A small painting I made years ago, of a pair of jazz musicians. Oil paint on paper, 18″ x 14″.

I liked the two-tone primula flowers. Loosely painted with coloured inks in one of my homemade sketchbooks (140 lb watercolour paper).

Sketched with a black china marker across the cream-coloured pages of a pocket-sized Moleskine sketchbook. I’m trying to use up this book even though this particular kind has paper too thin for the media I prefer: ink. (Or anything wet.) I like black china marker, also known as grease pencil, better than pencil… it’s blacker and doesn’t smudge in a sketchbook.

The sketch is of one of the outdoor sculptures on the Opera Walk, in the Italian Garden at Hastings Park. Lines and wash are made with the same ink. I love water soluble ink because I can draw lines and then selectively dissolve them into washes with a brush dipped in water. This ink is one of those that turns into other colours! The line it makes with a pen is a very dark purple, almost black. But golly gee, when water is added, the dried lines dissolve into pinks and blues!! (I’m easily thrilled.) The washes are very unpredictable compared to watercolour, but personally I like that. 

Two new fountain pens. A set of 10 coloured fountain pen inks. A treasure trove! Sketched in 6″ square handmade sketchbook.

This painting was made a few years ago, of an ‘actual’ Santa… in the olden days when Hycroft (and everywhere) used to have Christmas events. I liked the way his hat and hair were on crooked. A bit late for Christmas but here it is anyway. Acrylic on masonite, 16″ x 12″

A delectable treat, an apple crostada from the Blue Hat Bakery/Café at the entrance to Granville Island. Sketch made with fountain pen, watercolour, and a sprinkle of gouache.

He was waiting and waiting and waiting for his dad to arrive, so he could show him ‘the biggest leaf in the world’.

It was from a Bigleaf Maple, which is native to the southern coast of BC. Leaves have been measured up to 60 cm wide and 72 cm long!

He’s not having the best day. Half his head has broken off and is missing.

This was a recent five-day project with a sketch club. The place I chose is a ten-minute walk away: the short boardwalk beside the seawall, near Granville Island, on the south side of False Creek. My method is the same as the one in my previous post: in my small sketchbooks, I prepared the pages in advance with random paint, then made the quick ink sketches on top. Admittedly it’s a bit weird but I enjoy this technique!