high desert of northern Utah, you know, one of my favorite subjects.  The sketch is based on a photo I took on a ranch in Wallsburg, Utah.

Click on image to enlarge

"The Old Red Farmall"

Pen and watercolor on paper, 2 1/2" X 3 1/2"

Sold

This second sketch is a late 1960's vintage red Farmall tractor.  It's based on a photo I took somewhere along a rural back road in northern Utah but I don't remember exactly where.  It was in very good condition for it's age so I assume it's been restored, probably only does parade duty now.  This sketch is in a size referred to as an ACEO, (Art Card Editions and Originals) that same size as hobby collector cards so that makes it especially collectible, right?

Dragging My Feet

...but at least I've done some sketching.  Yes, it's been about a month and a half since I've posted anything.  Truth is I haven't been making much art lately and what I had done has been mostly experimental, or I've abandoned it before finishing.  I have done some life sketching though.

I did this pen sketch from inside my car out in the southwest quadrant of the valley a couple weeks ago.  Yes, even in the middle of the suburbs you can find the occasional rural subject. I had Franklin Booth's style in mind while sketching this, it's a poor imitation but was an interesting exercise.

It's been a long time since I've been to Wheeler Farm, there have been some changes, however this vintage Minneapolis Moline tractor is still sitting in the exact same place. I've sketched this tractor before, but from an angle in pen and watercolor.  This time I kept it simple and just used a .9 mechanical pencil.

It looks like the winter weather is finally moving in starting tomorrow, I wish I could say I'll get back into the life sketching habit and go out every week but that's going to depend on the weather.

A Sketchy Morning in the Mountains

I decided I need to get back into some form of hiking shape, for two reasons; 1. for my health, 2. to spend more time in nature.  So, the plan is to go hiking once/week weather permitting and get in plenty of walking time in during the week.  Maybe by the end of the season I'll be able to hike uphill for more than 100 yards without running out of breath. Of course if I'm going to be out in the mountains sketching must happen, as a bonus carrying a backpack full of sketching supplies and equipment (16 lbs worth!) adds to the work out.  The Wasatch Mountain canyons are just a 10-15 minute drive from my house, of course this easy accessibility to the mountains from a heavily populated valley means you've got to get up early to get a parking spot at the trailhead. I arrived at the "Mill B" trailhead parking lot by 7:00 am and the primary parking lot was already mostly full.  It was a little cool for comfort that early in the morning but bearable, I knew the hiking would get me warm soon enough.

My first sketch was by where a tributary creek empties into Big Cottonwood Creek, this sketch is of a small waterfall in Big Cottonwood Creek and was done in charcoal in a Stillman and Birn Beta 9x12 sketchbook;

I'm not sure I care for the paper in the Beta sketchbook for charcoal drawing, or maybe it was just my lack of experience with working with charcoal on location, I may have to adjust my technique.

Next, all I had to do was turn around walk a couple steps, sit on a rock and sketch this scene by the tributary creek with a large pine tree leaning over the creek.  The tree seemed to have sprouted out of a pile of rock.  I used a 7" X 10" Stillman and Birn Zeta sketchbook and pen for this sketch.

The paper in the Zeta sketchbook is thinner and much smoother than the Beta, it was great for pen work, the pen flowed very smoothly, very little resistance which helped to sketch a very complicated scene quickly.

Finally I got to hiking up the actual "Mill B" trail.  Previous to this I'd just walked up a paved pathway, it was uphill but nothing too strenuous.  The "Mill B" trail is very rocky in spots and can be challenging to climb, especially for a heavy, old guy with bad knees but I made it easy enough to my next stop, another small waterfall.

Even though the paper in the Zeta sketchbook is fairly light it takes watercolor very well, I didn't experience any buckling, however I didn't put down any large, heavy and wet washes.  The watercolor seems to more sit on top of the paper than be absorbed by like it would be real watercolor paper but it worked just fine. I combined the watercolor with some pen work.  I held the sketchbook and watercolor palette with one hand and used a waterbrush to paint with the other.  However this sketchbook is larger and heavier than the sketchbook I used to use for this and my left hand tired easily.  I'll have to use my homemade stand next time.

I managed to hike up the trail quite a ways but I didn't want to overdo it on my first outing of the year.  I could tell I was reaching what should be my limit for the day when I spotted the perfect rock to sit on and sketch just off the trail so I walked up to it and looked back to see if there was anything worth sketching, I decided the view back down the trail was good, though would be a challenge to simplify.

I decided to use charcoal again in the large Beta sketchbook.  I was also smart enough to get out the sketchbook stand this time.  The stand is just a platform I made that attaches to a small tripod which I also carry.  I've been carrying this stuff around the whole time I might as well use it right?  There is a trail in that sketch, can you see it?  Probably not for all the rocks!  Yes, you have to scramble over the rocks as part of the trail, it can get a bit challenging at times, especially on the way back down. 

Well, it was a good first "hike and sketch" outing for the year.  I hiked further than any day I did last year and it wore me out pretty good but I didn't push it too hard.  Hopefully I'll make a weekly habit of this and actually lose some weight and be in some semblance of hiking shape by fall.

All Caught up on the Ten Minute Sketches

This post will catch you up on all my ten minute sketches, that's partly because it's been a few days since I've made a new one, I've been a bit obsessed lately over a medium I haven't used in quite some time so I've neglect the TMS', my next post will have details.  As in the last post these are all pen.

This one was a test for a minimalist landscape design.  It came out with kind of a graphical feel, I kind of like it for it's simplicity and boldness.

This is a vintage gas station scene based on a photo I took in Wallsburg, Utah. I may make a drawing of this.

A 1932 Ford tudor hot rod sedan, just for the sake of sharpening my drawing skills.

This one is based on a photo I took in Lynndyl, Utah.  I move some things around a bit and added the truck.  I think it came out a bit busy so if I do a drawing or painting of it I'll have to cut some clutter.

And finally my last TMS, a barn and trees based on a photo I took in Midway, Utah.  This subject will make an appearance in my next post.

More Ten Minute Sketches

I've been slacking off on posting my ten minute sketches so I'll catch up in this post.  These are all done in pen.  I think pen is the ideal medium for these exercises, there's no temptation to erase and the lines are automatically dark, you have no choice but to be bold and expressive.

Another rusty old Ford truck, this one with a wheel misplaced and backed by a chicken coop, I took the reference photo in Lynndyl, Utah.

This one was to test an idea for a painting. Luckily I did this before starting a painting.  The shed is too centered, if I make a painting I'll move the apple tree and shed quite a bit closer to the right edge, I'll also replace the tractor with something that doesn't look so awkward, probably with a more straight on view.

Just a simple rural scene based loosely on a photo I took in Morgan County.

A vintage country store with gas pumps based on a photo I took in Boulder City, Utah.

This scene is semi-fictitious. The building exists in Eureka, Utah, I added the visible gas pump and antique car. I really like the feel of this design.  I think I'll make a pen drawing based on this sketch some day.

Turns out I'm farther behind than I thought, so to keep this blog post at a reasonable length I'll catch up some more in a day or two.



TMS #12, #13 and #14

I indicated in my last ten minute sketch post that in the future I'll be blogging multiple ten minute sketches in one post from now on, so here we are.

Ten minute sketch #12 is a pen sketch for planning a 24" X 12" painting I'm working on.  I made a measured outline for this sketch to make sure the proportions would be right.  The scene is a mountain landscape, the season is autumn but you can't really tell that from the pen sketch but I've had one two hour session with the painting and it's going well so far so you'll see before too long.

Ten minute sketch #13 is another pen sketch based on a photo I took in a rural area so far North it was very close to the Idaho border. Just a simple sketch of a large oak tree next to a garage, probably not something I'd paint but it was a good sketch exercise. Maybe if I put a barn there instead.....



I switched mediums for ten minute sketch #14.  This time I got the graphite pencils out.  I used this as a preliminary sketch for a small painting.  Small, simple paintings you can paint in an hour or so are good exercises to do now and then as well, I plan on making the painting very soon.  I wanted to use pencils for this sketch because I felt graphite could capture the subtle values and soft shapes of this natural landscape better than pen.  I'm a little rusty with the pencil, I probably should do my ten minute sketches with graphite for a while.

TMS #11, Back to the Pen

You might notice that the last TMS I shared was #7.  I decided to not share the rest of the digital automotive sketches here. I've decided I've had enough digital for a while.  Every now and then I pick up my Surface Pro and play with the ArtRage for a while but I always return to traditional media.  While there are advantages to digital I don't find the process as enjoyable or the results as satisfying.  For an artist enjoying the process is of paramount importance.  A piece of art can take many hours to create, so no matter how good the result is or how convenient the medium might be, if the artist does not enjoy the process while creating the art he's likely to abandon it and even if he finishes the result will be lacking in some way.  Anyway, that's why I've ditched digital again....for now.  Spending a little time with the digital can be a good break now and then, so I'm sure I'll play with it more in the future.

Now, to TMS #11.  I used a Copic Multiliner 05 black pen to make this sketch of a common type of scene in the rural areas of northern Utah, 

An old, decrepit wood hay shed full of hay bales, one of those scenes that's so appealing for reasons we don't quite understand.  I think I might make a pen drawing based on this sketch, it's been a long time since I've done a pen drawing.

As for the Ten Minute Sketch thing, I'll continue to do them but I most likely won't do them every day, maybe four or five a week and I'll probably make my TMS post a weekly thing and post all of the TMS's from that week in one post, so check back in another week if you want to see the next batch.

TMS #5

Today's ten minute sketch is based on the same photo as the last one, just a different part of it.

It's still trees, a pasture and some cows but a somewhat different composition.  I left the ditch out this time.  Instead of a tall group of trees in the middle I put the tallest trees at the left side and they more or less get shorter as you move to the right then I balanced it out with hills in the background.  I used only one foreground cow but put a few in the far distance to give the trees scale. I used the 0l Micron sepia pen again.

TMS #4

I took Thanksgiving day off and even today I didn't get to it until late but I did get my ten minute sketch in.

This is a good example of how it's often possible to find multiple compositions in one photograph.  This sketch is based on a photo I took three years ago in Ogden Valley, Utah near Huntsville, but it's based on only a small portion of the photo.  The downside to this ten minute sketch habit.....it's giving me too many ideas for paintings!  I used a Micron 01 sepia pen.

TMS #3

Three days in a row now, the new habit is having a good start.  This ten minute sketch is based on a photo I took in the Middle Provo Restoration Area in the Heber Valley in northern Utah.

No barns in this one.  I think this one would make a good painting.  I guess that's another advantage to this daily sketch habit, it helps my find and test painting ideas, as if I needed more.



TMS #2

I bit off a little more than I could chew with today's ten minute sketch.  I knew that going in though, so I focused on the most interesting part of the barn, even so I get less done than I hoped even though I actually spent about 15 minutes on it.

The reference photo came from one of the many taken on my day trips to the rural areas of northern Utah, unfortunately I don't remember which town.

Ten Minute Sketch (TMS) #1

I've decided to try and get the daily ten minute sketch habit started.  The first thing I did when I came home from work was to blindly pull a reference photo from the middle of the stack sitting on my main art table and set the timer.

I used a Micron 01 sepia pen.  The reference photo was taken in Lake Point last year which is a small rural town north of Tooele and West of Salt Lake City on Interstate 80.

I'll admit I'm not good at sticking to ideas like this but I'll do my best.  I'm sure I'll miss some days and I'm sure I won't post everyday but I'll try to post every sketch I make, it just may end up being two or three or more at time in some posts.