Tag Archives: pen and ink

Pen and ink, sketches and drawings

Posted on December 3, 2023 | Comments Off on Pen and ink, sketches and drawings

This week I’ve been fooling around with some pen and ink artwork.  If it’s a sketch, then it’s looser.  If it’s a drawing, then it’s more formal.  That is not an official designation, just my own idea.

Birdseye Branch Library, pen and ink, Kit Miracle This one is plain but I actually colored in the Christmas wreath with a touch of red and green on the samples that I printed for the library.

So about a week ago, I thought I’d do a drawing of the library for the library.  This is the little Birdseye Library which was featured in a post a few months back.  I thought a pen and ink drawing which they could reproduce and sell as note cards would help them raise some funds.  Most people can afford a package of cards for $15 without too much of a stretch.  As with a previous painting I did of the library, I gave them the reproduction rights.  They would handle all the printing, selling, etc.  They can put the image on T-shirts, bags, cards, whatever. I hope it helps.

I’ve enjoyed creating pen and ink sketches for about 40 years.  I find them very relaxing and will often just doodle while watching TV or sitting outside.  Some of the images of buildings and structures are more formal, but most of the landscapes are pretty loose.

The old bank building and other stores, Birdseye, Indiana, pen and ink. Kit Miracle
Inman Episcopal Church, first church in Birdseye, Indiana, Pen and ink drawing, Kit Miracle

This week I did five sketches.  In addition to the little library, I did a drawing of the first church in Birdseye and an old bank building in the small downtown area.  The little church was from a very old photo that someone supplied me.  But the downtown buildings were from some of my own photos.  I have boxes of old pictures. Many have turned out to be good recordings of places and buildings which no longer exist.

The Crabapple tree. Pen and ink, watercolor. Kit Miracle
A Quiet Place to Rest, pen and ink, watercolor, Kit Miracle

Finally, I sketched a couple of trees.  An old crabapple which the grandson loves to climb.  And a dogwood by the herb bed which shelters a bench, perfect for taking a break from yardwork.  I have added a couple of touches of color in the form a cardinal pair.  This is done after the image has been printed on heavy card stock in black and white.  I’m turning this one into our Christmas card this year.  So it’s part print and part original. 

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and all that jazz.  Take a moment to enjoy some nature and get a breath of fresh air.

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Great Smoky Mountains in Autumn

Posted on October 1, 2023 | Comments Off on Great Smoky Mountains in Autumn
A watercolor / pen and ink sketch from our cabin.

We were able to get away to visit the Great Smoky Mountains this past week and meet up with some old friends.  The cabin we rented had an unbelievable view but the park itself was well worth the trip.  I haven’t visited it for years.  Of course, the towns outside the park had grown a bit (A LOT!) but the natural beauty of the park is still impressive. 

Morning view of the mountains from our cabin.

As the most visited National Park in the country, it’s amazing how well-maintained it is.  We took a ride through two parts of the park during the week and were able to get out to enjoy the views and visit some historical buildings. I would have loved to just park and paint the scenery but I’m sure our friends wouldn’t appreciate watching me paint for a couple of hours.  Well, maybe next time.

Beautiful stream in the park.
Another view from within the park.
The Ephraim Bales cabin (and other buildings).

We took the Newfound Gap Road tour first and had a picnic lunch by the river.  Since we had plenty of time, we then drove down to Cades Cove.  That was an adventure.  Although we avoided the weekend crowd of leaf-lookers, we got stuck in a miles-long traffic jam of cars inching forward.  The road is one lane and one way.  There was no indication of what was causing the delay.  People were getting out of their cars and walking past us.  We came to find out that there were supposedly some bears in a tree up ahead.  Although we didn’t see any of those bears, we did see a mama and cub run across the road in front of us before we got to the traffic jam.  There was also a plein air painting event going on, too.  Added to the people who were trying to spot the bears in the tree, it was a little chaotic. 

Cades Cove, Smoky Mountains. We had plenty of time to view the scenery since we were stuck in a traffic jam.

Anyway, it was a beautiful day for a drive and a picnic. 

Horse-drawn wagon, anyone?

Although not the oldest national park, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, admission is free and there are plenty of activities for people of all ages.  But I wouldn’t recommend approaching any wild bears.  They’re not pets and they can move very quickly.  As my granddaughter remarked when we told her about the crowds of bear watchers, are you kidding me?! 

All these people thought there were bears up in the tree but we didn’t see any.

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Painting small

Posted on March 19, 2023 | Comments Off on Painting small
Tulips, four color schemes, 4.5 x 6.5.

Let’s face it.  There are few people who are not inspired when they walk into a museum or cathedral and face a giant painting depicting a well-known scene.  I have been brought to tears when I’ve been overwhelmed with some exhibits. 

But that is not always the case.  Most people cannot accommodate a wall-size painting or afford one.  But that doesn’t mean that we don’t like real art nonetheless.

A typical variety of colorful flowers, 4.5 x 6.5 to be matted to 8 x 10

Over the years I have created and sold paintings of many sizes.  Some pretty large ones but most have been medium size.  And I’ve sold a whole lot of small pieces.

There are pros and cons with creating small paintings.  On one hand, larger paintings are immensely fun to create, taking that large brush and swishing it across a wall-size canvas.  But they are also much more difficult to sell due to the size. 

Landscape and harbor scene, 4.5 x 6.5

Small painting have many advantages, too. They are a good way to try out new ideas, materials and techniques.  They are very portable. You can just pick them up and move them around your home, or transport them easily.  They are also economical to create since they use less materials.

Vertical tulips in various colors, to be matted to 8 x 10.

I’ve used small paintings to make preliminary compositions and try out various mediums.  Some of the mediums that I’ve used are drawing, watercolor, pen and ink, acrylic, oil, etching, collage and prints.  The most common has been watercolor with pen and ink overlay for the details. These are usually on medium weight (140 pound) imported watercolor paper.

Small paintings were also my bread and butter when I used to travel the country for art show, earning back the booth fees and traveling expenses.  At one time, I painted a series of over forty different fruits, vegetables and flowers, each hand-painted and individually matted.  These were all 4 x 6, matted to 8 x 10, and either framed or inserted into glassine envelopes. I initially hand-cut the mats but eventually found sources for ready-cut mats, backs and the envelopes.  This made the whole process so much more efficient. 

Ready-cut mats, backs, and bags from Clear Bags. Also, check out Ready-cut mats.
Three 8 x 10 frames which could accommodate the matted paintings.

These days, the primary size of the small paintings are 4.5 x 6.5 plus a border for matting.  Very easy to assemble. BUT…I also create 4 x 6 size painted postcards.  These are so fun.  I cut out a bunch, maybe 100 of that size.  I take them with me on my travels, make quick original sketches, and then mail them back to friends.  Surprisingly, all of the postcards have arrived safely at their destinations and my friends are so surprised.

Daffodil postcards, 4 x 6, originals

Some of the tiniest paintings that I have created are 2 x 2 and 2 x 3.  These are cute and fun but I have to specially cut the mats.  Unless I want to order a bunch of ready-mades, I just don’t do that too often anymore. 

A variety of teen-tiny, 2 x 2 and 2 x 3.

One thing that I would like to point out is that all of my small paintings are originals, not prints.  If you are buying these on the market, make sure what you are getting.  Many small paintings are digitally reproduced, either on paper or printed on canvas.  The artist may add a swipe of paint in order to call them original but they’re not really.  Just pay attention

I still enjoy making larger paintings, mostly for the challenge.  But I would certainly recommend that you give small paintings a try.  They’re great for experimenting with new ideas and compositions without having to put an excessive amount of time into them.  And they can be attractively priced if you’re planning to sell them. 

Good luck and let me know how they turn out if you experiment with this option.

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Posted in art, painting instruction, Uncategorized, watercolor

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Back to the River

Posted on April 26, 2020 | 2 comments

It’s still too early to do much planting although I have onions, snow peas, lettuce and kale growing. The garden is tilled but we have to wait another couple of weeks before planting the whole thing.  We’ve done some trimming and tidying of the flowerbeds.  The spring flowering shrubs are next.

Plein air painting along the Blue River in Southern Indiana. As you can see, my easel is actually sitting in the water. What we artists won’t do for our work!

Monday was beautiful and balmy.  A perfect day to return to the Blue River for some more adventures.  This time my husband brought his fishing gear and I brought my painting kit.  It was so peaceful and quiet.  A week since our last visit but I noticed changes.  The redbuds are waning and the dogwoods are coming out.

Blue River, plein air painting. Acrylic, 11 x 14. That spring green will only last for a few weeks.

Bridge over the Blue River. Watercolor / pen and ink. Kit Miracle Created from photos taken on our previous visit last week.

As you can see, I had to set my easel in the water to get the view that I wanted.  I nearly tipped in myself but this is the price an artist pays for the adventure of plein air painting.  My husband got his line wet but not much luck until right at the end when he caught a nice bass.  (He returned it to the river, of course.)

Fishing on the Blue River. My husband actually caught a nice bass but he released it. We peeled off our sweatshirts as the temps warmed up quickly. Spring is here!

Another wandering drive on the way home took us past a little greenhouse.  Of course we stopped.  Although we have some tomatoes and peppers started, I had to buy a few more.  Hey, it’s that time of year.  All you gardeners understand what I mean.  (BTW, I was the only one at the greenhouse wearing a mask!) Later in the week the mice in the greenhouse started nibbling the plants.  Dirty rottens!  I wouldn’t have thought they would like nightshade plants but now I know they do.

So, that’s pretty much my week.  Finished the plein air painting in the studio and did a watercolor/pen and ink of the bridge over the Blue.  Some gardening.  Reading.  Oh, and cleaning the attic of my studio but that’s another story.

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Posted in art, country living, plein air, plein air painting

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More paintings from the Snake River

Posted on November 10, 2019 | Comments Off on More paintings from the Snake River

Snake River, Idaho, II, watercolor, pen and ink, Kit Miracle

Tomorrow (Veteran’s Day) is the final day of my landscape painting class.  We have been using watercolor with pen and ink added for details.  It’s been a great class but a little challenging for me.  I usually like to include something man-made in a landscape painting to give it that human touch, as well as to provide scale.

Most of the paintings we’ve done this class have been pure landscapes without any notion of a human in sight.

Tomorrow’s painting will involve a subject with a water feature.  Looking through some of my thousand of photographs, I decided to add a water feature since this is pretty common to landscape paintings.

Here are two simple compositions of the Snake River in the southeast area of Idaho.  The paintings are created with about five or six colors, but certainly less than eight.

Palisades Reservoir, Snake River, Idaho. Watercolor, pen and ink, Kit Miracle

One shows the reservoir lake as the viewer is looking into the sun. The other shows the Snake River with the sun at the back of the artist.  Both are relatively simple landscapes but should be challenging for a class of beginners to try.

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Painting the Snake River

Posted on November 3, 2019 | Comments Off on Painting the Snake River

Final, Snake River painting. The final step is to use some pen and ink to add some details but be careful not to add too much. I suggest that you zoom in on the image so you can get a better idea of what I’ve done. It’s really just a lot of scribbling and very loose calligraphy.

I mentioned last week that I’m teaching a watercolor landscape painting class. I let the class choose which subject they wanted to paint and they selected the colorful sunset.  Well, it seemed easy but was a little more difficult than they thought.   I’ve painted that scene three times and none of them have turned out exactly the same.

So, I thought I would try to find something a little easier for the class.  One of my selections is this scene from a trip we took out West several years ago. This is the Snake River in Idaho near Palisades Reservoir.  Such beautiful country out there.

Snake River, original photo upon which the painting was based. As you can see, I eliminated many of the shrubs in the foreground to better draw attention to the river and the mountain.

This is a classic landscape valley with pretty clouds and blue sky, a nice piney mountain, a river, and some trees up front leading us into the scene.  I only used eight colors for this painting,  three brushes, and my fade-proof ink pen.  The paper is Arches, French-made of 100% cotton rag.  The painting time was about two hours.

To see a step-by-step view of the process, click here or go to Artworks and scroll down to Snake River Landscape.

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Posted in landscape, painting instruction, travel, Uncategorized

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Creating a painting from a sketch

Posted on July 14, 2019 | Comments Off on Creating a painting from a sketch

West Texas Big Sky, watercolor, pen and ink, 13.5 x 9.5, Kit Miracle

A few weeks ago I posted several sketches from my recent vacation.  I’ve been working with those and some 1500 photos to create some fresh and lively watercolor / pen and ink paintings.

This is an example of a painting of the Big Sky country of West Texas.  There is just something about the terrain and the brilliant blue sky with the white fluffy clouds that draws me.  I’m not sure I quite captured the fluffy clouds receding into the distance but I like the colors.

Driving west on 87, sketch, Kit Miracle

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Western Landscape Paintings

Posted on July 7, 2019 | Comments Off on Western Landscape Paintings

Arches Vista II, watercolor, pen and ink, 13.5 x 9.5 inches, Kit Miracle

Since we returned from our big adventure out west a few weeks ago, I have been taking a break from the beach series of paintings that I’ve been working on.  It has been fun painting several landscape impressions in watercolor with pen and ink overlay.  I just can’t get away from this subject.

These paintings are very loose with bright colors.  I have probably done more paintings in this medium than any other over my artistic lifetime.  And I still find them fun as well as challenging.  Of course, they’re all for sale in my Etsy shop.

Arches Vista I, watercolor, pen and ink, 13.5 x 9.5 inches, Kit Miracle

Zion Vista II, watercolor, pen and ink, 13.5 x 9.5 inches, Kit Miracle

Zion Vista I, watercolor, pen and ink, 13.5 x 9.5 inches, Kit Miracle

Grand Canyon Vista III, watercolor, pen and ink, 13.5 x 9.5, Kit Miracle

Zion Vista III with Virgin River, watercolor, pen and ink, 13.5 x 9.5 inches, Kit Miracle

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10 states, 4,435 miles, four national parks, 16 days

Posted on June 23, 2019 | Comments Off on 10 states, 4,435 miles, four national parks, 16 days

Duck on a Rock, Grand Canyon, plein air sketch, 12 x 16 Kit Miracle

Part I

Ten states (plus three of them twice).  Indiana, Illinois, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and back through Illinois and Indiana.  Lots of different terrain and climates.

4,435 miles.  Not really too bad.

4 National Parks – Carlsbad Caverns, Grand Canyon, Zion, and Arches.  Plus, you can’t be in the area without stopping at Roswell to see the alien museum.  It’s not exactly on the way to anywhere.  Even their streetlights are painted like aliens.

16 days – we left a day early and returned a day early.

Whew!

Earlier this month we drove down to Texas to pick up our granddaughter for the summer.  Then we went of a big adventure.

I like to keep a journal of my travels with notes and musings, small sketches, mileage, and even sometimes the label from that chocolate shop in Paris which I never can remember.  These travel journals are always fun to revisit later, long after my memories have faded and gotten fuzzy.  They instantly transport me back to the place and time, allowing me to experience the trip all over again.  They’re, of course, nothing so monumental as the Lewis and Clark journals, but they work for me.

Sun breaking through the clouds over Arkansas, sketch, Kit Miracle

After months of planning and preparation, making reservations at the big stops (didn’t realize it was the Grand Canyon’s 100th anniversary until afterwards), we lit out on June 2nd, a day earlier than planned.  We were concerned about the flooding in the Midwest and decided to skirt along the Mississippi to Arkansas and then take the southwestern route to Texas.

Flooded Arkansas River in Little Rock, sketch Kit Miracle

Fortunately, the only flooding we saw on the way out was the Arkansas River in Little Rock but that didn’t affect the drive.

Driving west on 87, sketch, Kit Miracle

After we picked up the granddaughter, we headed west through the Texas hill country (beautiful), to the flatter and dryer areas of west Texas.  Just a delight to be on the road again, away from the daily maintenance of the homestead.

Longhorns resting in shade (from memory), sketch, Kit Miracle

Abandoned House, Texas sketch, Kit Miracle

We negotiated miles of roadwork through the oil fields of west Texas and New Mexico to land at our first national park, Carlsbad Caverns.  My husband and granddaughter had never been in a cave, and even though I have, this was a truly fascinating experience.  The vistas outside were gorgeous, and inside the cave was even more so.  We elected to take the elevator down (700+ feet) rather than walk.  The National Park Service has done such a wonderful job of making this site accessible and interesting.  We took a self-guided tour of the great room which still took an hour and a half. Although many other areas remained to be viewed, that was enough for us.  We didn’t stay for the bat exodus at sundown  either.  Just too tired and road-weary and ready for a meal and bed.

Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico, sketch, Kit Miracle

Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico, sketch, Kit Miracle

Carlsbad is probably typical of any town in the oil field area with lots of traffic, overpriced rooms, and not much scenery.  As we were waiting at a restaurant for dinner, we spoke with a lady who was a local who said it was always this way during boom times.  People renting a room in their homes for $1200 or more.  And getting it.

Sample sketchbook – journal with alien streetlight, sketch, Kit Miracle

Our stop the next morning heading north was Roswell, NM.  You have to stop if you’re in the area as it’s not exactly on the way to anywhere.  We visited the alien museum built in a former movie house.  It was pretty much as I expected.  A mix of history, facts and lots of speculation.  (I hesitate to use the term cheesy but you get the idea.)  Of course, had to buy the T-shirts and trinkets as I don’t expect to get down this way again.  The whole town has gone alien nuts; even the streetlamps are painted as aliens.  The annual UFO festival this year is July 5-7, 2019.  I expect it will be a sight.

Butte, New Mexico, sketch, Kit Miracle

We continued on down the road towards Gallup where we spent the night.  My granddaughter’s major requirement for a hotel was a pool (she’s nine).  After a quick stop in the morning at Walmart, we stocked up on food for our stay at the Grand Canyon.

The further west we drove, the more interesting the landscape became with the big mountain in Flagstaff calling us (Humphrey’s Peak).  It still had snow on the top.  After a roadside picnic lunch (sure got tired of fast food in a hurry), we headed north to the east entrance of the GC National Park.  I’d been there before but the others had not so I couldn’t wait to introduce them to “my” canyon.

We drove through sparsely populated reservation territories.  Some beautiful scenery but appeared to be struggling.

Finally, we arrived at the East entrance of the Grand Canyon. I want to insert here that every park employee that I have met has been terrific.  They’ve always been so polite and helpful.  This is true for every park we have visited.  And I also want to emphasize that our National Parks are one of the greatest assets the American people have.  People from all over the world travel to see our lands and it makes me just want to bust with pride.

Duck on Rock, Grand Canyon, sketch, Kit Miracle

Duck on Rock, Grand Canyon, sketch, Kit Miracle

My granddaughter and I got up early and went out plein air painting.  Well, I painted and she checked out the rocks and vegetation.  The first day was very windy, but after that, it eased up.  My husband was really affected by altitude sickness but we all had a great time.

Next week I’ll post Part II of the remainder of the trip, parks and scenery

Hopi House, Grand Canyon Village, sketch, Kit Miracle

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Posted in art, holiday, pen and ink, plein air painting

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A hot cup o’ tea

Posted on January 16, 2019 | 2 comments

Laura’s Grandma’s Teacup. watercolor, pen and ink, 4.5 x 6.5, Kit Miracle

In celebration of National Hot Tea month – which is especially appropriate for January – I thought I’d paint a few images of my teacup collection.

This is a small watercolor / pen and ink painting of a teacup which is especially dear to me.  It was given to me by a friend who was moving and had to pare down.  I was honored to being gifted this beautiful teacup which had belonged to her grandmother.  It is a Royal Doulton in the Passion Flower pattern.  Very light and pretty.

I’ll put this up on one of my Etsy shops soon.

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Posted in pen and ink

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