church doodles

These were created in the waning hours of 2014.

Happy doodling & bonne année!

Easter doodles

Who needs people?

colored pencil
02-29-12
© Rob Dunlavey 2012

detail

A dog enjoying a solitary walk on a brightly lit quay somewhere.

Bonne journée!

Church doodles

Pink and purple doodles done during a church service yesterday. I'd like to think that doodling helps me concentrate better. But, on what am I meditating: the messages coming from outside or my interpretation of them? It's inconclusive but that's the way I like my organized religion: Focus on what you can affect and find some pleasure in it all. I'll leave the bigger questions to God.

The Very Tiny Dragon

This pencil and collage illustration is from my sketchbook: April 22, 2011

Once upon a time there was a dragon the size of an beetle! He lived in and loved a toy castle made from carefully folded candy wrappers in the Librarie Polonaise on Boulevard St Germain. One day, a rich tourist saw the castle and wanted to buy it. The shopkeeper refused because the castle was priceless. The dragon repaid him by guarding the candy wrapper castles and the rare books from the mice who lived in the walls of the old building. In the cold Parisian winter, visitors often remarked on how warm the shop was and how radiant the castle looked. There was not a speck of dust and a Chopin Impromptu could sometimes be heard coming from a tiny upstairs room! The End.

Color Crazy

Here's a little color for a gray day. I love overcast weather (in moderation mind you). I think it makes colors sing just that much more. Don't you feel like a bear emerging blinking from his cave absolutely crazy for color!
It's nice to bring it inside!

 

My daughter is very creative and crafty. She made this "button bouquet"

all tangled up!

Alligators everywhere

I've been seeing a lot of alligators lately!

This ceramic fellow is by Lison and I spotted him here. I think he looks friendly
(but I'm glad I'm not a meal worm or a short-trunked baby elephant!)

© liliféfé 2010

This genial Mama Crocodile is by Maral

© Maral Sassouni 2010

By far, pride of place must go to the prolific French croco-designer and alli-strator Alain Lachartre of Vue sur la ville & Miter Brown. I copied this image from his facebook gallery. In this secret place reside a great many bizarre and wonderful crocodile confections.
© Alain Lachartre 2010

An alarming number of alligators and crocodiles have appeared much closer to home and they appear to have settled in for a long stay. If you can't beat them, I say: join them!

hungry for colors

chance encounter

Just the tip of the iceberg!
Bonne journée!

Gathering Nuts

"Red Squirrel, Lake Waban" colored pencil

Red Squirrel, le lac Waban" crayon de couleur

Fall is definitely here. And we are harvesting different things:

Some sort of flying circus

Une sorte de Flying Circus

Fearless Fox

Le renard intrépide

Birds in flying machines

Les oiseaux dans des machines volantes

We're having a good time over here. I hope you are too.

Colored Pencils

I'm having fun drawing with colored pencils this summer. They're portable and I carry a pocket knife to sharpen them. I have an old plastic tray filled to the top with these pencils; I'll never run out.



I've inherited many different colored pencil sets over the years. Some are quite nice and of high quality. Many are run of the mill cast-offs from my kids. There was a while where for every birthday party we had (the ones where the parents of the birthday guests think of and buy the presents) my daughters received comprehensive "art kits". These sets included magic markers, crayons or pastels, some lackluster watercolor cakes and a rainbow assortment of colored pencils. So, yes it's true, I can count Toys R Us and the local CVS pharmacy among the more respectable art material suppliers (Dick Blick, Pearl Paint and even Sennelier).



Here's a smattering of what my febrile brain came up with in the land of colored pencils last week while I was on a short visit in New York's Adirondack Park:

Stream, Kane Mountain, New York (colored pencil)

Stream, Kane Mountain, New York (colored pencil)

I've found colored pencils to be perfect for these nature studies I've been focusing on this summer. The soft creamy texture seems to be pretty forgiving; I never carry an eraser.

shy alligator (inspired by Alain Lachartre "Les crocos")

Lighter than air machine

I'm liking this diagrammatic style. Perceptive readers will detect DNA from Richard McGuire and Blexbolex. Just giving credit where credit is due.