IF - I SPY

I Spy ...with this key that opens the doors of future opportunities!

EDM #111 Bowl

EDM #111 Bowl
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Empty bowl
Empty vase

Transaparancy
Reflections

Connections

Quote - Energy

Energy is equal to desire and purpose

and a list of 66 energy boosters and 70 energy drainers...
I'm sure the list is not complete

IF - Total

"As long as I am this or that,
I am not all things"
Meister Eckhart

EDM #110 - Flame

EDM #110 - Flame
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

This calls for another attempt. I'm not very happy with it...and as this is a part of the learning process I post it anyway. Maybe I find time this week for another try.

IF- Wired

I found an interesting poem about 'puppets on a string' - a perfect answer on how I felt today. Qouted the poem in my Moleskine...and I'm going to add the full poem on a separate paper/wired to this page

EDM #109 Clock

This challenge reminds me of this inspiring blog.
And made me journal about time, my use of time, alarms going off...
and the manikins are still a good inspiration...

Inspired by Danny Gregory

Inspired by Danny Gregory I wanted to try this... I've read about the upside down technique in the books of Betty Edwards. I never tried it before, just seeing this little movie inspired me to action. My first attempt was distorted, but when I made the drawing the same size as the picture I've got this result. It only took me 5 minutes and I drawed directly in ink! Yes, I'm sure I will do this more...

EDM #108 Lightbulb (2)

EDM #108 Lightbulb (2)
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

I've got this lamp from a friend, a lamp designer. I can play with it, move the 'arms' and the 'feet' of the lamp to create interesting shadows on the wall.

You can see more of his light objects here

IF- Hide

IF- Hide
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Chaospoint hdden in unconscious mind
Doodling while listening Ervin Laszlo talk about the club of BUDAPEST

EDM #108 Lightbulb

EDM #108 Lightbulb
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Rather interesting experiment... I had another idea for this challenge, then I saw this halogen light with all the silvery reflections. When I looked at it under my desk lamp I saw this interesting shadow inviting for a watercolor.

Without description you couldn't guess what this drawing is about, but there is something interesting in it...and that's why I decided to post it.

IF- Communication

February is my month of 'manikins'...
and here they are again.

Gossip: well known form of communication.

EDM #106 Sour (2)

EDM #106 Sour (2)
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Another attempt...
I like how the lemon turned out,
should have paid more attention to the lime...
and no, this will not be a series...
I'm already thinking on how to tackle next challenge.

IF - Gravity

I wish I could master this 'playing with gravity'.

EDM #106 Sour

EDM #106 Sour
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Just finished this one, an I already see the next challenge.
Not easy to keep up :-)

Worked on this one in my Moleskine sketchbook, even if I know this is not a good one for watercolor. Maybe I will have another attempt later.

IF- Crash

IF- Crash

'Who's going to catch me if I fall?'
was what I was thinking when I read this challenge. Playing around with my manikin I noticed these interesting (hard) shadows.
And I needed to draw them...
A quickie...

EDM #104 Salt & Pepper shaker

EDM #104 Salt & Pepper shaker

I don't own a salt & pepper set. So, I used what I found and added a funny sugar shaker (from Alessi, an Italian designer).

For those who understand French, I have a link to an interesting site about pepper...http://www.academiedespoivres.com/

Have fun!

EDM #105 Scissors

EDM #105 Scissors
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Have to catch up some challenges...
and here are my scissors.
Pen, Noodlers ink and Derwent Inktense on Moleskine Sketckbook.

Although I saw ( my kids are my critics) the next day after drawing some errors - these are not exactly the scissors, I like this drawing.

Went to Barcelona..

and came home with just a few unfinished drawings. Things weren't as supposed to be...and 'm not in the mood to finish the drawings. I just post these 'failures' as a part of the process... even bad and unfinished, the circle of drawing, scanning, posting is round.

a shop:
a bar:
very quick sketch of people dancing on the street:
quick sketch of a clown on the street (especialy difficult when another clown came at my left side imitating all I was doing) - somehow I like this one, maybe maybe it will get some color later...
and inside a church

EDM #103 Sport equipement

EDM #103 Sport equipement
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

I asked my daughter if I could draw her equipment...
she wasn't really satisfied with the result...

Meetings...

meeting
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

I could become an expert in drawing at meetings.
This time I was fascinated by the different stripes, on the speakers' shirt and his tie...

IF - Super-hero

IF Super-hero
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Sitting Bull - pencil on tinted paper / from photo.

As child I was fascinated by the native indian culture...and this brought back some memories.

There is something wrong with the drawing of the left eye. The scan makes it more visible on the scan... Okay, let it be so for now.

EDM #102 Plug

EDM #102 Plug
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Recharger for mobile phone.
Nice challenge. Had some fun with it.

Noodlers ink in Moleskine appears to be not as waterproof.

EDM 101 - Soap bar

EDM 101 - Soap bar
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Pen & ink is my theme of the month, so experimenting with ways of rendering.

And today I learned I have to wait till the ink is fully dry (and it takes some time in the Moleskine) before I put the page on the scanner.

EDM 100 - Landscape (3)

EDM 100 - Landscape (3)
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Jacques Brel (album: Master Series (1992)

(...)
Avec un ciel si bas qu'un canal s'est perdu
Avec un ciel si bas qu'il fait l'humilité
Avec un ciel si gris qu'un canal s'est pendu
Avec un ciel si gris qu'il faut lui pardonner
Avec le vent du nord qui vient s'écarteler
Avec le vent du nord écoutez le craquer
Le plat pays qui est le mien
(...)

EDM 100 - Landscape (2)

EDM 100 - Landscape (2)
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

How I learn...I have an I idea. I jumpstart on it and try. I encounter some problems, I am not quite satisfied and then..only then I open a book. And I have this wonderful 'Rendering in pen and ink'. Should have looked at it first.

So I tried again... this one isn't so dramatic. It's softer. And I'm happy with some of the results. At the end I got realy tried, the pen cramped in my hand...and you can see it.
Need to look up how others manage to do the long strokes in one line.

This one is done with chinese ink and a small pen. Need to find out how to work with different pressure with my Safari pen. I believe it will be more confortable to work on all these details.

IF - Buzz

IF - Buzz
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

I hate it when I have to wait for a call. With a mobile I don't have to wait at home nearby the phone, but still...

EDM 100 - Landscape

EDM 100 - Landscape
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Speaking of a challenge...
First EDM challenge of the year is landscape. I live in a city and it's cold and rainy here...When I've made my resolutions I reserved january for learning to work with pen & ink.

This is the result. I'm not quite happy...but it's my first one...and there are plenty of days in january to learn more.

I looked up some reference photo's and worked partly from memory. Belgium is a 'flat land' - 'Les pays bas' like Jacques Brel used to sing. This is a canal - and as child I was always amazed how these trees bend by years and years of wind.

IF - Phoenix

IF - Phoenix
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Just posted my resolutions...and I want to make a good start of the year.
Quick watercolor I did yesterday, in between the preparations for New Year's eve. I loved the symbolic meaning of this topic.

Resolutions 2007

I'm still working on my drawing 'Resolutions' for the last EDM challenge 2006. I have a rather complex idea, so this will take time...and it's OK for me when it will be finished before the 8th of January, the end of my vacation.

I've got quite a lot of ideas and goals for next year, and I'm a little bit worried I overload my schedule (with plans for work, for my activities in a non-profit organisation, with reading & writing, taking care of the kids,...AND DRAWING).

I started this year with drawing, bought a lot of materials and a lot of books.

So, my first overall goal will be to actually use the different materials and do the excercises in the book. The most inspiring at this moment for me are 'Draw like Da Vinci' (sounds very ambitious) and 'Rendering in pen & ink' (a birthday gift).

Then I will commit to do the weekly challenges of EDM and IF , and also try to catch up with the previous EDM challenges, which should be done by the end of 2007.

I do not dare to commit to drawing every day...it doesn't sound realistic when I see my schedule, but with all these challenges I come quite close.

Inspired by Laura (Lauralines) I've also made a monthly list...and somehow I will try to combine this list with the EDM challenges. I don't know how yet, but I feel this list could be a usefull guide for next year. We'll see.

Januari:experimenting with pen & ink /washes and work on Kate's drawing lessons
February: play with the artist’s dummy - try water color pencils
March: everyday objects around the house
April: Vacation/ Spring
May: Self portraits
June: Exteriors, Plants, flowers
July:Water
August:animals
September:everyday objects around the house
October: Food, fruits, vegetables
November: Interiors
December: holliday cards

Well, that's it.
Most of all I commit to drawing next year, and as a beginner I'm motivated by seeing the big improvements as a result of daily work. Thanks Laura, Karen, Teri, Lin and others whose name I don't recall at the moment...for showing the daily work.

IF- Peace

IF- Peace
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Two years ago I was invited to a small place up north Estonia...
in the middle of nowhere.
That night,
in the snow
was the most peaceful experience in my life.
Hardly any light,
only the sound of our shoes in the fresh snow.

EDM #93 Egg carton

Wow...this wasn't an easy challenge.
It was much harder I thought when I started...
My children are my critics. And although they hav a quite good view on what's wrong, they hardly draw themselves... I can't seduce them to do the challenges with me...

EDM #92 Brown bag

Click on picture for better view

The only brown bag I could find was a bag from a clothes shop...a rather expensive one. This made me think about shopping addiction, compulsive shopping. And as I like these artist's dummies...and idea was born.

Noodlers ink and Graphitint in watercolor Moleskine

EDM #92 Apple (4)

EDM #92 Apple (4)

KOI watercolors
directly on paper

Last of this series.
I'm not sure which one I like most.

I enjoyed most working with the Karisma Pencils (apple 2) and Inktense (apple 3)

EDM #92 Apple (3)

EDM #92 Apple (3)

with Derwent Inktense...
amazed how intense these colors...
have to learn to be very careful with these

EDM #92 Apple (2)

EDM #92 Apple (2)

with Karisma color pencils

EDM #92 Apple (1)

EDM #92 Apple (1)

I combined this week challenge with the first assigment of Kate's drawing class. So, this became apple drawing on friday evening and apple drawing on saturday ...
This is the first one...and the scanner makes it much harder/darker than the actual drawing.

EDM #88 Breezy

EDM #88 Breezy
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

sunset
beach
grasses

no more words needed

IF- Trouble

I hope I didn't miss an important message.
I'm I in trouble now?

Another grid

Well, I'm behind with the challenges...
Want to know why?
This grid will give some answers...

Spider in web

First I took a picture ( a lot of these in our garden now) and then the drawing on black paper.

I didn't manage to get in on time for the IF-challenge Fear. Anyway, I wanted to post this.

GRID - a meeting

I had to attend a meeting on monday. This seemed to be a good place to try this grid drawing.
I added the colors later when I came home. I had to be carefull, I didn't find any waterproof ink for fountain pens yet. Noodlers ink is not available over here.

This way of drawing is fun. There will be more of these...

IF-Change

Change please

Change for dreams...
dreams of change.


Still working on last week's challenge (took more time than I thouht it would to make the idea work). So, this week is a quickie.

EDM #84

Why Toast/ Bread Falls Butter Side Down...

EDM #83 Body of water

Memories from summer.

EDM #82 Workspace / artspace

EDM #82, originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

This is mine...I try to declutter regulary. My desk is empty when I'm not busy with a project. Bookshelves, and there are a lot ( I should also draw the other side of the room), are more messy...books, magazines, materials,...
Hope you like it...
for me, this could also be an entry for the 'safe'-challenge.

IF-Safe

IF-Safe, originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Are you feeling safe enough to...

La Bocca della Verità (English, The Mouth of Truth) is a famous sculpted image of a human face in Rome, Italy. The sculpture is thought to be part of an ancient Roman fountain or perhaps a "manhole" cover, portraying a river god.
The most famous characteristic of the Mouth, however, is its capability of act as lie detector. Starting from the Middle Ages, it was believed that if one told a lie with his hand in the mouth of the sculpture then it would be bitten off.
(from Wikipedia)

You can also have a look at the real one. And yes, I did put my hand in it's mouth !