charcoal, 4″ x 6″

colored pencil on colored paper, 4″ x 6″

We were hiking at the Shoreline Open Space today, watching egrets, ducks and sandpipers of all kinds, a pheasant even, but the best sighting happened when it was too dark for shooting. And by too dark I don’t mean my coffee hands that can fail even in the broad daylight. Slava said he would not even try either. There was a ruffled up small white egret on a tree stump, just a silhouette of her backed by glowing water. She looked totally like an evil spirit who felt safe enough in the dusk to show up while people were still walking around, and a very beautiful spirit at that. Since shooting was not an option, the sketch from memory will have to do.

colored pencil and pastel pencil, 4″ x 6″

pastel pencil, 4″ x 6″

I am on an ongoing search for a travel-friendly substitute for a Rapidograph pen. Not that anything bad ever happened to me, but every time I read a horror story about a Rapidograph exploding during the flight or staring to leak dues to a change of temperature in the car, I start to think that carrying one around is not a good idea. The problem is that each and every alternative is not black enough.

My latest find is a Tombow ABT one with a tip shaped like a brush. This, indeed, is very convenient, but the problem remains – it’s dark gray at best and requires more than one layer if I want black. So the quest for a truly dark pen that is not a Rapidograph continues.

pen and ink, 4″ x 6″

Here’s hoping for more regular sketching in 2011!

charcoal on colored paper, 4″ x 6″

pastel pencil, 4″ x 6″

ink and charcoal, 6″ x 4″

pastel pencil and ink on marble paper, 4" x 6"

I am not sure where I got this paper from, think it’s Michaels… There is no identifying wraps or labels for my stack, and I almost forgot I even had it, but whatever it is it provides a great background for quick sketches.