Abstract Art

A New Pen and Ink Drawing for Spring

We've been getting snow flurries in April this year, so I had to find my inner spring in order to create this drawing.  It's filled with the color, movement and whimsy I associate with spring.

I began by using all my green calligraphy markers, beginning with the darker hunter green, moving through evergreen, spring green, ocean, teal and lime.  I began by making thick horizontal lines across the paper, with the darker colors on the bottom.

Then I went a little crazy with all kinds of shapes, adding a light orange and intense yellow to the mix.  I thought of a field or meadow, adding spots of color and line here and there, including a light brown, a peach, and rose red.

I made the final fine lines with red and black Kohinoor fine point pens.

  2013 Abstract Drawing #11, 11.5" x 9" acid-free inks on archival paper.

Drawing with Colored Calligraphy Markers

Every now and then I take a break from painting and get out my Zigg memory calligraphy markers.  I love the way the line changes from fat to thin as I sweep the marker across my drawing paper.

I have a set of these markers in 48 different colors, so I can play all day with them, creating a fantasy of movement and color. In the drawing below, I began with a dark brown, but soon brightened it up with shades of arange, tan, yellow, and lilac. 

I began this drawing using the wide nib of the marker. Each one comes with two nibs, and the narrower one is great for detail. 

My final lines were made with a Kohinoor fine point black pen.  I used it to outline shapes as well as to add detail and texture.

 

  2013 Abstract Drawing #10, 11.5" x 9" acid free ink on archival paper.

More Work on a New Painting in Blues and Greens

I let this new abstract painting sit for a while before tackling it again.  In my first painting session, I used pthalo green and blue as well as emerald green, light blue, and black. 

In today's painting session, I obliterated most of what was there before.  I began by creating blocks of titanium white with a palette knife.  Using the knife, I continued to add light blue, aqua, and Pthalo blue.

Next, I used a brush to paint the pthalo blue out to the edges all around, forming a dark background.  Then I drew lines in lime green and white to accent sections.  I added some lines in pthalo blue, as well.

Standing back, I liked what I saw.  We'll see if I still do after it sits for a while.

      Painting #182, 24" x 24" acrylic on canvas.

 

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Abstract Drawing in Blue and Green

I began this drawing using the broad nib of a double-tipped calligraphy marker.  I worked with a variety of shades of blue, creating a free-form image with a central focus.  Then I added some aqua and pale greens.

Next I switched to the narrower point of the calligraphy pens to draw closely-packed parallel lines in order to create texture and more densitiy in some of the shapes.  I also used a fine point black pen to outline some of the shapes in the center of the image, drawing the eye toward that center. 

My final step was to fill in some of the areas with a pale green brush pen.

  2013 Abstract Drawing #3, 10.5" x 9" acid-free inks on archival paper.

 

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First Abstract Drawing of 2013

I wanted this first abstract drawing of 2013 to have a celebratory feeling.  I began with shades of green, using the broad nibs of colored calligraphy markers to make sweeping lines from one edge of the paper to the next.

I continued to make broad strokes with yellow, lime, and a yellow-orange.  Then I used the smaller nibs of the markers to draw in more details. 

In the final steps, I drew very fine lines with Kohinoor fine-tipped pens in red and black.  I used these lines to add texture and to outline the inner edge of some shapes.

  2013 Abstract Drawing #1, permanent inks on archival paper.

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New Abstract Drawing in Black Ink on Paper

This abstract drawing I made with black ink on paper reflects a bit of the mood I was in at the end of the year.  Days are short and my mind wanders down circuitous paths. 

This drawing has both light and airy shapes as well as a dark clump of energy at its center.  It is a drawing which says "goodbye" to the old year, but leaves an opening for light in the next.

  2012 Drawing #37, 11.5" x 9" permanent ink on acid-free paper.

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Abstract Art: Painting Vs. Drawing

I often move back and forth betweeen drawing and painting abstract art.  I have tried in the past to create something in a drawing similar to what I've done in a painting.  It's always interesting to see how an idea or image is transformed when executed with a different media: pen and ink versus paint. 

For example, I've done some paintings that give the impression of a meadow with flowers in an abstract way.  I tried to get the same general sense of an abstract landscape in this drawing:

  2012 Abstract Landscape Drawing, 10.5" x 9" acid-free ink on archival paper.

Here's a painting with a similar theme:

  Contemporary Art 2, 24" x 18" acrylic on paper.

The medium may not be the message, but it certainly influences how an idea is communicated. 

New Abstract Drawing in Fall Colors

The fall colors are mostly gone now.  We've had our first frost and snow flurries and continuous cold rain--not many leaves are left on the trees. But the fall colors are still on my mind, and I used many of them in this new abstract drawing.

I began with brown, using the large nib of a Zigg calligraphy marker to make broad strokes horizontally and vertially across the paper.  Then I used this structure as a framework to hang more organic shapes in ovals and circles, adding red, orange and yellow to the mix.

Next I started filling in some of the shapes with lines or cross-hatching, using the narrow nib of the markers.  I also used a Kohinoor fine point black pen and red pen to add texture and outlining to some of the inner shapes.  Finally, I filled in some of the shapes with solid color using brush pens.

  2012 Drawing #32, 10.5" x 9" archival ink on acid-free paper.

 

Another Colored Ink Drawing Made at Art Trail Weekend

In this drawing I began sketching in some shapes with a pale aqua, using Zigg double-tipped calligraphy pens.  Then I made some bold strokes with a deep orange.  I've always liked putting oranges and reds against greens, and that seemed to work well in this case.  I even added some lime green, a stronger aqua, and red.

I like the way this image flows from top left to bottom right.  It also has a strong center with greater detail.  The final lines were drawn with a Kohinoor fine point black pen. 

The good thing about lulls in art trail visitors is the time it gives me to make these drawings.  Typically I'm too busy painting to have time for this.

  2012 Abstract Drawing #24, 10.5" x 9" permanent inks on acid-free paper.

New Abstract Drawing

While I was waiting for people to show up for the Greater Ithaca Art Trail open studios event this past weekend, I worked on some abstract drawings. I began this one in the upper left hand corner using the wide side of a Zigg calligraphy pen. These memory system markers are great for making lines of varying widths, and they come in a large assortment of colors.

From purple, I moved to related colors--red, orange, peach and pink.  I continued to work in a loose manner, with the structure of the drawing moving from the upper left to the lower right of the paper. 

After making the basic design, I used the finer tip of the markers as well as a Kohinoor fine tip black pen to add more detail and definition.

  2012 Abstract Drawing #22, 10.5" x 9" permanent ink on acid-free paper.