When life gives you lemons, draw them, 11 x 14 inches dry pastels, graphite on paper

"When life gives you lemons, draw them." (Nikki)

"Color! What a deep and mysterious language." (Paul Gauguin)

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Design Inspiration

July 27, 2008

 

14 inch long Flamboyant Tree seed pods from Chapala, Mexico

Flamboyant Tree seed pods, pencil sketch then detailed with digital pen        Flamboyant Tree seed pods, pencil sketch then digital effects        Flamboyant Tree seed pods, pencil sketch then digital effects

 
Wind in the Maples, Kingston, ON, Canada

Wind in the Maples original design sketch, pencil on paper        Maple Keys design, pencil on paper        Maple Keys, scanned design sketch then digital play

My Dad recently gave me a few Art books of his. I remember browsing through them when I was younger. He always left his books out laying around on the tables, intending to plant the “drawing seed” in me, and it worked. One of the books Is about the art of  M. C. Escher. What a mind! You can’t help but flip through pages of art like that and not be inspired.

Eastern Cottonwood, Ottawa, Ontario, CanadaThis week I was also organizing my photos of leaves, seeds, and bark that I took specifically because of their outstanding design. Looking through the books plus my photos compelled me draw a few designs I’ve had in mind for a couple of years. I may paint some large one-of-a-kind cushion covers using a few of the best.
American Elm Seeds/Keys, early Spring, Coppell, TexasThere is no substitute for a good old fashioned pencil, but it’s sure fun to play with the Paint Shop Pro effects, cut and paste, repeat patterns. The drawing combined with computer play have me appreciating Escher’s work so much more. He did not use computers at all.

 

Eastern Cottonwood leaves, pencil sketch then detailed with digital pen        Eastern Cottonwood leaves, pencil sketch then digital effects        Eastern Cottonwood leaves, pencil sketch then digital effects

American Elm Seeds/Keys, original pencil design        American Elm Seeds/Keys, pencil sketch then digital effects        American Elm Seeds/Keys, pencil sketch then digital effects

 

Pecan nuts, Dallas, Texas   Pecans, preliminary design, pencil on paper  Raindrops and Leaves, pencil on paper, scanned, digital play Early Spring rain, Coppell, Texas

Categories: design, digital manipulation, drawings, graphite, inspiration, series, The Majesty of Trees Collection, trees, work in progress | 2 Comments »

2 Responses to “Design Inspiration”

  1. Virginia Wieringa Says:
    August 1st, 2008 at 11:06

    There aren’t enough hours in the day, are there, Nik! I love your energy and wide ranging interests!

  2. Nikkico Says:
    August 1st, 2008 at 11:06

    Hi Virginia, you know it! There are not enough hours in a day. As a creative person yourself, with all the shows you line up one after the other, you must feel the same, I’m sure. Thank you, as always, for your encouragement and support.

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