asketchaday

SOLITUDE

2012-01-29T15:25:00.000-08:00

Weekends at artist retreat are way too brief. Feels like a real luxury to have the time to look out my window. The clouds were particularly interesting today. Solitude definately brings out my painter's eye.

VALENTINE INSPIRATION

2012-01-26T07:44:00.000-08:00

Not a day for outdoor sketches, but a good day for indoor projects. Stumble across this Connecticut series of colorful cards from studio porto sabbia. I'm going to have to look closer at my Connecticut Ramblings sketches, & see what new designs I can dream up?

WINTER BREAK

2012-01-24T10:05:00.000-08:00

It's been one of those odd winter, mild days in between a few chilly days. After our recent snowfall, it's a real treat to be able to paint en plein air, outdoor.

SNOWY DAWN

2012-01-17T09:57:00.000-08:00

Before I get too tied up with projects & chores, I took time out this morning to watch the sun as it paints the sky.

CHARCOAL & COLOR PENCIL

2012-01-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

Never tried it before. I layer pink color pencil over the chacoal drawing. By rubbing the color pencil over the charcoal, I dont have to use fixative with this charcaol drawing. When my experimental approach works, it's a good day.

GOOD SELLER

2012-01-04T07:48:00.000-08:00

This design has been a good seller at GCU. Thru the magic of the internet, customer as far as Europe & the Orient ordered this card. There's infinite ways of how a new painting come about. For the new year, I thought I would take asketchaday into a new direction. I would devote more time to explain my creative process. A new idea does not always start from my sketchbook, but lots of ideas DO take shape by flipping thru my sketches. My memory is not what it use to be. As long as I sketch it out, the image stays. This painting came about pretty fast. I was invited to a christmas party in Cooperstown a few winters ago. There were tons of early snow that month. Which was why I was painting alot of snowy nocturnes thru my window. I also spend time studying nocturnes of artist like Whistler & Birge Harrison... whether they are famous painters or not, works of others can inspire me. As I approach Shirley's house on top of the hill, the small strip of yellow after glow was dazzling against the dark silhouette of the pines. The xmas lights on the rooftop balance out the composition. By adding the house on top with xmas lights, it makes it more marketable as a license christmas design.

MORNING HIKE

2011-12-30T12:19:00.000-08:00

Bundle up & took a wintery hike this morning. Despite the chill, I enjoy being in nature & taking that inspiration back to my studio.

WINTER SKY

2011-12-26T11:30:00.000-08:00

A grey winter sky hangs over the lonely landscape... muted whites & blues against foggy blue haze.

WINTER SOLSTICE

2011-12-22T15:35:00.000-08:00

happens once a year, WINTER SOLSTICE ... shortest day, longest night!

MAGICAL

2011-12-14T06:45:00.000-08:00

It does not happen that often, full moon shining over snowy landscape. Reason enough to play with my various blue pigments. Finding the right color relationship can translate into a magical tonal landscape painting.

FULL MOON

2011-12-11T13:01:00.000-08:00

Full moon at 7:30 AM, the wonder of a December frosty morning never cease to amaze me.

SNOWSCAPE

2011-12-10T13:39:00.000-08:00

nothing like a bit of snow to turn the winter landscape from bleak to winter wonderland ...

THRU MY WINDOW

2011-12-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

Despite my business, I'm always looking out my window... a landscape doesn't permeate one's being in one day. There's always something I catch that makes me bring out my paints.

CHILLY MORNING

2011-12-02T07:52:00.000-08:00

November has been mild, but we got some chilly mornings...what better time to turn on the overn to warm up the kitchen ... when I find the time, my sketches from my kitchen turn into gift items on ZAZZLE

FEELING PURPLE

2011-11-27T09:28:00.000-08:00

According to my horescope for today, I should use my feelings as my inspiration...kind of accurate, since I've been spending alot of time on meeting my illustration deadline this whole week.

CHALLENGE

2011-11-25T13:16:00.000-08:00

I've been painting forever in various styles & endless different subjects. Painting horses seem to be a subject I avoided. Lots of horse farms near me, so I have no excuse. This sketch is from a reference photo. Trying to understand the shape of a horse has been harder than painting an impressionistic landscape out my window. One should not get too comfortable, I guess this justify spending so much time on this one sketch.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2011-11-23T15:06:00.001-08:00

ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT

2011-11-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

from time spend in charming CONNECTICUT, to the immense solitary views of the Catskill Mountain ... all important part of my artistic development ...

LATE AUTUMN

2011-11-12T12:22:00.000-08:00

landscape remains my principle subject...crystal clarity of a bright, cold late-autumn day ...

NEW DESIGN

2011-11-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

From visiting a farm stand to working up a small sketch, & a little extra magical help from photoshop ... I have a new design! I love creative days.

FALL APPLES

2011-11-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

Montgomery Place Orchard in Red Hook, NY, is a wonderful Fall detour, the farm stand has many heirloom apples...beautiful display, & yummy samples...Just came home with many varieties to eat & draw...

MUTED COLORS

2011-11-02T08:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time again...we got this powerful snow storm over the weekend! No more colorful foliage to paint. The muted blues & whites of a chilly foggy morning at 7AM, makes this a very simple & fast sketch to finish.

THE BIG PUMPKIN

2011-10-25T08:24:00.000-07:00

I'm born in Hong Kong, so Halloween for me is the most unusual holiday. I love everything about it. Especially the inspirations I get around this time of year. Whether I'm visiting a card store or clicking thru GCU, the visual treat is always fun to my artist eyes.

PINK SUNRISE

2011-10-23T14:08:00.000-07:00

just experimental with this new shade of color pencil from Utrecht, the perfect dusty shade to define the colors at 7am ... the pink sunrise glow lasted only 5 min, a touch of soft pastel finish this morning sketch

FALL WEEKEND

2011-10-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

not a day for painting outdoor ... the north wind is coming on strong ... the comfort of MY STUDIO offers me a tranquil place to observe changes in cloud formation, foliage, & the many moods of nature ...

FALL BOUQUET

2011-10-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

sad to see the summer garden colors are behind us, looking forward to fall colors...wonderful weather this fall weekend, lets hope I find the time for some pretty sketches ...

TREE HOUSE

2011-10-05T04:57:00.000-07:00

for an impassioned sketcher & doodler, nothing beats coming upon something so special that it begs me to drop everything to get out my sketchbook...coming upon this magical tree house was a bonus to attending a beautiful country wedding in Vermont...

WEDDING DRESS

2011-09-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

my love of sketching comes in handy for a one-of-a-kind wedding present ... this drawing will also come in handy when I work up some new designs for myweddingcollection

SQUASH

2011-09-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

the beautiful foliage on a vegetable is more paintable than the vegetable itself...

FARMER'S MARKET

2011-09-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

harvest moon was shinning bright this whole week, this is a great time to visit the local farmer's market...endless inspirations, for cooking & painting

END OF SUMMER

2011-09-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

summer is way too short up in the mountain, the hummingbirds are visiting less, they are still at the feeder...but this might be the last time I see any dragonfly in my garden...

SUMMER CREEK

2011-09-02T16:09:00.000-07:00

after crazy Hurricane Irene, our little creek have turn into a roaring river, must respect mother nature...

MORE...

2011-08-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

once again, drawing over a charcoal rub makes it easier...the lines to this sculpture are pretty obvious to my painter's eyes, talent is desire, the rest is practice practice practice...

CHARCOAL

2011-08-25T13:34:00.000-07:00

After trying various mediums, a charcoal rub turns out to be the best way for me to sketch this marble statue at the sculpture court at the Metropolitan Museum. Like everything else, the more you draw, the more you know. It gets easier by choosing the tools to express the image. The wonderful thing is that there is something new to learn no matter how much you already know.

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM

2011-08-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

TIME spend at the Metropolitan Museum is always well spend. At the airy sculpture court, chairs are provided for resting, or a quick sketch... the simplicity of a charcoal rub with a few highlights with a kneaded eraser is all I need for this sketch...

CENTRAL PARK, NYC

2011-08-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

To balance off my immense solitude in the country, I look forward to my breaks in New York City. If one cant be in Paris, NYC is the next best thing for an artist. So many opportunity to observe, explore, & discover. With this sketch, I'm giving my feet a break from too much exploring, once again, using the light & shadow to capture the mood of a Summer afternoon at CENTRAL PARK...while I was sketching, the earth moved in the East Coast!

KEEP IT SIMPLE

2011-08-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

shimmering light & velvety darkness that reveals itself in the hours between dusk & dawn ... the silhouette of the tree trunks is done with a few strokes of PITT 4B graphite, & a touch of pastel to indicate the pond, VIOLA

GOOD LUCK

2011-08-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

a most unusual thing happened this week while I was gardening, a butterfly landed on me...I wonder if this will bring me lots of good luck...whatever the reason, it's reason enough to go into my studio & work up more butterfly designs...

CREATIVE TIME

2011-08-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

LOL...spend all morning trying to stay on top of all these social media stuff, a very frustrating morning... went to the local berry farm to de-stress, baking a rasberry pie might be the only creative thing I do this weekend!

FULL MOON

2011-08-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

Beneath a Full Moon... this watercolor sketch is from my visit to an old friend; since I moved from the Connecticut shoreline area, old neighbors with beach houses come in handy...more opportunity to explore ways to paint water

SUNRISE+POND 3

2011-08-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

well, from abstraction ... I needed to define it more to express this great feeling of peace of a foggy sunrise ...

SUNRISE+POND 2

2011-08-08T11:55:00.000-07:00

same sketch as yesterday ... working from memory, I'm refining it more to be more realistic, something beautiful happened that I did not intend ... with every accident, you make a choice, use it or correct it ... will have to look at this tomorrow

SUNRISE+POND

2011-08-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

continuation of my summer pond series ... I'm taking an abstract approach to this ... at 5:30AM, except for the shape of the pond, it's one big dark shape ...

SECRET POND

2011-08-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

the nature of being an artist is to change constantly... which is why I love quick sketches, I'm free to experiment & explore ... I'm spending more time this Summer with ways to paint water, this sketch happens because I feel like I'm on top of the world while swimming in the pond one lovely Summer morning ... the pond contrast nicely with the dark pines

NOCTURNE REFLECTION

2011-08-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

from a small sketch on July 19.... finally got around to working up a finish

OFF THE HOOK

2011-07-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

"hope your Summer is off the hook!"... that makes a good verse for a friendship greeting card ... being a working artist, one is always in tune to all the possibility ...

SUMMER MAGIC

2011-07-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

fog lingering for the morning ... white tail deer disappear from the flower meadow into the woods ... summer is glorious in the mountain!

HEAT WAVE

2011-07-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

Massive heat wave warning for this weekend in the NorthEast, aside from eating lots of ice cream ... how is everyone coping in this heat wave? I cant bike or garden, this is actually my most creative time.

POND -MIDNIGHT

2011-07-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

cant sleep on these steamy nights, what better time to get my paints out ... I keep all my BLUE oil paints in one box, this tiny sketch happened pretty quickly ... it's just blue on blue

MORNING LIGHT

2011-07-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

this is a good example why a digital camera is part of my art supply, there's no way I can capture the magic on my sketchbook, since the morning light is so fleeting ... this shot will make a wonderful painting one of these days

COOPERSTOWN,NY

2011-07-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

it's been a busy summer so far, LOL, too much time on the computer & no time with my sketchbook... to unwind, I like to spend time on the water... COOPERSTOWN,NY is not close, nor is it too far to be a major painting excursion ... it's always reasuring to know I can still paint

OLD SKETCH

2011-07-09T16:02:00.000-07:00

this is a quick winter sketch from many winters ago... the image just got pick for license, this remains a very funny business... one never knows

CAMERA

2011-07-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

despite these long summer days, sometimes it's just impossible to sit down for a quick sketch, thank goodness for digital camera... a most valuable tool, like everything else, if one does it enough, one becomes good at it... my bouquet from this morning, maybe I'll get around to painting it this week...

PURR-FECT

2011-06-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

"animals are such agreeable friends, they ask no question, they pass no criticisms ..." George Eliot, AND they make for wonderful subjects

CONTEST

2011-06-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

no new sketch for today..but I do get to juggle some Paris sketches to enter this CONTEST...

WHITE BORDER

2011-06-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

days are longer, yet it's still really hard to squeeze in a few good hours of painting....I do get to do alot of editing in my garden today...like a painting, a garden requires constant editing....for a quick sketch of my white border, I zoom in on the abstract shapes of the composition along with the lights & darks

SUMMER SOLSTICE TWILIGHT

2011-06-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

ah...summer solstice, days of splendor & tranquillity ahead of us...to top it off, a magical twilight party for June's 85 birthday...

SHORELINE

2011-06-20T17:26:00.000-07:00

the sunlit paintings of american artist FRANK BENSON sums up summertime for me...

SUMMER BREEZES

2011-06-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

another morning tied to the computer, always find new tips & info on promotion/networking...more things to add to my TO DO list...but for now, sketching on the beach is BLISS

SEASHELL BY THE SEASHORE

2011-06-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

being able to spend time on the beach is definately one of my favorite Summer Delights, love the fact that summer days seemed to stretch forever....other fine things about summer days: collecting seashells to paint...long beach walks, fresh blueberry muffin, clam dig, coastal breezes(for critters too)

MORNING SKETCH

2011-06-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

choosing a career in the arts has not always paid the bills, but by staying open to unusual opportunity that comes along which leads me to many wonderful places I get to paint, has made for an interesting journey...

COUNTRY SKETCH

2011-06-12T07:52:00.000-07:00

rainy summer day...so it's just a good time for a quick pansy sketch...

STRAWBERRY PICKING

2011-06-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

it's strawberry picking season again...aside from the 101 strawberry recipes, I can use one small sketch of the fruit and turn it into many new designs with the magic of photoshop...this was pretty simple: after placing the strawberry sketch on a gradiant layer, click on COLOR BURN> I now have a new border of strawberry combination to play with....

BUTTERCUPS

2011-06-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

between brilliant sunrises & intense sunsets that's outside my studio....time spend infront of the humble BUTTERCUP is very meditative....

OLD DRAWING

2011-06-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

once again, it's time for CATTLE CALL... this time, the request came from a table top company, which is why designs are in square&circular format...presentation deadline is too tight for painting up any new design, but thru the magic of PHOTOSHOP...I can resize & rethink my old illustrations to rework into new designs, almost as fast as asketchaday...

BLOSSOM SEASON

2011-05-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

another lovely cherry blossom has come and gone, Memorial Day Weekend is upon us with NO sign of snow...I guess Summer is here to stay...here's a list of BREEZY BLOGS you might want to breeze thru to get you in the mood for summer time fun...

BACKROADS

2011-05-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

aside from looking out my window for asketchaday, I get to cruise the back roads on my bike...life on the slow lane, all this beautiful outdoor fuses my creative juice...ROSEMARY FARM is about 6 miles from my studio, & DAWN PETRLIK is doing an amazing job with providing home for these rescue horses...it was interesting to catch her recent exhibit at the Mural Gallery, Stamford, NY...to see how the horse farm influences her latest work

APPLE BLOSSOMS

2011-05-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

aside from LILAC, lovely apple blossoms are everywhere...better get a sketch in before I'm tie down to my computer, managing various websites could easily suck up a whole day...

EARLY IRIS

2011-05-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

this early IRIS is a sure sign that Spring is here to stay, looking forward to gathering my lily of the valley tomorrow...

SUMMERTIME

2011-05-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

summertime...and the living is easy...my favorite summer destination is NANTUCKET, so many quaint SEASIDE COTTAGES and so little time....I always come home with lots of new designs....

NEW DESIGN

2011-05-18T04:12:00.000-07:00

From the Lilac sketch yesterday, I decided to work up a finish painting with watercolor..my drybrush technique is one I've been using forever...with a bit of photoshop, this is my new gift design on zazzle...

LILAC SKETCH

2011-05-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

the early blooms of spring bring a WELCOME burst to our garden...a sure sign that winter is behind us, SUMMER is on its way?? ...started sketching with charcoal, then I switch over to watercolor, working with oil seems to do the job...

INSPIRATIONS

2011-05-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

Inspirations to get off the computer & pick up my paintbrush can happen in many ways....I started this sketch because I was reading the GCU newsletter, and came upon this beautiful greeting card by Peggy Ferguson ...which is kind of similar to what's outside my window...so I close my computer & play with paints for the day...I might or might not get to create some new designs from this sketch, it's always about juggling!

HUMMINGBIRD

2011-05-15T04:17:00.000-07:00

years ago, I got this hummingbird feeder that goes on my studio window...now that the hummingbirds are back, I get to study them 6 inches from me...amazing

QUINCE BLOSSSOM

2011-05-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

blogger was down for 2 days, which means less time on the computer and more time painting....to see the quince blossom outside my window is a sure sign of SRING....and the hummingbirds are back...

SEASIDE COTTAGES

2011-05-11T05:48:00.000-07:00

latest summertime designs

SUMMERTIME

2011-05-11T05:44:00.001-07:00

AND THE LIVING IS EASY....nothing beats sketching by the water after our long winter, the deliciously long day offers more hours to create new designs...here's my series of seaside cottages...http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/-SEASIDE+COTTAGE+HOME+SWEET+HOME+GAY+LESBIAN+TRUE+LOVE-greeting+card-775801?pid=775801&aid=134088&ref=cb_card_title

SUMMERTIME

2011-05-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

AND THE LIVING IS EASY...nothing beats sketching by the water after our long winter, the days are deliciously longer, so there's more hours to create new designs...here's my series of summer seaside cottages...

SUMMERTIME

2011-05-11T05:22:00.000-07:00

AND THE LIVING IS EASY...nothing beats sketching by the water after our very long winter....more hours to the day, so it's easy to create more designs....my series on summer time seaside cottages

SUMMER DAYS

2011-05-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

feels like Summer...and the living is easy...with our long, long winters, it's heavenly to be able to be sketching outdoor by the water with the wonderful warm breeze...inspirations for new designs from my summer sketchbook is infinite..my series on summer seaside cottages

STUNNING VISTAS

2011-05-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

after living in the Catskill all these years, I'm still surprise by the stunning vistas & rapidly changing LIGHT & atmospheric effects from my studio window...

BEACH WALK

2011-04-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

when I lived in Connecticut...getting to BLOCK ISLAND http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_Island for a day trip was quite easy and enjoyable...at whatever season

BLOCK ISLAND

2011-04-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

took advantage of the milder climate...and the off season rate on Block Island, R.I., it's always wonderful to have a change of scenery for my painter's eye...I forgot how much I miss the sound of the ocean...

JOY

2011-04-21T16:06:00.001-07:00

bleak kind of a day, sketching away just to cheer myself up....a few sketches later, I came up with the idea of a new set of hand painted wedding cards for Etsy...not sure who will actually see it, but the ability to create something out of nothing remains a JOY

PANSY SKETCH

2011-04-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

picked up some pansy from the local nursery, my painter's eye is very ready for spring and sketching out door....

TROUT SEASON

2011-04-15T13:53:00.000-07:00

I have a creek on my property, along with being a scenic spot, it's stock with trouts...a neighbor just drop off his catch of the day...the rainbow trout is a great fighter, a favorite among fly-fisher people

INSPIRATION

2011-04-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

from baking cupcakes in my kitchen to creating new greeting card design in my studio...all part of my creative lifestyle....

CUPCAKE BREAK

2011-04-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

still too chilly to take a break in my garden...cooking always makes for a much needed break from the studio..

GOLDEN LIGHT

2011-03-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

more golden light from the brilliant morning sun....

WINTER LIGHT

2011-03-25T11:33:00.000-07:00

the weather might still be frightful outside, but the interesting lights & shadows on the mountain from the brilliant sunrise is beautiful...even with a tiny sketch, it's easy to see the element of abstraction that exist in reality....

SILENCE

2011-03-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

the wonderful silence just before dawn....

ANOTHER STORM

2011-03-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

another monday, another storm blowing thru the mountain top..it does not happen that often, I love it when all I need is a blue shade of underpainting & charcoal for a quick sketch...this is exactly what's outside my window...

SUMMER GIFT

2011-03-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

frozen rasberries, summer gift from Shirley...got inspire to make rasberry tart, sketch tart, eat tart, & post tart...some days are amazingly creative

MARCH SKY

2011-03-14T09:49:00.000-07:00

days are getting longer & daylight savings time has just begun, but nothing outside my window shows any sign of SPRING...my 6B PITT graphite really comes in handy

GRAPHITE-6B

2011-03-09T11:22:00.000-08:00

another perfect example of finding a subject that stay still, & having the right tool, for that quick sketch...

MARCH STORM

2011-03-08T02:12:00.000-08:00

another snow storm...quiet time seems to bring on my creative juice...

GRAPHITE

2011-02-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

next to finding a subject that does not move much, the next best thing for a quick sketch is finding the right tool...I have many types of pencil, this new 6B PITT graphite is perfect for this sketch...it's chunky enough to cover big shapes, & the pencil point was perfect for a few detail....with my kneaded eraser shape to a point, it was easy to define the hair's highlights

ESSENCE

2011-02-20T14:31:00.000-08:00

I'm a traditional realist...after doing it for so long, it's nice to gain the discipline to take out, simplify & simplify, to try to keep the essence of the scene rather than painting every detail...

NYC - SUBWAY

2011-02-13T08:11:00.000-08:00

aside from killing time, the subway of NYC provides the perfect time for a few quick sketches...nobody moves around much on the train

PETS

2011-02-08T02:46:00.000-08:00

I forgot how much I enjoy painting pets...with a fine kolinsky brush and watercolor, it's the perfect combination for painting pet's hair, stroke by stroke...