sketching is not just for the birds

When I learned about the art of drawing with India Ink from a friend while on a hiking & camping trip at Lake Louise back in mid July, I became intrigued!  She showed me her portfolio and the look of that type of art appealed to me.  I put the thought, of trying to put ink to paper, on the back burner for a rainy day. What came instead of a rainy day, was a smoky day where the rating went off the chart.  I already had a mix media sketchbook, I just needed to purchase a few pens with a variety of nib sizes.  After investing a couple of hours of watching tutorials and admiring other art work, I then checked through numerous photos & sketches of my own.  Next came lightly pencil sketching a few of my favourite things on practice paper before sketching the real thing on mix media paper.  

The time came to put ink to paper!     

Variety is the spice of life 

and this is another form of art 

that I know will bring many hours of enjoyment!   

What a summer of heat, fire and smoke!   I don't want the hours and hours and hours of it to pass by with nothing to show for that time.  Coloured pencil sketching is an enjoyable distraction to fill those hours.  The angry, colourful looking White-Winged Crossbill became my muse!  The name comes from when the bill is closed the top crosses over the bottom part.   I spotted this bird in the early morning at Cameron Lake in Waterton National Park near the end of July.  It was a "lifer" for me!    

my reference photo