Month: December 2017

Ink, Sketches / Drawings / Paintings

:: -21 celsius ::

by Jane Hannah9 Comments on :: -21 celsius ::

Well it is -21 celsius at the moment here and warmer than yesterday as it reached -27C last night… The cars are having trouble starting too, can you imagine? We went for a very small walk this morning and Pyper our Golden Retriever was glad to get back home… a first for him that is sure. This weather is perfect for an informative and long post!

A bit on inks on this cold day. There is a big difference when deciding to buy inks for writing or drawing with a fountain pen. I mostly draw with fountain pens, some inexpensive such as the Platinum Carbon and some expensive ones too such as my newly acquired Pilot Falcon SEF fountain pen.

I need to use a good quality inks that are waterproof as I like finishing up my drawings with watercolours… thus with water. If I use non waterproof inks, the inks will bleed and sometimes that effect is what I want, as you can see in this post. However I prefer to have my lines retain their solidity, so I like using waterproof inks. In Canada not many companies seem to carry the good quality fountain pen inks that are waterproof so I usually buy my inks at Jetpens.com or Gouletpens.com. Both are good reliable companies. When I first started with fountain pens I used to buy Noodlers’ bulletproof inks and the term bulletproof means waterproof… and there is a very informative page on Jetpens.com that talk about the differences in Noodler’s inks. THEN I tried De Atramentis Document Inks and ooooh lala — fell in love with this ink immediately. This ink glides and does not clog my pens and you can mix these inks together to make your own custom-made colours. I am waiting for a De Atramentis Document Brown to arrive so that I can mix it up with my Document Blue which will give me a dazzling grey colour. If you wish to peruse a very good blog on this matter, check Jane Blundell’s blog right here. I also buy a “dilution” bottle that De Atramentis sells via Gouletpens.com and I add a few drops of the dilution into my ink just in case. It keeps the ink very smooth running, albeit a bit longer to dry.

Totally forgot to mention about ink converters so my next blog will talk about that.

Paper: Moleskine Sketchbook 5″x8″
Fountain Pen: Pilot Falcon SEF
Ink: De Atramentis Document Black + Dilution 10 drops
Location: Rigaud, Québec, Canada

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Sketches / Drawings / Paintings

:: All you need is love ::

by Jane Hannah9 Comments on :: All you need is love ::

“All you need is love.
But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” 
― Charles M. Schulz

On a cold and snowy day out here in the woods and listening to the Vince Guaraldi Trio, who composed and arranged the Charlie Brown songs, you can’t help but feel hopeful with this music. The perfect music for playing when your guests arrive on this celebrating day.

Painting, Urban Sketching

:: Happy Holidays :: Joyeuses Fêtes ::

by Jane Hannah10 Comments on :: Happy Holidays :: Joyeuses Fêtes ::

A Christmas Song
     Once in Royal David’s City
Stood a lonely cattle shed
Where a mother held her baby
You’d do well to remember the things he later said
When you’re stuffing yourselves at the Christmas parties
You’ll just laugh when I tell you to take a running jump
You’re missing the point I’m sure does not need making
That Christmas spirit is not what you drink
     So how can you laugh when your own mother’s hungry
And how can you smile when the reasons for smiling are wrong?
And if I just messed up your thoughtless pleasures
Remember, if you wish, this is just a Christmas song
— Jethro Tull

Have a wonderful holiday with your family & friends.
Joyeuses fêtes à vous et à votre famille & amis -)))

Paper: Travelogue Sketchbook
Watercolours: New Gamboge, DS Pyrrol Scarlet, MG Ultramarine, WN B. Sienna
Calligraphy: Dr. Ph.Martin’s 29H Crimson Lake
Location: Rigaud, Québec, Canada

#urbansketching, #watercolour, #rigaud, #holidays, #fêtes, #rigaud

Sketches / Drawings / Paintings

:: Shortest day of the year ::

by Jane Hannah6 Comments on :: Shortest day of the year ::

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
     Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though; 
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
     My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
     He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
      The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
— Robert Frost

Robert Frost’s poem is one of my favourite ones of all time and so appropriate for this time of year. Today is the shortest day of the year and also the longest night in my neck of the woods, and this gives me much pleasure! To think that tomorrow the days will get longer fills my heart with renewed hope.

I received a Pilot Falcon Fountain Pen with a Soft Extra Fine Nib yesterday in the post and drew this to test it out, and oh by God this is a perfect one!!! The nib is flexible and if I press just a little bit, the ink flows through the twine with great ease… a totally wonderful feeling. So here is my test drive of the day, drawing my husband’s newly built little shed (that ended up being quite big actually).

Fountain Pen: Pilot Falcon SEF
Ink: Iroshizuku, colour kon-peki
Location: Rigaud, Québec, Canada

 

Painting, Sketches / Drawings / Paintings, Watercolour

:: Paroles de Migwetch ::

by Jane Hannah11 Comments on :: Paroles de Migwetch ::

Si la vie était dure je jure
que je ne l’ai jamais su
Je n’ai de regret que celui de mon âge
et ce jeune cœur de moi est intact
Le mal qu’on m’a fait est écrit dans le sable
et le bien est gravé dans le roc
Souffle ce vent de haine
ma peau est feuille de chêne
Je suis si seule parfois
parfois si souvent
souvent toujours
Je ne serai plus l’architecte des nuages
ni de vos existences
Vos beaux yeux noirs déposés sur mon visage
comme une récompense
J’irai rejoindre sous la feuille
mon bien-aimé
si doux celui
qu’un jour m’a dit
Pour toute la vie
— Richard Desjardins, partie de la chanson Paroles de Migwetch

I went to visit my 92 year old Mom today and as usual she was in very good spirits. She seems to have adjusted very well to her new residence on Dufferin Street in Valleyfield and enjoys the company of her girlfriends. She keeps telling me that she has a 19-year old boyfriend — always laughing out loud as she tells me… and I almost faint every time that she says so! Of course this is a joke! This painting is on the backstreet to where I lived for 9 years with my young husband… very good memories of those days gone by…

When I scan my paintings it (Epson) seems to dull the colours a bit and I always want to have the scan look as much as possible to the real painting. So the steps that I take in Photoshop are the following.
a) I scan at 300 dpi for my high resolution image;
b) I then do –> auto tone –>auto contrast –> auto color” which gives me good results, even though the colours become too vibrant
c) I then open –> Layer –> New adjustment layer –> Levels and then I move the mid-adjustment gamma to 1.15 instead of the mid value of 1.0
d) I also open –> Layer –> Color Balance- -> where I put the yellow slider to +0.15 and the red slider to +0.15. This combination seems to work well for most paintings that I do, except for the black and white ones of course.
d) I save my image –>international date.paint subject.myname.jpg
e) I flatten the image and then resize the resolution to 100 dpi;
f) I save again adding –>loRes add the end of the filename and this is the one that I post.

I am listening to the music of Rectify on Spotify, a TV show that still resonates with me!

20171210-behind-Maden-Valleyfield-jane-hannah-loRes

Paper: Travelogue Sketchbook 8″x8″ #22
Watercolours: DS Q. Gold, DS Pyrrol Crimson, MG Ultramarine, DS Raw Sienna, WN Burnt Sienna
Fountain Pen: Platinum Carbon Desk
Ink: Noodlers Lexington Grey
Reference photograph taken in Valleyfield

 

Sketches / Drawings / Paintings

:: Silver teapot ::

by Jane Hannah6 Comments on :: Silver teapot ::

Je te promets le sel au baiser de ma bouche
Je te promets le miel à ma main qui te touche
Je te promets le ciel au dessus de ta couche
Des fleurs et des dentelles pour que tes nuits soient douces
— Johnny Halliday

In France the musical idol Johnny Halliday, the French Elvis, has just vanished and his words were tender and the country is in mourning.

I have sent my marks to the students so now I can start enjoying my time off. What better way than to draw one of my Mum’s beautiful silver teapots? It has a grungy look as I drew this last night while watching TV and my husband kept saying to me: “Look Jane, you’re going to miss out on what is happening…” and lo and behold, I have no clue as to what the TV show was about — LOL -) He was right, but I was concentrating on the beautiful reflected lights of the teapot!

Paper: Travelogue Sketchbook 8″x8″ #22
Watercolours: DS Q. Gold, MG Mineral Violet & MG Ultramarine
Fountain Pen: Platinum Carbon Desk
Ink: DeAtramentis Document Black Ink
Location: Rigaud, Québec, Canada
#teapot, #watercolours, #drawing, #sketchbook, #ink, #PlatinumCarbon, #DeAtramentis

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Ink, Painting, Watercolour

:: A long sigh ::

by Jane Hannah13 Comments on :: A long sigh ::

IN AND OUT
The dog searches until he finds me upstairs,
lies down with a clatter of elbows,
puts his head on my foot.
Sometimes the sound of his breathing saves my life
— in and out, in and out;
a pause, a long sigh….

Tuesday was my last day of classes, Wednesday I started correcting, today we had our last department meeting of the semester and tomorrow I am still correcting… however, I feel free and that I can start breathing again. Cegep teaching is a weird field, as you are juggling with over 100 students, preparing your courses, correcting your students and of course teaching… I calculated once that I was  correcting over 2000 times per semester… something that I am not overjoyed to know! and on top of that dealing with administrative requirements, deadlines, dealing with software issues and all of these young beautiful people that are dealing with their own issues on top of that… lahdiladah! Can you tell that I am “very” happy to be done? So here is a small flowerpot that I have in my house that I just painted to commemorate all of this! Yeah!!!

Paper: Moleskine Sketchbook Watercolour
Watercolours: Q. Gold, Q. Rose & Cerulean Chromium
Painted in Rigaud, Quebec, Canada
janehannah.com
#sketchbook #watercolour #flowerpot #painting

Ink, Sketches / Drawings / Paintings

:: Vir et mulier facies ::

by Jane Hannah4 Comments on :: Vir et mulier facies ::

Follow your passion
it will lead you to your purpose.

Drew these two faces last night while watching TV and not really concentrating on what was going on the tube. Really enjoyed drawing the flowing lines and couldn’t stop. From my imagination. Enjoy some latin -)

Paper: Moleskine Sketchbook
Fountain Pen: Platinum 3776 EF
Ink: DeAtramantis Document Black
Location: Rigaud, Quebec, Canada
#faces, #drawing, #ink, #imagination, #Moleskine Sketchbook, #sketch

Sketches / Drawings / Paintings

:: Little XMas Tree ::

by Jane HannahLeave a Comment on :: Little XMas Tree ::

“If creativity is a habit, then the best creativity is the result of good work habits.
They are the nuts and bolts of dreaming.”
(Twyla Tharp)

Today is the full moon and it promises to be a beautiful night as the skies are clear out here on Rigaud Mountain. We put up our Christmas decorations today and this is one of our little trees that is standing on a small table.

I drew this in my favourite “drawing” paper which are Moleskine Sketchbooks… the paper is just fabulous for drawing, especially with my favourite fountain pen of all times, the Platinum 3776 EF. The paper has some type of glaze on top of it which makes drawing on it as if I was drawing with butter… hum… so cool -) However as it is fabulous for drawing, it is not as fabulous for painting! When you put watercolour paints on it, the paint stays “on” the paper instead of being absorbed… and sometimes you just have to scrub it in, which gives it a grungy look, which I sometimes like. An artist in Scotland, Will Freeborn, specializes in painting in Moleskines.

Paper: Moleskine Skethchbook
Fountain Pen: Platinum 3776 EF
Ink: DeAtramentis Document Black
Location: Rigaud, Québec, Canada