Woodpecker - a pencil drawing

 

Today the prompt in the Sketch a Day app is 'peck' and after looking for some translations of the word I decided to draw a woodpecker. The translations were not inspiring and I am not the only one using a prompt like this.

I have gathered an 'archive' of magazine pages full of nature pictures, so after a search I found a picture of a juvenile great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) and used that one for my drawing.

At first I planned to use water soluble pencils, use water on the bird and add more layers of pencil, but changed my plan while working. This is only pencil, no water added. All pencils are water soluble but give enough colour to make a nice woodpecker on this tinted paper.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Flickr account.

Sunset fantasy

 

Today the prompt in the Sketch a Day app is 'bright' and that made me think about bright colours at sunset.

So I picked some colours (limited palettes always work nice) and started painting an imaginary sunset seen at the shore.

Of course there have to be clouds in the sky so I can paint the bright orange colour under the clouds, where the light of the setting sun touches them.

The dark foreground can be water or sand, that does not really matter. The whole scene is imaginary, painted for the atmosphere.

The information about the materials I have used, the size of this work and its availability and - if you are interested in my original artworks - my contact information can all be found in my Flickr account.

"Double exposure"

 

Today's prompt in the Sketch a Day app is 'Double' and some of the inspirational images provided by the app are 'double exposures' in photographs and drawings.

That inspired me to do a double exposure my own way, using watercolour.

The first layer is an imaginary landscape, a forest path as we walk often when we are enjoying our beautiful Nature Reserves. The second layer is made after a reference picture I made of some tree roots showing in the sand path.

These two belong together, the root picture was made on a path very similar to the imaginary one I painted.

For the second layer I decided on a not so natural colour, a violet to make it stand out against the first layer. After making a large 'stain' of violet on my painting I started adding the shadows around the shapes of the roots with more of the same violet. 

I had thought I could let the violet flow a bit over the paper, but I should have done that as a first layer. Now I was having the risk that the first layer would disappear and add itself to the violet. Which was not what I wanted. 

This idea is nice enough to explore further and find the best way of doing this while experimenting.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Flickr account.

The path - a charcoal drawing

 

In the Sketch A Day app we can see the prompt and some inspirational images connected to the prompt for the next day, maybe to get inspiration overnight or to work in advance to post as early as possible. Most of the times I just try to find inspiration for an original approach  but this time I started my drawing in advance.

I have drawn an uneven, ragged wooden path over a marshy area in the landscape. The poles that keep the path high and dry can also be seen in the distance where the path curves to the right.

Where this path is bringing the walker is meant to be a mystery.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

The old echo well - a pencil drawing

 

Today's prompt in the Sketch A Day app is 'Echo' and I had to think of an echo well at once. Now how to make a nice drawing about an old echo well....

Of course I wanted to add trees, so the well is (now) situated in a forest. There has to be green moss on the stones and on the trees and some larger grasses on the forest floor.

As I do more often these days I made a drawing with watercolour pencils, used water and added more layers of pencil for depth in my colours. The background is only pencil to suggest distance.

I really enjoyed making this small drawing and exploring the possibilities of both my pencils and the chosen paper.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this drawing and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Emperor Penguin - pencil drawing

 

A few days ago the prompt in the Sketch A Day app was 'South' and that made me look into my 'archive' of reference pictures taken from magazines. I wanted a penguin as these animals live in the southern part of our planet.

The picture of an Emperor penguin was selected and I made this drawing with different types of pencils.

I really like the result, so I decided to show it here.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Sparrowhawk - a pencil drawing

 

Today's prompt in the Sketch a Day app was 'hawk' and as I went looking for a nice reference picture in my 'archive' of nature pictures I found this Sparrowhawk.

I decided to make a drawing on tinted paper using my Drawing Pencils. 

Working with these pencils is nice but it can be difficult to get a sharp point because they are softer than my other pencils. The result is not very detailed but that usually is just how I like it to be.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Muiderslot

 

Today the prompt in the Sketch A Day app is 'slot' and in Dutch that word means lock or castle. I decided to go for a castle.

Several years ago we visited the Muiderslot and I made a picture from an unusual angle, the castle is almost hiding behind vegetation. That picture is still waiting to be painted, but now I have used it for this drawing.

Again I made the drawing with watercolour pencils and used water on the building to awaken the colours. More pencil for depth and some lines with a fine liner for the definition of the towers and to indicate the small windows.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Glade

 

When the prompt in the Sketch a Day app was 'Glade' I first had to look up the meaning of the word. Of course I am never too old to learn and now I really know what a glade is.

So I made a drawing of an imaginary glade, using my watercolour pencils. The grasses and bushes were given a bit of water to awaken the colours and after that more layers of pencil colour for depth.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Ladybug - a pencil drawing

 

In the Sketch a Day app the prompt for today was 'Beetle' and I decided to draw a Ladybug on a postcard-size paper.

For the beetle I first put down a layer of colour and I 'awakened' it with water. The grass has only one layer of pencil colour for the contrast between my subject and its surroundings.

After the water dried I added more colour, using more pencils than in the first layer to get the depth that can be achieved with watercolour pencils.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Wren - a pencil drawing

 

Today's prompt in the Sketch A Day app is 'Melody' and I thought of birdsong. There are many well-known songbirds and many of them were already featured in the submissions of the day so I wanted something different.

A little wren can also sing a nice song and they are such charming birds that I should draw them more often.

Using a Watercolour postcard as my paper I made a drawing first, added water to the bird shape and added more colour for depth and for the correction of my initial - not so perfect - shape. The branches and leaves are one pencil layer only for the contrast between my subject and its surroundings/background.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this drawing and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Sand

 

Today's prompt in the Sketch A day app is 'Sand' and that made me go through my reference pictures of patterns in the sand at the beach or elsewhere. I found this one, made by my daughter and waiting to be used for over six years now.

On a watercolour paper I made a watercolour underpainting using the colours of the picture.

After that had dried I made the structures using my pencils and I picked the watercolour pencils only because I have the widest range in colours and shades of that quality in pencils. I knew I needed some shades of grey this time.

The structure was created by strong wind over not completely dry sand and the sun gave some nice shadows. The reference picture is almost abstract and I liked that idea for today's prompt.

Using the pencils I could make the best of the structure of the paper and I am really happy with the result.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artworks - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Tulips - a pencil drawing

 

For the prompt 'Pink' in the Sketch A Day app I had to think a little, but looking at the tulips on my table I decided I just had to make them change colour a bit for my drawing. 

On black paper I made some simplified tulips using pink for the petals and green for the stems and leaves. The petals were treated with a bit of water and after that had dried a second layer of colour was added. 

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artworks - my contact information can all be found in my Tumbr blog.

Nest - a pencil drawing

 

Today's prompt in the Sketch A Day app is 'Nest' and I really liked the idea of drawing a nest.

The scene is imaginary, a bird's nest in a fork in a branch, surrounded by more branches and the beginning of foliage.

I enjoyed using my new pencil set on another shade of coloured paper.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Peacock - a pencil drawing

 

A few days ago the prompt in the Sketch A Day app was 'Peacock' and after looking for some references I decided to draw the head and neck of a peacock with my watercolour pencils on a black background.

As I did before, after the first layer of pencil I used a bit of water to 'awaken' the colours and after that had dried I added another pencil layer for depth.

I still have the idea that I am not really good at drawing animals, but with a reference for the proportions and overall shape I get nice results. 

My to-do list for the coming years is about getting more practice and building confidence.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Pine cone - a pencil drawing

 

The reference picture I made of this pine cone was waiting to be used for a painting or drawing and with today's prompt in the Sketch-A-Day app the drawing is made.

I used my new Drawing Pencils for this one, this time on a tinted paper.

Making the drawing was nice and relaxing, the result is what I hoped for.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Winter in the forest - a pen-and-ink drawing

 

My first pen-and-ink drawing since I started painting and drawing. 

Of course I have used line markers before, but always as a part of the materials needed for the desired result. I got a set of line markers in a 'goodie bag' and I decided to try them on some basic, smooth paper with a prompt from the Sketch A Day app.

The theme was 'Nature' and so it is no surprise that I made this wintery forest scene. 

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Eucalyptus - a pencil drawing

 

My first drawing in the year 2026!

The prompt 'fresh' in the Sketch A Day app had some photo inspiration with it and I picked the Eucalyptus branch to be my subject. Mostly because I have wanted to draw one of these branches for a long time but never had the opportunity. 

In a floral arrangement I got for Christmas was a small branch and I used that one as my reference.

My plan was to draw the leaves only and the stem would be suggested by the shapes of the leaves. This works very well with this branch.

After my first layer of pencil I looked at the result and decided to stop drawing. The black of the paper is still visible and that adds to the atmosphere I wanted to achieve. 

The 'experiments' in this drawing gave me the results I hoped for.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.

Feather - a Conté drawing

 

Last summer my husband Peter made a nice picture of a lonely feather on the beach. During my painting vacation we discussed the possibilities of this reference picture for making a painting with an 'unexpected addition' and decided I was to paint another composition.

A few days ago the Sketch A Day app had the prompt 'feather' and I immediately decided to use the reference picture my husband made. 

That picture was used for this Conté drawing, showing only the sand, the feather and its shadow.

Maybe I will try other compositions with the feather, trying to find the best 'unexpected addition'.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this work and - if you are interested in  my original artworks - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog. 

Wreath - a drawing

 

The prompt 'Wreath' in the Sketch A Day app made me look for my black paper, my Metallic markers and some watercolour pencils. Using a jar to draw the initial round shape I had the base for my wreath.

With the metallic markers I made a first layer of branches, leaves and berries and with the watercolour pencils I added more to make a nice wreath. This was the first wreath I 'composed' on paper and I am happy with the result.

The information about the materials I have used, the size and availability of this drawing and - if you are interested in my original artwork - my contact information can all be found in my Tumblr blog.