Friday 6 July 2012

Red and white

The theme over at Artists Play Room for this week was either red and white, Canada Day, or 
Independence Day for the US citizens. As I'm neither Canadian nor American, I went with the red and white theme. This was a dilemma in itself because I really don't have a lot of red things in my home apart from in the kitchen. 

Then it struck me......Ahhh yes!
The red and white kitchen canisters would be perfect!
Pencil-free sketch using Faber-Castell Artists PITT pens, coloured pencils and watercolours in large Moleskine sketchbook.


I'm thoroughly enjoying my personal challenge of sketching in pen only.
The results have a loose, illustrative style which I really like.



~ Love, light and peace ~
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63 comments:

  1. Everydaythings6 July 2012 at 14:58

    Serena - you also have your red buddha! I know cos I loved yours so much I bought one too!

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    1. Serena Lewis6 July 2012 at 15:25

      Yes...I LOVE my Buddha and I'm so happy to hear you bought one too! My only problem was that the challenge was red AND white or I probably would have sketched him. :)

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  2. Everydaythings6 July 2012 at 15:02

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Everydaythings6 July 2012 at 15:04

    Serena, just had a look at your FB page - I didnt know you were from lancashire!!!! born in the UK? Sorry had to delete the last comment I made too many typos!

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    1. Serena Lewis6 July 2012 at 15:30

      You're on FB?? Friend me!! Yes, I was born in Thornton, Fleetwood, in the County of Lancashire...my parents migrated to Australia when I was four years old. :)

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  4. kate i6 July 2012 at 15:41

    I love this sketch Serena and I'll very graciously accept the red and white for Canada! That got me to wondering what Australia's "colours" are?

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    1. Serena Lewis6 July 2012 at 16:26

      Thanks, Kate! That's very sweet of you. Australia's flag colours are red, white and blue but we celebrate Australia Day in January.

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  5. Tracey FK6 July 2012 at 16:21

    I love the pencil free sketching as well... I have fallen in love with drawing all over again in the last few months... and these canisters are perfect... hope you are thawing out a little and enjoying a sunny spot out of the cold...xx

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    1. Serena Lewis6 July 2012 at 16:29

      Thanks, Tracey! I used to fear using only a pen but now, I feel much more comfortable with a pen than I do with a pencil. I've been feeling cold ALL day...I'm looking forward to snuggling up under the blankets later while watching TV. xx

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  6. Serena Lewis6 July 2012 at 19:35

    Thanks, Tracy. LOL re. the hot air....we could sure use a little warming up. :)

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  7. VonnyK6 July 2012 at 20:21

    Wow, you are brave using pen only. I'm still too chicken to try. Your canisters are fabulous, I love the red. Great for the APR theme. Great to see you are from Brissy too. Keep warm.
    Von

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    1. Serena Lewis7 July 2012 at 06:55

      Thanks, Vonny! I was terrified when I first started using only pen but, amazingly, I adapted fairly quickly. Of course, if I wanted perfection, I'd switch to pencil where I can erase but, I find with pen, I end up with a loose, free illustrative style that appeals to me....perfect for journaling.

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  8. Arnoldo L. Romero, MLA6 July 2012 at 20:37

    What a fun piece! Red is one of my favorite colors, and yours is perfect. Blessings!

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  9. Tracy6 July 2012 at 21:09

    FUN, fun, fun, Serena! This was a great finish... I love how you handled the "shine" on the metal tins! :o) So pretty... and happy this piece. Happy weekend, my friend ((HUGS))

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    1. Serena Lewis7 July 2012 at 06:56

      Thanks, Tracy! Glad you like it.

      Have a great weekend too. xo

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  10. Beau T6 July 2012 at 21:26

    Perfect choice. The colours look fantastic!

    xo

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    1. Serena Lewis7 July 2012 at 06:57

      Thanks, Beau! For a quick pen sketch, I was pleased with how it came out. xo

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  11. Anonymous6 July 2012 at 22:29

    I love this! And I'm totally impressed you're making pencil-free sketches! I think I'd need to practise a bit first, I'm so rusty!

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    1. Serena Lewis7 July 2012 at 06:59

      Thanks, Carin! My pen sketches are no where near perfect, quite wonky in fact, but I do love the loose, illustrative style I end up with. So pick up a pen and give it a go....main thing is to have fun with it. :)

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  12. Neesie6 July 2012 at 23:14

    Fantastic splash of red! So vivid ~ I love it!
    I like the idea of sketching in pen...but I'm terrified.
    I'm far too rigid but need to be brave and try to loosen up! Maybe one day ;D
    Neesie (APR#11)

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    1. Serena Lewis7 July 2012 at 07:01

      Thanks, Neesie! I was terrified of working only in pen too but, as soon as I put the pen to paper, it seemed to flow much easier than I expected. I started using pen because I felt I was too rigid with pencil. Give it a try...you may be pleasantly surprised. :)

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  13. Terrie7 July 2012 at 00:53

    Love this drawing - wish I could manage this type of thing but my perspective drawing sucks and I just can't seem to get the hang of it. You commented on my site about stamp carving....I didn't carve anything - that's way too much of a commitment. My stamp was done with that super thin craft foam in the kids art dept (actually I bought a pack from the $1 store) that I just cut with scissors. Super easy and no stress, no strain. Try it, you'll like it!

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    1. Serena Lewis7 July 2012 at 07:05

      Thanks, Terrie! I'm not great perspective either...I can see flaws but they're happy flaws. Btw, I knew you didn't carve the stamp you made but I haven't even done anything like that despite getting all the supplies I needed. I even bought a wood-burning tool to carve stamps out of the foam board. I took a lesson through Alisa Burke on making stamps. One day I WILL create my first stamp but, at the rate I'm going, I'm just not sure what year it will be. lol

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  14. Anonymous7 July 2012 at 01:28

    Gorgeous red + white!!! I continue to be amazed that you do these pencil-free...

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  15. minnemie7 July 2012 at 02:22

    Lovely. Very striking and well done!

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  16. SandeeNC7 July 2012 at 02:27

    I think you are one of the few who sketch in pen, I think I remarked before that I do this too, just not as well as you. I'm not sure if I find it "freeing", I'm just too lazy to sketch out in pencil and redo! lol sad state of me! lol Lol the bright red against the white background, really does pop off the page! waving hi from the hills of North Carolina :)

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    1. Serena Lewis7 July 2012 at 07:08

      Thanks, Sandee! I'm a member of some art groups where quite a lot of the artists sketch only in pen...they have been a real inspiration to me. :)

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  17. Gloria j Zucaro7 July 2012 at 02:37

    I really love your red & white canisters. And I agree sketching with pen is somehow more freeing than with pencil. You(me)must use mistakes and be creative to fold them into the end result. Speaking of mistakes! I but my comment in the FB comment area above before I saw this one. So now you have it both places!

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    1. Serena Lewis7 July 2012 at 07:10

      Thanks, Gloria! Yep, blending in those mistakes or really just accepting them is all part of the fun. No, you didn't make a mistake with your comment. All Facebook users are welcome to use the Facebook comment box if they prefer. I'll see their comments either way. :)

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  18. Jennifer McLean7 July 2012 at 04:53

    OOh, I'm in LOVE with your painting, holy cow it's so great!! You're right about the loose style, it's fabulous although I wish I had your courage to use pen first in a sketchbook. That's fortitude!
    Hugs,
    Jenn
    PS. Hope it;s not too cold down there.

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    1. Serena Lewis7 July 2012 at 07:13

      Thanks, Jennifer....glad you like it. I'm not sure what the cut off time is for leaving the link on your site so I try to have it done by Friday (Aussie time)....this was done in a pinch. lol You should try sketching in pen as it's truly not as scary as you may think.

      Yes, we're still freezing DownUnder but at least I'm managing to stay rugged up, cosy and warm. :)

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  19. Bleubeard and Elizabeth7 July 2012 at 06:20

    These red and white canisters are simply adorable. I love them, especially since I can't draw, sketch, or paint. great job.

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  20. Rita7 July 2012 at 10:45

    These are so cute! I admire you being able to do ink drawings and not using any pencil. I can't quite do that yet. But then I don't practice my sketching enough, either. Hope you are staying warm down there and are feeling better. Love and hugs!! :):)

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    1. Serena Lewis7 July 2012 at 12:58

      Thanks, Rita....trying to stay warm. It's actually not too bad today although the cold will start setting in around 3pm.

      Love and hugs,
      Serena xo

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  21. Unknown7 July 2012 at 11:51

    I love this! the colors are so rich!

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    1. Serena Lewis7 July 2012 at 12:59

      Thanks, Jenny....I was pleased with how the reds turned out too. :)

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  22. Anonymous8 July 2012 at 01:12

    Beautiful job! It is amazing what you can do with ONLY pen!

    Have a great dy!

    Ciao
    Sensible Sarah

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  23. Anonymous8 July 2012 at 01:13

    And watercolour!!

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  24. Monica8 July 2012 at 03:31

    Hi Serena!
    Love your red canisters! Going in straight with pen is my favorite kind of drawings. You are so right about the looseness one can achieve when doing that. Drawing without fear and just trusting your own ability to draw and if there are lines that are a bit skew it's happy accidents which compliments the sketch. Your drawing is lovely! I love the shine and the splash of blue at the bottom is beautiful!

    Love and peace to you
    Ansota :)

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    1. Serena Lewis8 July 2012 at 07:12

      Thanks, Monica! I actually feel more comfortable with a pen than with pencil now. Happy accidents add character to the piece. :)

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  25. Unknown8 July 2012 at 06:08

    What a great challenge. I like to draw pencil free too really makes your mind work extra hard:)) I think these look terrific! The colors are wonderful as well as the shadows you created!
    Have a great day:) FranT xo

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  26. Anonymous8 July 2012 at 23:47

    I love sketching in pen too! I too find it freeing, it also helps you to take a longer look at the object and understand it more. You did a great job!

    Just thought that I'd let you know I got an Etsy shop now! www.michaelsmedley.etsy.com

    Have a great day!
    Michael Lounsbury
    www.michaelsmedley.blogspot.ca
    www.michaelsmedley.etsy.com

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    1. Serena Lewis9 July 2012 at 07:32

      Thanks, Michael....good luck with your ETSY shop!

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  27. Jane9 July 2012 at 00:44

    Wow Serena! I really love the drawing of the cannisters! Just gorgeous :)

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  28. Cindy Lane9 July 2012 at 11:20

    Such energy in these cannisters (and I don't mean from the contents!) This is such a beautiful drawing. LOVE your new banner as well!

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    1. Serena Lewis9 July 2012 at 12:22

      Thanks, Cindy! Glad you like the banner....you're the first person to mention it. ;)

      Delete
  29. Anonymous9 July 2012 at 20:56

    Believe it or not, I have a secrect love for the colour red! Maybe it's because I'm Italian....!
    Even though I'm a neutral decor kinda'gal, I love playing with the colours in my sketchbook!

    Your red tins are vibrant...and inspiring me to do a little drawing today at some point. I'm just stuck on my crocheting at the moment.
    Thanks for sharing.

    Ciao Bella
    Creative Carmelina

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    1. Serena Lewis10 July 2012 at 06:42

      Hi Carmelina!

      So nice of you to drop by. Funny that I've never been into red as a colour yet I steered towards red decor in my kitchen, probably because it suited the chilli theme.

      I hear ya....I've been doing a lot of crochet myself of late. I'm working on a blanket throw at the moment but I have a lot of baby stuff to do before November. :)

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  30. Tammy@T's Daily Treasures10 July 2012 at 00:21

    Serena -- if my 13 year old gave you one of the nubby pencils he keeps in his pocket and that's the only you had to draw with, you would still create something spectacular. Your sketches are always so real and absolutely fantastic! Hope you are well. We just returned from Sri Lanka. I am making myself stay awake until this evening though I haven't really slept in 2 days. Hope your week is great. Tammy

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    1. Serena Lewis10 July 2012 at 06:43

      Awwwww...thanks for the kind words, Tammy. So good to hear you're back from Sri Lanka safe and sound. I'll be looking forward to seeing the pics you took whilst away.

      Get a good night's sleep, my friend ~ xo

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  31. Shashi Nayagam10 July 2012 at 21:28

    It is a brilliant sketch.

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  32. sandy11 July 2012 at 02:46

    Serena - great job on the cannisters. I'm almost ready to start drawing again - the artists play room sounds great..

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    1. Serena Lewis11 July 2012 at 05:48

      Thanks, Sandy! Come join us over at the Artist's Play Room. It's fun and the people are lovely!

      Delete
  33. Norma Soulet (AZArtist)12 July 2012 at 08:45

    Hi Serena,
    Your Red and White Canisters are great! I want to sketch and paint like you when I grow up! LOL
    Hugs,
    I just added a new doll to my blog if you would like to see her . Please leave a comment. :)

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  34. Serena Lewis12 July 2012 at 08:52

    Thanks, Norma....glad you like the canisters! Thanks for the heads up on your new doll....will pop on over to check her out shortly. xo

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