B+W Study No. 10

©2013 kristen davis/ studio pano

B+W Study No. 7

©2013 Kristen Davis/ studio pano

I really need to start drawing these in the morning, vs at 11 o'clock at night...

Day 78 - Bullseye

I present my first ever pattern created in Illustrator. Super simple, but yay for new skills!

And, now I've got to go be a good alumnus and root for UofL. Go Cards!!!

Bullseye

Day 76 - Argyle

I have lots of other goodies planned with this design, but for tonight... 

Day 53 - Sweet Branches

Sweet Branches #1

Sweet Branches #2

Sweet Branches #3

Day 50 - Simple Forest, Take 3

One of my favorite motifs, in a coordinating pattern/ color way (aka - a super long and mind-numbing day.) See also - Day 28, Day 32, Day 33 + Day 35.

Simple Forest #3

Day 49 - Sea Leaves

Trying to shake up the color palette a bit, but staying with my 'comfortable' blues and greens. 

Sea Leaves

Day 47 - Leaves

Yesterday, while we were watching the Indiana vs. Purdue game at our local pub, I sketched. (For the record, it wasn't much of a game (Go IU!) and I NEVER leave home without my sketchbook.) 

One of the themes I worked on was a series of lines/ leaves. Here's a bit of a simple pattern I worked out, choosing the color palate first. 

(Truth? The small lines are the happy accident of the spiral from my sketchbook scanning along with my drawings, repeated several times.)

Leaves

Sketch a Day - Day 45

Short and simple. 

Simple Tree

Sketch a Day - Day 44

Here's something a little Valentine-y, without being too much.

Heart Bits #1

Heart Bits #2

Heart Bits #3

Sketch a Day - Day 43

Example of what a simple line drawing of a branch with dots can morph into...

Branch Beatles

Sketch a Day - Day 35

Super simple - continuing the theme of Day 32 - 

Snow Covered

Sketch a Day - Day 34

I'm finding that my style often involves lots of white space... perhaps  the simplicity is to counteract the crazy schedule I have?? : )

Lavender in Periwinkle and Mint

Sketch a Day - Day 28

Exploring some new sketching styles - these inspired by a bit of old matchbook cover art. 

Trees

Sketch a Day - Day 25

So, I guess this is turning into 'Pattern a Day'...

Citrus Petals

Sketch a Day - Day 24

A little abstract painting experiment for your Thursday evening - inspired by Alexander Calder.

Free Form

Sketch a Day - Day 20

A little 'red', 'white' and 'blue' in honor of the inauguration festivities.

Earth Mashup

Sketch a Day - Day 19 and an Exhibit Trip

A few months ago, I happened to catch a documentary on KET featuring Gray Henry. At the time I wasn't familiar with her, or her work, but I was intrigued by the subject matter: Virginia Gray Henry Blakemore has spent her life immersed in interfaith relations. She has lived an international life with residences in the Middle East and here in Louisville and has studied with some of the world's most gifted religious. The more I watched, the more fascinated I became.

Last week a story by Insider Louisville caught my eye: Ms. Henry would be displaying her collection of Middle Eastern textiles, jewelry and artifacts at the Hite Art Institute at (my alma mater) the University of Louisville. Called “Culture and Spirituality in the Traditional Arts of North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia”, I immediately made plans to attend.

I've always had a fascination with Middle Eastern religions, architecture and the culture in general. And this exhibit did not disappoint. Rich textiles hung from the walls, beautifully decorated tunics hung from the ceiling and the amazingly intricate jewels... It was eye-candy for sure. 

I managed to snap two shots with my iPhone, but felt awkward doing it - the gallery seemed to exude reverence. So, instead I pulled out my trusty sketchbook and let my pen take the 'pictures'. I was completely fascinated by intricacies of the metalwork, the colors, the stitching... oh the stitching. 

Here's a few rough sketches:

If you're interested in watching the documentary on Ms. Henry, KET's website shows it's next airing as 4pm on January 23rd.

Sketch a Day - Day 16

Sketch a Day - Day 15

Took one of my sketches from Day 3 and turned it into a placement pattern. 

 A Dandy Quote