making time

So here's where I'm at with the ink portrait I begun nearly a year ago of an older gentleman who I met in Kathmandu's Durbar Square some time ago. I have taken long breaks in between sessions of maddening stippling, but I hope that I can finish it shortly and move on to another drawing. Still, I must say that I have loved the process of this piece, and I'm not sure if I am ready to complete it.

I expected the artwork to just pour out of me when I moved away from the city and shortened my commute, but things just don't happen that way do they? Time gets filled with some other often meaningless activity (mainly wandering around the internet), and I find myself complaining about not having enough time.

In two weeks I'll be returning to Urfa and Göbeklitepe with my sketchbook and camera.
Let's see if I can make the time for some drawing then.

sometimes progress is slow

In a week I have managed to complete his left eye, and add some minor shading here and there. It's not much, but considering that he is a 61 x 92 cm (approximately 24" x 36") piece of pointillism and I have a full-time job, I think it's ok. I hope to finish most of his face this week, but before I do that, I'm off to the Greek border in search of some geese. The skies are the clearest cerulean, and it would be a shame to stay indoors on this pseudo-spring day. I'm not sure what I'll find out there, but hopefully I'll have some lovely landscape photos for you tomorrow.

resolutions

I'm not a fan of making resolutions, because somewhere as early as March I usually abandon them, letting the associated guilt consume me. I don't like feeling guilty. This year however, I'm going to give making resolutions a try, and hopefully achievable, by keeping things relatively simple:

• More art. I have been neglecting my artwork for far too long, and this has been making me feel bad. You would not believe how many pieces are lying about my apartment in various states of incompletion. 
• More sketching. I used to consider myself a 'compulsive sketcher' (this is claimed in my profile), but have barely produced anything of note in the past two years.
• Revamp my website. I honestly cannot remember the last time I added anything new to it— this is naturally tied to the previous two resolutions.
• More gym. Bodies do strange things in their thirties.
• More reading. A resolution which never works, but at this point, even reading two books this year would put me ahead of previous years. I find this sad, as I used to be an avid reader. Can I blame this on the internet?
• Improve my Portuguese. This cannot be difficult as I can barely complete a sentence— anything would be an improvement! I would really love to be able to hold a complete conversation with Pedro's parents. 
• More blogging. 
• More owls. I really, really want to learn more about owls.

So here's a start at least at tackling the first resolution: I've put several hours of 2014 into finishing my ink portrait of the Nepali man which I abandoned at some point last year. His moustache is now complete, and his nose is almost there. The problem with pointillism is that you work for hours and hours and see little progress, making it easy to get discouraged. Wish me luck!

I hope you all have a harika new year, and that 2014 is full of love, happiness and health. May you meet all of your resolutions!

and then there's this:

A portrait of a Nepali man, that I've also been working on for the past month.
Stippling with a dip pen is both meditative and exhausting— exhausting in a good way.
It's been a rough couple of weeks. Diving into these drawings has been so soothing.

Untitled (so far).
61 cm x 91.5 cm, India ink.

art and laughter

Wandering around Istanbul with nine Italian sketchers for a weekend results in abdomens sore from laughter, tired feet, icicle fingers which struggle to hold pens and brushes, and one big, happiness. There is so much to say, so much I want to share about the last few days, but I am struggling to find the words. We feasted, we clinked glasses, we explored, we invented jokes, and we drew.

I am eternally grateful to Urban Sketchers for connecting me with so many wonderful people over the past three years. Grazie, Italian Sketchers— I'll see you in Rome one day!

Art and laughter.
You couldn't ask for much more.

Stay tuned for the sketches!

the queen of hearts

This is my entry for Moleskine Exchange 55, the Alice in Wonderland exchange.
I decided to give the Queen of Hearts a little makeover. What do you think?

Click on the images if you'd like to see them larger.

ink for my grandfather

I have given my grandparents my left leg— there's a gardenia for my grandmother and now, for my grandad, a Danish paper heart with the words jeg elsker dig across it. This will be a holiday surprise, though somewhat expected, as they are my ninth and tenth tattoos.

Once again, the talented Mr. Emrah Özhan over at Lucky Hands Tattoo Parlour has inked me up. I'll post photos of the finished work once we get there— I still have to add some of my grandad's much loved mamelukærme flowers and add colour here and there.

Lucky Hands Tattoo Parlour
Mısır Apartmanı, fourth floor, İstiklal Caddesi / Beyoğlu / İSTANBUL
0212 251 52 91 

your call is important to us

This is what happens when I get put on hold.

the line

Just a small section of an approximately 28 in x 40 in, or 70 cm x 100 cm drawing. I'm only on my second bottle of ink. I have a looong way to go.

greedy artist

Lately I feel like I've been a greedy artist. Reluctant to let out the images in my head, reluctant to use my hands for anything except holding a book or knitting. Sometimes this happens, and it's not like artist's block— I have plenty of ideas and feel quite inspired— I just don't want to do anything about it. It's a stubbornness, a greed. I want to keep it all to myself.

So today, today is a work day. I've poured myself a delicious cup of Darjeeling tea and I've got my pen and bottle of India ink ready to go. Staring at all these inches of white paper, I am feeling a little discouraged, yet determined to get back to it. Sometimes I want a bit of instant gratification; to be done with a piece in a day or two, but that's just not possible with the kind of work I do. It often takes weeks, months— one piece even took me three years to complete. It was eight feet tall and composed of tiny words in ink.


Alright. Let's get to it.

szaza the hermit

I've been a bit of a hermit lately. I'm in this stay-at-home-with-tea-and-thick-socks-on kind of mood. It's perfectly grey out, the best time to read— and I have fallen way short of my 12 books goal this year— but I've been drawing. I'm working on the largest ink drawing I have ever done, and while I've spent well over 20 hours on it, it's so detailed and large that I can't seem to see much progress. Plus, I'm drawing on the floor since I don't have a board or an easel, which is surprisingly exhausting.

Harika's one year anniversary is coming up in less than two weeks— I can't believe how quickly 2009 flew by! I'll have to mark the occasion with a cake or something. I've never been capable of keeping a diary or journal; I always start out with excitement and philosophical wanderings, then forget all about it. This has been the first time I've managed with relative frequency and dedication to document my life. It's been really fun.

Alright. Back to the drawing.

tarragona dona

This lady of mine will be in Tarragona at Espai Cromàtic for the DONA Showcase from December 12th– February 4th. DONA, Catalan for woman, is an illustration exhibition dedicated to the idea of woman. I am thrilled to have been invited by the good people of Espai Cromàtic to contribute a piece to this pool of talented artists. If you happen to be in town during the next two months, have a stop in the gallery and say hi for me!

My piece, titled "Hide," was drawn in India ink and coloured with touches of gouache. The background was stained with tea. Please click on the image to see it larger.

Espai Cromàtic
c/ Barcelona, 2
43004 Tarragona
Spain

the things i saw on november 17, 2009

Click on the image to see it larger.

sketchy girl

istanbul sketchers

I began an Istanbul sketching group yesterday, creatively called "Istanbul Sketchers." We are a group of people from all sorts of places who live in Istanbul and feel the urge to draw this gorgeous and unique city. We'll meet every week at a different predetermined location, armed with sketchbooks, pens, pencils and various other artsy tools.

On our first outing, we chose to draw some of the vibrant café life in Cihangir, known for its Bohemian flair and interesting characters. While I was working on the sketch below, the guy in the sunglasses surprised me by coming up and asking to see the drawing of him he knew I was doing. I handed over my sketchpad with shaky fingers and a slight pink in my cheeks, hoping I'd get a positive reaction. He showed his friends, who all seemed to approve, and as he handed back the drawing, he confided with a smile that he wished he could have it.


I thought I'd include some sketches I did yesterday while out with my friend E, also in Cihangir. The last drawing was on the metro.


Once we get some more work behind us, I'll set us up with a blog and link us to Urban Sketchers, the international group of sketch artists that I am proud to be a member of. I hope to eventually turn Istanbul Sketchers into something with gallery shows and maybe a published book. Hopefully it'll catch on and more people will join us for an afternoon of drawing and endless glasses of çay.

If you are in the Istanbul area and would like to sketch with us, post a comment and let me know. All skill levels are welcome.

The lovely and skilled hands in the photograph belong to illustrator Jo Hodgkinson.

a few forgotten sketches

Just some sketches I forgot to share— drawn at the Yeniköy Spor Kulübü earlier this month. Please click on the images to see them in greater detail.

pen + paper + precipitation

I love alliteration. I apologise for the crappy photographs, but the drawings are too large for my scanner. I'll keep trying to capture these hairy ladies better.

the benevolent postcard society

I am lucky and thrilled to have been squeezed into the 257 member Benevolent Postcard Society, a marvellous art project founded by Canadian illustrator Lori Langille, whose blog automatism, is a constant read of mine. The goal of The Society is "to bring a smile to its members through the random exchange of postcards from September 2009 to September 2010." Every month, each member mails off a handmade or store-bought postcard to another randomly selected member, with words and images of kindness and inspiration. Once the year is up, all the postcards will be collected and published as a book.

I chose to draw the above postcard for my person, whom I have never met or communicated with, which is quite a funny thing. I used Micron Pigma pens, gouache and Turkish tea on thick watercolour paper. I hope it is enjoyed. I can't wait to get mine in the mail— I haven't a clue who is sending it and where they are— pretty exciting!

Please click on the image to see it larger.

hairy

Two ways to rid yourself of ink— I went through about five Micron Pigma pens on these ladies. Hopefully I can score some more soon, because I feel a series coming on.

Please click on the images to see them larger.

this weekend's sketches

... and now I am off to San Francisco.
... stay tuned.