Father’s Day

These architectural drawings are done in pencil and watercolor, respectively.  Working with realism and perspective is fun, in a meticulous sort of way.  There’s a great method for perspective Brian Stelfreeze teaches that, if you get it, makes it so much easier.  I once put together a short tutorial explaining it – I may put that here one day.  The first is my Dad’s New Hampshire home.  The original house  (on the left) was built in the late 1700’s, with additions and updates made over the centuries, all of which have maintained the integrity of the house.

Peacock Brook Farm homestead, New Boston, NH

These will look familiar to a handful of people out there.

The second piece is a gouache wash with a marker brush. It’s a look I’ve been fond of for some time.  I enjoy the contrast of the colors with a thick, painterly contour line.  The style works especially well with still life and figural pieces.  This is the first time I’ve used it for anything else.

Rockland Breakwater Light on Penobscot Bay, Rockland, ME

The Rockland light is overlooked by the Samoset Resort, within walking distance of the golf course.  Look familiar?

Happy Father’s Day, everyone.

Castles in the Sky

This is watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, and marker.  I did it quickly over the course of an evening.  It’s an image from a story that comes from  a dream I awoke from a couple of years ago.  The story is incomplete, but what I have of it is a handful of images still rattling around inside my head.  This is from the very beginning of the story, and it’s the only part of it I’ve put down on paper.  Note the T.V. aerials.

I like creepy illustration.  All the best stories have a little bit of scare in them.

And to think that I hadn’t even heard of Bishop’s Castle when I did this piece.   Yes, I had just gotten my shipment of Girl Scout Cookies, and was contentedly munching on them as I was working on this.  No, that’s not supposed to be Dora.