Making gifts gets me going on any day so I am off to drop these in the mail box.
Sketching, Illustration, Design and Everyday Life.
Copyright by © Nina Khashchina except where noted.
What is on my table?
* Timer. This is one of the main wisdom of my life: time needs to be measured and recorded. I use the times when I am on the roll, I use it when I am in a rut. Here is how it works: turn it on - just for 5 minutes if that is all you can or all you have - and do something without interruption, without switching to other things, without questioning. Then do it again. Especially useful in the current situation.
** A little while ago I realized that I love my materials and hoard them a bit but don't use them as much as I could. As a result, I do not get as much joy out of them and feel guilty for spending money and for taking space and time on picking them. But if I get my joy out of them - there is no guilt and there is art. Here is my current solution: I created these two boxes. I put all my pens in box number one. And after I drew with a pen I would move it to box number two. This way I started rotating through all my pens, realized that some I can let go because I don't want to come back to them but others I love and I forgot about some of my pens completely! Now I go through everything in box #1 and then move all the pens out of #2 into #1 and start all over.
I am working on somewhat similar solutions for other materials - I will try to take a picture soon.
Weekend or not?
One of the interesting things for me to figure out is how to differentiate weekdays from the weekends while we all are cooped up in the house all the time.
To make a weekend different I decided to not follow the schedule at all and instead of a walk around the block we went to a special place on both days - a bit further. Also - cooking something a little more special was helpful.
I sketched with just ink during the walk. Park was filled with people and everyone standing / looking at birds or just hanging there took too much space on the path for others to pass safely so added color at home.
Drawing mess on my table is one of my long-standing traditions and taking a few minutes to do this helps me to start doing things - whatever needs to be done. Motivation comes from the action - and just putting pen on paper and recording whatever is the first thing I see is the way I go.
All in all, it worked and the weekend was different. But on Monday I found out that switching back is not that easy :)
To make a weekend different I decided to not follow the schedule at all and instead of a walk around the block we went to a special place on both days - a bit further. Also - cooking something a little more special was helpful.
Drawing mess on my table is one of my long-standing traditions and taking a few minutes to do this helps me to start doing things - whatever needs to be done. Motivation comes from the action - and just putting pen on paper and recording whatever is the first thing I see is the way I go.
All in all, it worked and the weekend was different. But on Monday I found out that switching back is not that easy :)
Today's spread from my sketchbook: lists, schedules and drawing the same thing over and over.
I always treated my sketchbook as a diary, a place where I pay attention to my life. These days are not different but with more observations about myself.
I also noticed that I return to the same sketch more or sketch the same subjects many times (I often do this - but today I scheduled breaks in my workday around drawing this cyclamen).
And I make lists - things that I need to have in my day to feel that is was a good one. Things that I have to remember to do when this is over. etc.
I also noticed that I return to the same sketch more or sketch the same subjects many times (I often do this - but today I scheduled breaks in my workday around drawing this cyclamen).
And I make lists - things that I need to have in my day to feel that is was a good one. Things that I have to remember to do when this is over. etc.
Spot the differences?
How did my "ONE WEEK 100 PEOPLE": Sketching Challenge (March 9-13, 2020) go.
Well, this year I was prepared (here is my plan).
But things didn't go as I planned.
And I did draw over 100 people but I cannot share quite a few of them. I knew that would be the case and planned to draw way more. But as coronavirus spread, the world around me was getting smaller and smaller and fewer and fewer places were available for sketching and more and more things had to be done before the inevitable shutdown of all the normal life.
So - here are a few of the 100 people:
Why I cannot share some of my sketches?
Those who follow my blog for some time probably noticed that there are no more sketches of the family members. This happened as per their request. I am drawing them daily but no longer making those sketches and notes public. (This means that I will not be posting a lot of things about my time during the quarantine - but I am thinking as to how to go about it).
Here is an example:
And I am very grateful for those who video chat with me regularly and are OK with me sharing these sketches (these people are also known as my endless supporters - my parents :)
But things didn't go as I planned.
And I did draw over 100 people but I cannot share quite a few of them. I knew that would be the case and planned to draw way more. But as coronavirus spread, the world around me was getting smaller and smaller and fewer and fewer places were available for sketching and more and more things had to be done before the inevitable shutdown of all the normal life.
So - here are a few of the 100 people:
Why I cannot share some of my sketches?
Those who follow my blog for some time probably noticed that there are no more sketches of the family members. This happened as per their request. I am drawing them daily but no longer making those sketches and notes public. (This means that I will not be posting a lot of things about my time during the quarantine - but I am thinking as to how to go about it).
Here is an example:
And I am very grateful for those who video chat with me regularly and are OK with me sharing these sketches (these people are also known as my endless supporters - my parents :)
My Life Under Coronavirus Quarantine.
These are unusual times. I thought that as someone who worked from home for many years now I will just continue doing what I usually do and will have an advantage of everything being "as usual" for me.
But as I found out it is not so.
But as I found out it is not so.
- Kids are home all the time;
- Parents are home all the time;
- Whole Bay Area is under a "shelter in place" order (meaning you leave home for essential business only and to get some fresh air. But should stay 6 feet (2 m) away from other people);
- The discipline of not checking the news, email and social media is down;
- Worry about relatives, friends, and the world, in general, is up;
- Ability to concentrate or tolerate weather is down;
- Hypochondria (as well as suspicion about every cough anyone produces) is up;
Sketching disasters (or not so much)
Last week was filled with sketching disasters - which turned out to be not so much of disasters as experiments :)
On the first day, I forgot my tube of white gouache. But I sketched a pink tree and some single flowers too.
On the second day, I forgot my palette with actual paints and had only my mixing surface with me - on which I had some leftover paint mixes (quite a bit as I found out). I sketch another plum tree in bloom.
On the third day, I went running with my pocket gouache kit (dry gouache set, pen, red and blue pencil, and waterbrush) and found out that my waterbrush is empty (it was wet enough for one change of color basically) and then my pen ran out of ink.
On the fourth day, I forgot that the new ink in the pen is water-soluble! And I had only a mini watercolor kit (no gouache to fix mistakes!). So I looked at a clear, colorful sunset I produced a dirty gray sketch.
On the first day, I forgot my tube of white gouache. But I sketched a pink tree and some single flowers too.
On the second day, I forgot my palette with actual paints and had only my mixing surface with me - on which I had some leftover paint mixes (quite a bit as I found out). I sketch another plum tree in bloom.
On the third day, I went running with my pocket gouache kit (dry gouache set, pen, red and blue pencil, and waterbrush) and found out that my waterbrush is empty (it was wet enough for one change of color basically) and then my pen ran out of ink.
On the fourth day, I forgot that the new ink in the pen is water-soluble! And I had only a mini watercolor kit (no gouache to fix mistakes!). So I looked at a clear, colorful sunset I produced a dirty gray sketch.
NEW CLASS (USk 10x10 series)
Here is more information about all the classes:
The 10x10 Urban Sketching Workshop Series 2020
Class: People Alive!
Instructor: Suhita Shirodkar
Date: Saturday, 30th May, 2020
More info and Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
Class: The Dance of Line and Color
Instructor: Virginia Hein
Date: Saturday, June 6, 2020
More info and Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
Class: Sketching and Sharing Your Travel Moments
Instructor: Bill Russell
Date: Saturday, June 13, 2020
More info and Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
Class: Umbrella Perspective
Instructor: Paul Heaston
Date: Saturday, June 20, 2020
More info and Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
Class: Travel sketchbook: How to tell the stories of your trips near and far
Instructor: Oliver Hoeller
Date: Saturday, June 27, 2020
More info and Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
Class: Watercolor Sketching in the Golden City
Instructor: Rob Carey
Date: Saturday, July 11, 2020
More info and Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/watercolor-sketching-in-the-golden-city-tickets-98814780669
Class: Hacks for Sketching Faces
Instructor: Laurie Wigham
Date: Saturday, July 18, 2020
More info and Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
Class: Wearing Colored Lenses
Instructor: Farah Irani
Date: Saturday, July 25, 2020
More info and Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
Class: Sketching With Watercolor, Outside the Lines
Instructor: Richard Sheppard
Date: Saturday, August 1, 2020
More info and Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
Class: Being Transparent and Opaque: Add gouache to your watercolor sketches
Instructor: Nina Khashchina
Date: Saturday, August 15, 2020
And here is a PDF with all the information about all the classes in one neat package:
ONE WEEK 100 PEOPLE: Sketching Challenge (March 9-13, 2020)
I will be taking a part in the One Week 100 People Sketching Challenge (#oneweek100people2020) which is hosted by Marc Holmes and Liz Steel. I've done it before but last year I failed to complete it so I hope to do better this March 9-13th.
Here is how I am getting ready:
I made a list of my personal guidelines:
1. Stick to the same materials through the whole series but have a backup if suddenly need to change an approach. But be flexible - use other materials if you feel inspired or there is nothing else available - don't be a slave to your original choices.
2. Prepare all materials beforehand.
3. Make materials easy to carry with you always so that you can contribute even during an unplanned slot of time.
4. Have a list of places where you plan to sketch and plan time in your day when you will be in that place.
5. Have a list of things you can concentrate on when sketching people.
Here are my options for the materials:
- limited palette gouache - tube or two in a pocket
- pentel pocket brush pen - think about the paper!
- pencil and creamy paper - limit colors
- liquid watercolors - limit palette
- gray ink (flowy) and black felt nib pen (control) - duotone
- completely crazy brush and ink, large paper size
Here is how I am getting ready:
I made a list of my personal guidelines:
1. Stick to the same materials through the whole series but have a backup if suddenly need to change an approach. But be flexible - use other materials if you feel inspired or there is nothing else available - don't be a slave to your original choices.
2. Prepare all materials beforehand.
3. Make materials easy to carry with you always so that you can contribute even during an unplanned slot of time.
4. Have a list of places where you plan to sketch and plan time in your day when you will be in that place.
5. Have a list of things you can concentrate on when sketching people.
6. Make a calendar where you can mark how much is done each day - cross for each of 10 sketches.
7. Schedule time to share your progress day-by-day with others.
8. Add these sketches (all of them as a single book o the best ones you choose) to the main sketchbook after the end of the challenge.
Here are my options for the materials:
- limited palette gouache - tube or two in a pocket
- pentel pocket brush pen - think about the paper!
- pencil and creamy paper - limit colors
- liquid watercolors - limit palette
- gray ink (flowy) and black felt nib pen (control) - duotone
- completely crazy brush and ink, large paper size
- iPad and Procreate or Fresco
- Pull a pen out of the bag at random and just go with it
Here is a list of places where I plan to draw people:
Here is a list of places where I plan to draw people:
- Library
- Cafe
- Park (Tennis and basketball courts, dancing elders circle, playground)
- Swimming pool
- Evening TV
- Video/Classes online
- Museum
- Doctor's office
- Video calls with people
What to concentrate on (one a day or do one from each in every day?)
- faces
- gestures
- crazy fast moving bodies
- whole figures or parts (hands, feet, hair)
- groups of people
- sketch the place, add people later
What to concentrate on (one a day or do one from each in every day?)
- faces
- gestures
- crazy fast moving bodies
- whole figures or parts (hands, feet, hair)
- groups of people
- sketch the place, add people later
Let's see how this will go!
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