Doodles with Stabilo

Doodles: I do still my doodles but with stabilo pens. I am thinking I like sharpies better because they are more fluid and probably more liquidy that easier to blend. But Stabilo are easier and cheaper to travel with.  My idea of these doodles are free mind, no thoughts or intentions of what Im creating. Just start focus on flow of pen, and let the drawing take you wherever it goes. Should tell myself to do this in other things, like capoeira, instead of stuck on thought and letting anxiety get the best of me.

Image 1: use my regular little silver drawing pad where paper is thicker and smoother. Its only drawing pad like this, so it works good for these type markers, for both sharpies and stabilo. Not sure about other markers.

4x6 stabilo pens

Image 2-4: All used on 3x5 cards. easy to travel with and something to use the markers with. Helping me keep it small and simple too. As in 3 & 4th image I can get more involved and make more complicated looking. 

3x5 stabilo pens

3x5 stabilo pens

3x5 stabilo pens

Placing characters

Pen & story: Using pen to sketch story, but also reworking imaging by moving characters around to work composition or if story fits better. But I work intuitively so I may not see it as easily as some during process of working it out.

Images: Same drawing, but try to move characters around to see if any different or stronger effect of emotion. I prefer the top one, because hand is further away to reach person in crack. But seems strange to have dog and rat closer. Drawing is about emotion from my darkness still lingers from few months ago. But feeling isolated from it, but at same time not able to get right help due to idiot doctors, medications make things worse, over diagnoses, and trouble connecting with people. I'm sure many in the system or in any care can relate.

8.5x11 pen

8.5x11 pen

BoxElder Beetle Freddy

More cartoon idea: Quick sketch of pens/pencil. Continue of personal cartoon images of me and my dog, a rat that represents the ones that use to live in kitchen under oven, and a BoxElder Beetle representing one I see every evening by my work area at same spot. Hoping this could be with a images that have slight humor of my friends are the misfits in my environment. Possibly from watching too many shows or seeing cartoons/ comics. These images about meeting a single beetle that I befriend. And now to work on facial or body expressions that are human like in an insect.

image: first the meeting, try graphite with more detail to beetle, and pen to make more clearly. But I prefer the graphite one better.

8.5"x11 graphite pencil

8.5x11" pen

images: Make interaction with rest of group of my dog and rat, and to practice drawing ways to give them expression like human quality, but keep animal/ creature/ or insect form. While BoxElder Beetle sits and tells his story.

Image: Involving self, similar to another sketch but including the beetle. I do my drawings, with company of my dog, Ginger, the pretend wild rat Max, and new friend a BoxElder Beetle Freddy. 

8.5x11 graphite pencil

creating character effect.

Continue and creating characters, creating background. With or without emotion.

Image 1: was a redo from sketch of earlier, use graphite to continue create as I go along. Keeping in mind make character different ugly and cute at the same time. A creature that can be seen as scary to some but also curious and kind.

8.5x11 graphite

Image 2: Quick ideas of things. Started with head and cover, and then objects. No plan or thought.

8.5x11 pen

Art trading cards

Art trading cards: An Idea I had to simple work with another artist as a way to meet and find others. "Art trading cards" has been going on since '98. A homemade card you make quickly. Average is 3.5"x2.5". Some paint over deck of playing card deck. 

I cut up watercolor paper to the size given and used old cheap gauche paints. And short lasting acrylic markers that are exploding or leaking, along with descent ones.

These are "my first set of 9 art trading cards", which is also the title of cards. The back, I put name, title, date, and #print. Creating background of wash blend look, and characters with face expression is my current phase. Also a good practice to dig up ideas from back of my head. 

3.5"x2.5" cards, watercolor, guasch, acrylic marker.
"First set of 9 art trading cards"

quick characters

Characters: Pick and create a character/ creature, and to make it express emotion. And once you come up with idea, try not to repeat it too much, but make different.

Image 1: Use soft pastels to fill larger space, and make quickly and accept not getting too detailed about it because size of tool for size of paper. But also to be quick sketch. Emotion to be running from something.

8.5x11 soft pastels

Image 2: Use pencil to sketch idea. Emotion from past anger, my anger is intense and when it strikes, my world fights me. Everything around is like that.

8.5x11 Pencil

Different character images

Pen & sketches:
Sketches to create characters and story. Something I get excited about doing. May have to dig up from my emotions to come with answer to just express. Not always understood, but its part of analyzing.

Image 1:
Feeling weak & embarrassed that I do get bullied or controlled by others around me, including children and teens. A really embarrassing quality to have - maybe lack of self confidence, I wish to have a brain & spine. And I see so many others like me in the same situation.

Image 2,

Sketch idea, doodled up a creature. Misunderstood, and easily hurt when those run from me because of being different. Hope to find something to relate too.

Image 3:

Sketch of a painful feeling of being different, the new kid, not connecting, and a feeling a strong clash with others. Express of distant feel from regular things. I really miss my old capoeira group because of strong bond. As well as my other martial art grappling friends, and art friends, and regular supportive friends. New location, not knowing people, becomes about being different of surroundings, which brings anxiety.

Dog & self Zombified

Markers, sketches, self portraits:

No matter material, using self as subject is easiest in terms of what Im wanting to express from personal experience and ideas. Focus on any emotion at time, and find ways to express with either face expression, color choice, or tone around. 

Images: self expression, anger, and a zombie look. Adding the dog with same emotions is my way to make humorous. Everyone who deals with animals know how they represent so much to a person's life. Top image with focus on color use, bottom image with just face expression.

8x8 prismacolor markers

pen and sketchbook

Self images for stories

sketches of self: graphite pencil. Was drawing for more comic stuff, but turned out to look more serious. Sometimes my state of mind may effect my drawings that time. But don't fight it, just go with it. 

Images 1-3: Self sketching with my dog, and my pretend rat, representing all the Max's that lived under our oven.

8x10 graphite

8x10 graphite

8x10 graphite

Image 5: Old Self image, just after moving here in May 2015. The adjusting here was a difficult due to changes. Process of drawing can be a way of working through something and answering questions. This case, lots of time sitting at bus stops. Its waiting time to reflect.

Image 6: I keep practicing different ways to drawing my dog. So I don't focus too much on myself. I have her to practice as a model. And figure how to make expressions on an animal with face, or body, or be able to repeat something to look very similar.