Art Journal » pen

Mondoodle 30-01-2012

elise — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:33:29 +0000

Hello all. This is a little character I created recently… Just playing. I could easily have done dark hair and different colouring… In fact I might. It would be interesting to see how many permutations can be made of one sketch and how Right they would seem. I suppose I draw white characters first because it is what I know. Next I draw Asian characters because the aesthetic of Asian faces are wonderful. But I need to experiment more.

Drawn in the Residential cafe, nth Carlton.

Mondoodle 07-08-2011

elise — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 07:49:41 +0000

I’m keeping you on your toes. See what I’m doing here? It’s a Mondoodle but it’s a Sunday and here I am posting it anyway. Shazam!

Drawn in my studio with the sun going down, the sky darkening to deep murky blue with a pen and a little watercolour. I’ve had a lovely day today. The boys have been with their beloved grandparents and I have been drawing and drawing. What absolute bliss.

Mondoodle 14-02-2011

elise — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 11:23:28 +0000

It’s a little late but I’m pretty happy to be back in the swing of things! Well almost

Drawn on Monday 14th February 2011 at Residential cafe with the boys sleeping in the pram by my side.

Mondoodle 17-01-2011

elise — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 12:36:28 +0000

So how d’ya like these apples? A real Mondoodle. On a Monday. Drawn on a Monday. Yes, this Monday.

Hooray! My hands were having a good evening and let me draw a bit. Yes, still tingly and weird and sensitive and sore but – hooray!

She’s the Hummingirl. I have always been a huge fan of art nouveau hair – especially as drawn by Rackham. But by so many others too. My attempt is a bit shakey but so were the hands. In this case quick = good.

Mondoodle drawn in the lounge on a stack of cushions as the boys kicked my belly like crazy. The humming girl and I are both being very very patient.

Monday 17th January, 2011 at 10pm.

Mondoodle 10-01-2011

elise — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 01:22:50 +0000

Here’s another snippet for a Mondoodle until I get the use of my hands back! Should be soon… Typing isn’t too bad but I do a lot of key mis-hitting through lack of feeling. Ah well.

It’s fun to look back at some of my pictures and have a close peek at things in the background. As the pictures build so slowly, rarely being planned all at once or with a clear vision of the whole picture, these elements are often as important as the main focus. I loved doing these characters – the upright seal who takes his work very seriously and the romantic cat desperate to watch the serenade. Technically there was some stuff that did need planning – leaving the whiskers, the light straps of the apron, working out the flow of light and dark across the figures so that they don’t pop too far forward, nor do they become too indistinct against the background.

Drawn in my Moleskines collection, book 4, I think.

Mondoodle 15-11-2010

elise — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 02:28:35 +0000

I still get a shock that it’s November. Which I think might have something to do with the reality that the boys are due in Feb (which I think will be mid Jan). And so I thought I’d draw some boys to help get me used to it. But after how they’ve been kicking me around… well, they definitely had to come out as wild things.

Perhaps the energy will wear off before they make their appearance… Or perhaps not.

Drawn late on Monday 15th November 2010 in the lounge, sitting somewhat awkwardly on the couch because there are no comfortable positions to be had any more.

Mondoodle 18-10-2010

elise — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 02:55:25 +0000

Here’s a happy one I was in class last night and the pen was playing around (picture a disembodied hand autonomously drawing if you like). And here’s what it drew. Some time ago I did a girl in gumboots and mud using a newspaper as an umbrella. I liked that so it found its way into this one. Of course it’s raining frogs this time…

Good old frogs. I love doing quick simple shading like this – and how you can do it across a face without it really impacting the detail or taking away from the smoothness of it. If I was to contour shade where I tried to wrap the shadow around the face, make the lines follow the angles etc… I’d risk making her look like she’s wearing a beard. I think the trick is to pick one direction and keep it simple and uniform.

Unless it’s Movember.

Drawn in a classroom on level 4, RMIT, Cardigan St on Monday 18th October, 7.10pm, 2010.

Mondoodle 04-10-2010

elise — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 11:07:47 +0000

I was trawling through photos of our cat (and others) this evening on my return from Uni. Partly because I wanted to see what reference shots I had of our feline friends, and partly looking for inspiration for a Mondoodle. And so I came across one of our cat, taken through a window, after he had accidentally gotten himself locked on the wrong side of a door. Which is totally unheard of in the pet world. ‘What?’ You say. A pet that manages to rush unerringly to the least sensible side of a door? Simply because it opened? Never.

And yet it happened. And the look of dismay was so good that instead of rushing to let him in, we rushed for the camera. Which might, just might, make us bad people. We let him in after that. I’ve shifted the context to a rainy puddle-strewn day and a ever-shrinking rock. Just because it makes for a little jeopardy.

Mondoodle drawn at 9pm in the lounge, warm spring breeze blowing outside, Monday 4th October, 2010.

Mondoodle 20-09-2010

elise — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 09:14:36 +0000

We went in to the Mercy Hospital today for my 20 week ultrasound with the sneaking suspicion that we would be seeing two boys on the screen. And we were absolutely right… clear as day, squirming and headbutting each other. Nothing can go wrong there!

When I got home it was time to finish my sketch (Mondays are proving difficult) and as soon as I started sketching it was clear I had to do a little girl. Now… yes, she’s looking a little grumpy. Which wasn’t intentional. But I found I just couldn’t make one look happy when we’d just found out we were not having a girl. So they’re going to have to keep coming alive in my drawings. Which is pretty easy really, because in my mind they are so real and capable of anything

Drawn in the lounge in front of the heater on Tuesday 21st September 2010.

Expect to see a lot more boys in future though!

Mondoodle 13-09-2010

elise — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 01:05:50 +0000

I am typing to the sound of lumpy bricks being assaulted. It’s a bit of a mafia job really – think noses and ears being removed before being given concrete boots. Another way of looking at it is that we’re having some of our walls rendered, including in the studio. Which means my studio doesn’t resemble a studio any more. It’s a tad post-apocalyptic up there. Which means no access to the scanner for a bit. Or my paints. Or most things. So here’s the best I can do with the laptop’s camera…

It’s called Stalking…

Drawn on a Monday with aspirations to locate the scanner, photographed finally on a Tuesday. Question is. Who or what is he stalking?

Mondoodle, Monday 13th September 2010.