Thinning the Herd--and selling the new Conklin Omni-Flex Duragraph Fountain Pen!

 

All right, many of you know I've been simplifying and doing a lot of decluttering, selling, donating, giving away...and I did very well for the first 5-6 months.  Very well!  I'd been able to pass up the more expensive model, talking myself out of a purchase I didn't really "need."

But then Conklin came out with an affordable Omni-flex pen, the holy grail of nibs for many of us...

And I couldn't order it fast enough!

I was already chiding myself as soon as the order was made, of course...but I just HAD to try it out!  And it is a gorgeous pen...

It's that unique nib shape that offers the flex.

Streamlined!

I wanted to try it on a variety of papers, to put it through its paces...smooth nib, handsome design, feeds well...you do have to press some to make the flex, as you do with any pen that doesn't have a gold nib, like the vintage ones!

The drawing of the sistrum, an ancient rhythm instrument, is on Arches paper, the others are on smoother paper.

This one is on super-smooth hot press paper--which makes a line go down thicker.  The pen has good line variation, especially when you go slower...(the writing part above was very rapid, not making an attempt to flex)  The second sentence with the nib held upside down.

I tried the pen upside down here, too, for the writing, not for the flex samples.

It is a sturdy pen, fairly large...and I have small, arthritic hands. Uh oh.  A bit heavy for me...

And I kicked myself--I was NOT going to buy anything I didn't actually need.  So before feel too guilty--and before I have second thoughts!--I'm offering it on eBay.  It's a wonderful instrument...here's your chance to try it out!

Here's the direct link to my auction...good luck!  https://www.ebay.com/itm/263788929354

Sketching in Nature is Back!!

I am so delighted that Echo Point Books has brought my Sketching in Nature back into print!  It was originally from the Sierra Club, and I had an absolute ball writing and illustrating it in 1990, working with one of the best editors ever, Jim Cohee (actually, on that book and on Painting in Nature, also in the que to be republished!) 

In 2005, I was asked to speak on sketching in nature to the first International Sierra Club gathering, in San Francisco, an amazing experience.  (It was also the first time Joseph and I were able to take a trip together--or rather meet up in that iconic city--heaven.)

As usual, I walked right into the ocean, clothes and all...PRIMAL!!

Imagine my shock...along with many other authors, photographers, and editors...when Sierra Club suddenly got out of the publishing business!  The book languished, out of print, for some time, and although I had a few author's copies I was able to share with people, it was just gone except for aftermarket sellers.

Now it's out in brand new, crisp, beautiful form, and I'm stunned at what Echo Point was able to do...the cover is different, of course, but the book is intact, just as it was, all 230 pages!

The book covers almost everything, from the very basics of composition, format, and lighting, exploring tools and mediums, to field sketching and a whole chapter in sketching in color, including colored pencil, watercolor pencils, and watercolor, as well as working on toned paper. (Upcoming Painting in Nature has many more mediums included, so watch for it!)

Format and composition...

Choosing a subject and deciding how you'll depict it...

Suggesting form and volume with values...

Using a round brush...

Using a variety of tools, in fact...this is the pencil page, with examples of marks

A variety of color pages...

Loved the color wheel exercise I set for myself...

A whole scene in watercolor, from planning to finish...

Or focusing on a single tree...

A chapter on field sketching is one of my favorites...the how, when, and why of it...

Maine tidewater and bird life...,

Working on toned paper is almost like sculpting!

Learning to observe when field sketching...

Capturing a biosystem...

Observing and sketching birds and other creatures...

And the table of contents....LOTS covered in this dense, heavy book!

Can you tell I'm really excited to have it available again?? Grateful, too.  Sketching in Nature is on Amazon, as well as a number of other sites!

**Amazon link is here, added by request: CLICK

Repurposed Prang box, 10 years later

If you've been with me for a while, you may remember this repurposed Prang watercolor box, from the 1950s--when the boxes were still metal rather than plastic!  I took out the kids' paints and replaced them with larger pans of professional colors I actually like...

The photo is from 2008, so I've been using this little jewel for 10 years...I have carried it from Missouri to California to Nevada, and love using it...it makes me feel like a kid again!

These are the colors I added then, or close to it...there's an orange in there, too, in place of one of the yellows!

Actually, I have a couple of them...one with Old Faithful, the Yellowstone geyser on it, as well as this somewhat newer one...I found them on eBay, and a quick check showed you can still find them there.

The pan of kids' colors pops right out...

I stuck empty full pans in with rubber cement, so they're easy to pull out and replace if I want...and then filled with my own choice of colors.

Well.  That was then, this is now.  10 years, many miles, and a whole lot of sketches later!

The mixing area has gotten rusty and I may sand and repaint it...or not.  Some colors have been replaced.  I added a few half pans for more versatility...Manganese Blue Hue, Indigo, Quinacridone Burnt Scarlet, and Quinacridone Gold...

As you can see, it's been well used and well loved, and will continue to be so.  (And yes, I cleaned it up some for its photo op.  Really I did!)  At 4.9 ounces, it's my heaviest travel kit, but sometimes you just have to deal with it!  Worth it, to feel like a kid and give yourself permission for whimsy...

On a beach in California...

Lighten up!

I find that over and over I try to simplify my gear and lighten my load--and since I want to be prepared for almost any sketching contingency, it's not that easy! 

Recently I've been exploring the fun little Pocket Palettes from Expeditionary Arts--and Maria Coryell-Martin keeps refining and offering new types, formats, and kits!  Check out her "toolkit" page at the link...

Here you see the original palette on the left and a newer model with a brushed steel case (I think she's offering a traditional black one now too, but I didn't see it on the page.)

I know it's silly, but I'll keep carrying the original shiny one because sometimes a girl just needs a mirror...or a signaling device...or...and the little bag it comes in protects the finish!

The very first ones had small pans, like those on the right in the filled palette, but many of us like to work with a larger brush, so Maria added the square pans.  Perfect!