Personal Style

I don't have one yet, not completely that is. I have, what I like to call, my whimsical figures, my life drawings, and just fun doodle sketches. I strive for the realism, but am constantly attracted to the more exaggerated forms and likeness.
So here's to still figuring things out,  and here are a couple of recent sketches that physically show my love of every form of style. :)

Experimenting with Digital Art

Just a little peek into what I've been trying to do, learning how to get around with a bamboo tablet I'm borrowing. Here's my process examples from the last couple of days.

Thanks for your patience!

some ink sketches for today

Medium: 0.05 permawriter II ink pen

(sorry that the quality of the pictures are spat, they were taken with my tablet :)

what's been happening...

 It's autumn...  which is just SO crazy...  but colors are beautifully stunning...  even though every thing is dead... O.o

I really, really wish I had more to show with my time absent from most of the computer world...  but first seen stars are not always reliable.  So,  here is just a few peeks into my...  for lack of more creative word:  life.

It always amuses me how many times you have to do drafts before final outcome.

 Reference photos from my grandparents woods,  so many amazing- lovely,  gnarly trees!!!

 :) my absolutely favorite kind.

I found that you can draw on guitar picks,  as long as it's not a glossy cover. Now,  to find some without logos and half of my friends Christmas gifts completed! ;)

Hat-tip (and big high five) to anyone who can recognize my inspiration for my pumpkin. (maws- hahaha! )



And, guess that's it folks.  It is now tomorrow and I have to work  in the early morning (but not in my sketchbook...  sadness), and then am going to see Fiddler on the Roof at the theater house with my sister.  Can't wait.
I'll leave you with this illustration of my rice maker...  just days before it went to kitchen appliance heaven.
(this is a totally correct drawing in the anatomy of it by the way,  not making any of this up: )

Much love!




Stuck in my head at moment:  "This Kiss " feat: Alex Day and Carrie Fletcher  :)

Ocean inside me

Medium: 2B

Funny thing about this is that when I got up the nerve to show some of my family this picture, I warned them that it was a little abstract (They always grimace when the "A" word is mentioned... and I used to as well... but now I have found my appreciation for the abstract as well as the fine art. I don't judge them together because you just... can't), and my dad nodded at me and took this sketch and looked at it. And looked, and looked and looked...
To be honest, I got a really, ton, a lot but mostly little-ish nervous. =)
He finally said that, yes, it was abstract, but he could see it now, "you're looking out of a cave!"
*facepalm*

Oh well. I tried. (and if it's not just my lovable family and I truly need to work more on this, it's a figure with the ocean inside it... =)
All that said, when I said that I had to get my nerve up to show to my family, I feel like I should explain. I love my family, and they love looking at whatever I show them.
My only hesitation is that I sometimes don't believe them (does that sound bad - hopefully you can understands what I mean=)... and lots of the time I just want the hard truth ("you need to work more on this!").
There are times when all I want to do is hide up in a hole and draw and paint and not show anybody!
I sometimes hesitate (who am I kidding, I hesitate every time!) whenever I show/post a drawing/painting... I'm not afraid of harsh critics (I can only dream of them), rather, I'm afraid of myself... of what sort of monster I'll become if I keep showing people, and they "ooo" and "aahhh" over my work, say it's pretty or whatever... I get scared that I'll just stop. Right there. That praise alone will get good enough for me (and my pride, my horrible, nagging pride will get the better of me, has in the past so I don't doubt it will in the future. By God's grace alone I stand).
I don't know... I'm sometimes hope I'm just overeating in my head... but other times, I think I'm making sense (sort of, in a rambling kind of way I guess).
If you've read this- I'm impressed... (I don't even know if I would have!)

Anywho - Happy Sketching everyone!

Bravery of the mind is a powerful thing

Medium: HB pencil

Just a quick sketch that I did for a friend. =)

  As I began to draw this, I was thinking about how nervous I am to be starting a class next month. I'm taking a watercoloring class that is both scary and exciting!

Wish me luck!

MUCH love to you all!

Zoo Sketches - Study in animals (2/6/2012)

Medium: 2B pencil

While at the zoo last week with my mom and youngest sibs, I was able to pull away to watch the polar bears at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. It was so amazing, there were two of them, and they were for sure the most active animals I've seen in the zoo in a long time. They were swimming (there was a underwater viewing point) and wrestling (as well as a ground level point) - and later on I got to see them being fed.

All in all it was a good day (warmish - high 50'sF - and sunny) if not for the only low point these two being the only showable pieces.

Blessings friends!

Trails sketch pages

Medium: 2B pencil

Just some ideas for a new blog makeover that will be happening soon. More later.

Day: Three of Seven

Medium: 2H Pencil

I don't usually draw cats/pets. Or post them... But this was the only thing I was able to actually sketch today with trying to deep clean the whole house (stuck inside from the the snow - now it's all melting... drip... drip... drip). So, here it is!!! =)
Hope you all are having a good week - Be Outrageous.

PS
 I would love some of your thoughts on my sketchings. I love feedback and would love to get to know you all better.
-B
PPS
(Some of you will have noticed that I've changed my profile name from my nickname -Libby Libster- to Bethie... Hopefully that won't be too much of an confusion=)

Day: Two of Seven

Medium: HB and no.555 pencils

Being another snow day here - I was inspired to draw this little lady. Early this morning I pulled on my boots, coat and gloves - wrapped my wee brother up in a blanket and trekked out to the barn to feed the critters. I had too much fun walking to and from though. I kept on imaging the story of East of the Sun, West of the Moon tales (there are so many versions) and pretending in my own little mind that I was the maiden and that Gus was my child. We giggled after it over some hot tea inside.

Many blessings on everyone this week - more tomorrow!

Day: One of Seven

Medium:H2 pencil

Well - this is my slightly pathetic excuse for DayONE of my week of daily drawings - I hope to do better in the future days to come.
Today hasn't really been "busy" but it was full. It's been snowing since Sunday morning and we've stacked up a good couple of inches and reported to be more in the coming days, that being said, we've been making sure the house is stocked up for a week without any trips just in case we are unable to leave (Our one truck is a sorry excuse for a vehicles- no joke.), and I also was able to paint with two of the funnest little girls - so sweet. This sketch (I wish the scan turned out better) was inspired by all the dishes I've washed today. Our family dishwasher blew up (literary) about a year ago and the funds and time haven't met together at a time to install one - so! Lib the dishwasher to the rescue! =)

SS: Steampunk chic

Medium: H2 Pencil

Steampunk is awesome - what else is there to say?
It's such a fun style - take anything punk-ish and historical and roll it together, bake for 3-7 minutes... and ta-da! =) I honestly don't dress it myself all that much (more of a hippie/bohemian styler here) but I love to people watch those who do.
I did this sketch some time ago, just for fun.... and I'll release it to the world just for fun as well.

 Enjoy your weekend!!!

Attempting...

Medium: H2 pencil

I've started to notice that my drawings lack action and movement (among other things) and I'm honestly done with that. So, this year is going to be a year of 'movement' and of sketching everyday (I'm going to try and have next week being a post everyday - sketch a day week... thoughts? Anyone else want to do it with me?). This is my first attempt at getting that "action" feel to it. I couldn't begin to say I'm getting there - because I don't feel like I'm am - I haven't even begun to touch at making a realistic human (or in the future - animal) being in movement - but I'm excited for the time when I will.

(Seriously - if anyone else wants to do a post a sketch-everyday with me please comment - I love group things=)

Waiting for sunset

Even though I sketched this out a few weeks ago, it suddenly struck me that it is very much a New Years sketch. Looking to where I'll be going, the questions of what'll happen this year. And everything that comes with something new and exciting.

Happy New YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!

Medium: HB Pencil

I'm actually a little disappointed of this sketch, I had pictured the couple being more mature looking - but it turned out like some teens smooching in the movie theater... oh well.
This is my first "romantic" type sketch, and lets just say I had fun with it - giggled the whole way through it actually. (You can partly see all the notes I put around it, criticizing myself and taking down notes).

Anyhow, I'm posting this because I need to post something, and also this picture reminds me somewhat of the holidays - the way that those in relationships feel, those special moments under mistletoe...? Do people even notice or put up mistletoe?? I wouldn't know... random!

Merry Christmas, one and all!

SS catch up

Medium: general pencil

Here is the nearly finished project that I showed on a Sunday Sketch post a while back. All that needs to be done now is some clean up and adding watercolors to it (which I can't do until I get some more paint=)

Also, this is one of few that I actually name... Consider yourself lucky for seeing with a title. I'm very camera shy. =P

Happy Sketching!

Musician watching commencing...

Medium: HB Pencil

About a week back, I went to a Musician's conference in Redmond, Washington. While there for the weekend, I hung out with super awesome music makers and singers. I got to listen to (and watch!) Paul Baloche, Lincoln Brewster, Norm Stockton, Jonathan Lee, Carl Albrecht, Doyle Dykes and Phil Wickham. If you didn't recognize any of these names - look them up (and Phil Keggy - he was there last year and was AN-MAZ-ING). But with all that said, I didn't really have time to pull out my handy sketch book, but I was able to get this amazing person' (one of the problems with musicians is you can't hardly tell the sex of the person from the back...=P) style. Long overcoat, beanie, scarves, colorful skinny jeans, messengers bag w/ pins and beat up converse, is the theme of all musicians (and yes, for one of the days I wore my own -very beat up- lighting blue converse high tops =)

(sorry for the poor quality of the photo, cellphones are lousily photo-takers)

Work in progress

(I've updated this project further, see here)

Medium: HB pencil

This is a work in progress (as you already gathered from the title of this post, and most likely looking at my little, unfinished sketch. Also, this is really, really blurry and bland looking, that would be the 7yo cameras falt), I want to go farther with it and add some background to it, as well as complete her hand... any ideas of what I can do with it? I'm thinking now her hand can be touching something (tree... reaching for the sky...)... Something like that. Happy Sketches everyone!


Up Date:
Reignie is on the mend, starting to look like herself again. Thank you all for your kind words and prayers. They are working.

Sunday Sketch

Medium: HB pencil

This is my boho girl I spent giggling with while mornings dawn came upon me a while back. Haven't had so much fun doing a sketch of an adult in a very long time since mainly focusing on things for children. Linking up to Blue Chair Diary's weekly Sunday Sketch get-together of sorts. Never done anything like this but Sophia has the cutest paintings ever and her writings inspire and move me.

Heard this song called You Take My Breath Away by Eva Cassidy. Such an amazing, beautiful voice.