Sea of Galilee in Pan Pastels

I'm still drawing the Sea of Galilee.  I've done watercolor, Gelatos and two in pastel.  This one is Pan Pastels on watercolor paper.

Happy New Year, everyone! 

Rosh Hanrika

This watercolour sketch from my recent trip to Israel makes a nice planner page.  It is Rosh Hanrika, on the Northern coast near the border with Lebanon. 

Gelli Print ATC's

Guess What I Got for Christmas?

My terrific sister sent me a 3" x 5" gelli plate, perfect for my small space upstairs and for playing in my sketchbook. On Christmas afternoon I was already playing with my new toy.  Fun fun fun! 

The Drawing Handbook

One of the books I got on my recent trip to the library was The Drawing Handbook by Frank J. Lohan.  Here are a few pages from my sketchbook as I begin the journey...

Twelve Tags of December

My final 3 tags - a fun project!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Twelve Tags of December

The Surprising New Places that God Shows Up in the World

Last summer, Pope Francis wrote to Presidents Obama and Raul Castro to encourage the pursuit of peace between the US and Cuba.  I love this Pope!

The Movie You'll Never See

U.S., Cuba End 53 Years of Enmity

This week I've been sketching news stories.  It started with a fabulous photograph on the front page of the National Post on Thursday, which became this drawing.

Tag Six

Getting Ready for the New Year

Gouache sketch of the Sea of Galilee

At this time of the year, I start to prepare for the New Year.  I think about what my "Word of the Year" will be, and what kind of planner I will use.  I've been experimenting with planner options since November, and my latest idea is to incorporate it into my sketchbook.  I've long been a fan of Jenny's Sketchbook, so I thought I'd try next week using her format.  I painted this sketch of the Sea of Galilee and then drew in the planner information.

Tags Four and Five

Playing Catch-Up in the Twelve Tags of December Project

Twelve Tags of December

Awhile ago I wrote about using acrylics in a small space, and how I was trying it after seeing Rae Missigman do it so well.  To do that, I'm participating in her Twelve Tags of December project.  As usual, I was late jumping on the band wagon - we wouldn't want to do anything too spontaneous would we?  So, I have a little catch-up to do.  These are the first three tags I did all at once.

Wonky Saucepans

Pencil Crayon on Gray Cardstock

Friday was library day.  I love library day.  Can we have it every day, please?

There were three drawing books on the shelf, so I scooped them up and began hungrily devouring them.  This drawing is much wonkier than the one in "Drawing with Coloured Pencils" by Jonathan Newey, so the result is quite different.  But I sure enjoyed drawing on coloured paper!

Testing Testing 1 2 3

Yesterday I tested out my Gelatos:

Swatches  of CanvaSkin, Oil Painting Pad and Yupo (clockwise)

Drawing on Watercolor Paper

Drawing on Grumbacher Oil Painting Pad

Drawing on CanvaSkin

The paper canvas made for oil painting (both the Grumbacher and the CanvaSkin) definitely won out.  (Another satisfactory method is to gesso your paper first, but I find this step too tedious for words.)  I don't do oil painting and I have a lot of this paper canvas from another era, so I'm happy to find a use for it.

Next I tried stamping with Gelatos: 

I found getting the right amount of water on my stamp frustrating, as well as choosing the right kind of stamp.  Although some of these are usable, I prefer ink pads or markers, so I'll probably give this a miss, unless a specific project dictates their use.

Being a multimedia artist is hard - I'm a "jack of all trades and master of none".  I don't do enough of this kind of testing with my various media, so this was time well spent!

I Try To Walk 10,000 Steps

One of my travel mates on my recent trip to Israel tries to walk 10,000 steps per day, using her pedometer to measure them.  I put a battery in mine when I got home - I can't make it to 5,000 most days.  Bravo Naida!

Writing is Easy

Do Art Every Day

Gouache

Stamp by Clearly Wordsworth

I try to do some art every day; to pick up a pen, a paint brush, anything.  This was inspired by some brush lettering I saw on one of the many blogs I follow for just this purpose - getting inspiration!  I appreciate every blogger out there who contributes to my artistic growth.  Thank you all.

Coexistence Amidst the Tension

This sketch, in contrast to the last, is more of a "James Richards" kind of sketch.  Again, not of the quality he does, but more the flavour.  Richards wrote a wonderful book on architectural drawing and architects often do loose sketches of architecture concepts, showing buildings in context.

We see again here, the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  A worker cleans the fountain where Muslims perform their ablutions before entering the shrine.  Over on the right, Israeli soldiers (young men and women) chat informally in a group, as they seem to do all over Jerusalem. I realize now that I edited out the guns as I was sketching.  I don't like guns. 

The Dome of the Rock

The Dome of the Rock, on Temple Mount in Jerusalem, is a shrine, not a mosque.  The "rock" is the rock from which Muhammed ascended to heaven.  To Jews, it is the rock on which Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son, Isaac.  Non-Muslims are not allowed inside to see the rock.

This sketch was inspired by Tommy Kane.  My sister gave me his book "An Excuse to Draw" for my birthday.  Now, I'm not saying that it comes close to the quality of Tommy Kane, but he does incredible drawings of buildings, capturing all of the detail.  I don't have the patience of Mr. Kane, and gave up long before capturing the mosaic tile on this one.

Sea of Galilee Treasures

Parallel Pen Play

Every Day is a Gift

We concentrated on our gifts in November for the Draw Your Awesome Life class.

Date Honey

I didn't have time to do much sketching while I was in Israel.  I did manage this drawing of a bottle of date honey I bought for my husband.  

Date honey is actually date syrup made from pressing the lovely dates they grow in Israel.  It is very yummy, and can be used for cooking (as a glaze for chicken, for example), or on pancakes or waffles.  Hubby will likely put it on ice cream too.

The Beautiful and Peaceful Garden Tomb

And tomorrow we travel home after a wonderful pilgrimage!

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

This phrase is repeated many times in the Bible. We must keep praying!

Panoramic View

It shows the gold Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.

Our Trusty Guide

We have been blessed by our guide in Israel, Harrison. Here he explains the reproduction of the Madaba mosaic map found in Jordan in 1896. It shows Jerusalem during the 6th century.

The Roman Pillars by the Mural

A Mural in the Underground Shops

depicts the scene during the Roman empire. Excavations continue.  Can you spot the anomaly?

Fabulous Mosaic at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

This is just the center!

The Colorful Streets of Old Jerusalem

The Day Began With Singing and Cyclamen

... at The Church of St. Anne, where choirs from around the world (including our impromptu group) test out the amazing acoustics.

Qumran Caves

The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the Qumran Caves by Bedouin Shepherds in 1947.

Frescoes on the Bathroom Wall

The Dead Sea

Masada

Masada was a palatial fortress built by King Herod, rising high above the Dead Sea.

We went up by cable car; my husband would likely have tried the 45 minute walk up. 

En Gedi Nature Reserve

Burning Books

It was a day of rain and cold wind here in Jerusalem. A perfect day to visit The Holocaust Museum and the Israel Museum where the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit is. Neither museums allow photographs, so I'll leave you with a quotation of Heinrich Heine:

"Where books are burned, human beings are also destined to be burned."

Up the Valley Walls

Amongst the Palestinian houses you can see holes in the cliff. These are ancient tombs. 

The City of David

Excavations of the City of David go on under a Palestinian neighborhood.

The Southern Wall of the Temple Mount