Lion trackers I don’t know where we are going but I know exactly how to get there might be the motto of the great tracker. “Track. Track. Track,” Ren has said to me at other times.I understood him to mean find the first track, then the next first track, then the one after that. He does not set out into the unlikely chance of finding a lion in the future. He works with what he has now, in the moment. Joseph Campbell said, “If you can see your whole life’s path laid out then it’s not your life’s path.” In the bush and in life, we don’t get trails fully laid out. We get tremendous unknowns and, if we are lucky, first tracks. Then next first tracks.” (Boyd Varty, The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Live) This was done using Derwent Inktense watercolors, waterbrushes, Sakura Pigma Brush pens, and a Uniball Vision pen.
Self portrait (purple) Unlike the recent blind self-portrait, this was a something different. I wanted to experiment with color some on this one. I guess I also wanted something different in terms of facial expressions too. 🤷🏼♂️ I used a pencil, a Uniball Vision pen, Derwent Inktense Watercolors, and Derwent Waterbrushes for this painting.
Blind self portrait (with a swirl) I like doing blind self-portraits and I decided to do one and then add some paint. 😃 For this one, I used a black Sakura Pigma Brush pens and my usual Derwent Inktense Watercolor kit.
Father to son “The father washes onto the son. He lives inside you as an aspiration, a disappointment, or a fear. Afraid you will never be like him or afraid you will be; he is there in the bones of your emotions. In the voices in your head. In your expectations of yourself. In the shadows of your weakness or strength. No matter how good the relationship, there is tension between father and son.” (Boyd Varty, The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Live) I used a pencil, a Uniball Vision pen, Derwent Inktense Watercolors, and Derwent Waterbrushes for this painting.
Back garden shed My wife and I have done a lot of work in the back garden over the past year. It is the one part of our overall property that we’ve been able to make some meaningful changes to by adding a shed (and trying to keep it clear of mold), raised beds, and rockery. The dog loves it, and the plants seem to as well. I used a pencil, a Uniball Vision pen, Derwent Inktense Watercolors, and Derwent Waterbrushes for this painting.
Hands spread I used a Moleskin Sketching notebook and Derwent Artist Pencil (Midnight 8100) for this drawing.
Elie from the bedroom window The family and I got away for a little trip last week and we stayed at an AirBnB with a great little view from the back bedroom window. Here is a little drawing/painting I did of what the view looked like. I used a pencil, a Uniball Vision pen, Derwent Inktense Watercolors, and Derwent Waterbrushes for this painting. I love afternoon drawing in the sun. It doesn’t look it here, but it was actually sunny for a few days on our trip.
Spiderman I recently did a portrait of one of my daughter’s favorite fictional characters (see Robyn) and it was on my list to do one for my son. Spiderman was an obvious choice but close runners-up would have been any of the Avengers or a Transformer (Rescue Bots to be precise). Like with the Robyn illustration, I used Lyra Groove Triple crayons (which are water-soluble) to create this piece.
Dark sky stream Inspired by a recent walk with the dog. I glanced at this while crossing a little bridge into one of the neighborhoods nearby our house and loved the way the sun was peeking out over the clouds and treeline. I used a pencil, a Uniball Vision pen, Derwent Inktense Watercolors, and Derwent Waterbrushes for this painting. Here is a photo of the scene that inspired this painting:
Whidbey beach One of my favorite places in the whole world is the San Juan Islands in the Puget Sound. This was inspired by a trip to one of those islands (Whidbey), in early 2017. For those that don’t know, here is where the island is: Whidbey Island Station I used a pencil, a Uniball Vision pen, Derwent Inktense Watercolors, and Derwent Waterbrushes for this painting.
