The Gift of Time
I had a lot of fun drawing art supplies this week. During the busy holiday season, it’s been great to take time to sketch something every day. As I worked, I thought about my favorite tools, but also about how much more important time is to developing art skills. And so, while I hope that Santa slips a new paint brush or pen into your stocking, my greater wish is that you find time for regular creative practice in the New Year. Take a class, treat yourself to a weeklong workshop, or just make time for artwork every week. It will be one of the best presents you can receive.
Wishing you a holiday season filled with wonder! Thank you for following Drawn In—your support is truly a gift to me.
Tips and Techniques– Drawn with Ellington Pen’s Alpine Rose EF fountain pen with Jacque Herbin writing ink in an Italian-made journal with cream, laid paper. I find that the texture of this paper slows the drawing process, as the fountain pen doesn’t glide across the paper the way it would on smooth paper. I like the results, but I’m looking forward to doing another drawing like this in color in my watercolor journal.
Join me for my next online class, Sketching Through the Winter, to sketch your own art supplies…plus some other fun subjects. Also check out two in-person workshops next June and July on the Workshops page.
Winter’s Cache
Last week’s snowfall coated nearby fields and hedgerows and, lucky for me, left little clumps of snow atop of bird nests that were formerly hidden. I waded into the shrubby field adjacent to our house to have a look around. It didn’t take long before I found several nests amidst the waist-high goldenrod, thorny vines, shrubs, and pioneer white pines. This one had been repurposed by mice as a larder of bittersweet and rose hips. Though not an unusual practice, it was a rather colorful surprise and quite worth the cold feet and hands.
Tips and Techniques– Though it may sound cheeky, my advice this week is wear wool socks. I didn’t, and it meant that I couldn’t last outside for as long as I would have liked. Still, I always appreciate the spark of inspiration and discovery that come from getting out of the house, even in winter. (Materials: Handbook Journal Co. 300 GSM watercolor journal, sepia Micron 005 pen, watercolor)
Stay tuned! Don’t let the cold months ahead dampen your sketching habits. Next week I will officially announce a new online class Watercolor Sketching Through the Winter. I hope you’ll grab your sketchbook and join me in late January and February for inspiration and techniques for sketching both inside and out throughout the winter.
On My Desk
Feathery milkweed pods sit on my desk this week next to a stack of field guides, a large tome on the beginnings of modern natural history, and flyers for holiday strolls. Rounding out the desktop: pens, ink cartridges, notes with art class ideas, receipts, and the usual assortment of brushes, pens, and paints. Outside my window: gray, cold December. Tis the season for messy desks, indoor confinement, and more project ideas than time.
Amidst the clutter, I’ve been putting a new fountain pen with an extra fine nib through the paces to see how it performs for drawing, light washes, and handwriting. Ellington Pens asked if I would like to try their Alpine Rose fountain pen and I’m glad I agreed. The EF nib was not scratchy, and the ink flowed smoothly and dried quickly, which meant I didn’t smudge it. It also rewet beautifully when I added water to create a light wash. The pen has a nice weight to it and feels good in hand. I especially liked it for writing, which you don’t see here, but it will also be handy and versatile whenever I can carry only a pen and water brush.
If you or someone you know enjoys fountain pens, or if you want to down the rabbit hole of inks, journals, pen care videos, and company history, you can find it all here: https://www.ellingtonpens.com/.
Artwork (done in my journal from Italy with cream paper):
1. Milkweed
2. Rosa sinensis foliosa copied from an engraving done by Cornelus Bloemaert in 1633, from the book The Eye of the Lynx: Galileo, his friends, and the beginnings of modern natural history by David Freedberg (2002). I could write an entire blog post just about doing this piece. It was fascinating to try to replicate the line work and figure out how the engraver did it.
3. Quick pen test sketches
4. Amanita mushroom- It’s always good to practice sketching light subjects in ink.
Cold Day, Warm Light
Though no longer cloaked in their brilliant red of June, poppy seedheads have their own naked beauty in November. I was so pleased to sketch these, backlit by the afternoon sun, at the Botanical and Nature Sketching Retreat at the Ashokan Center a few weeks ago. I didn’t have time to paint them there, but thanks to Faye of Flowers by Faye I got to take them home. Now, the seedheads sit on my windowsill where, even as the weather turns cold, they continue to bring warmth to the room and remind me of that inspiring weekend.
Tips & Techniques– Do you ever have sketchbook pages that are left undone? This one took me several weeks to finish, but my general advice is not to leave them for so long. It’s too easy to lose inspiration, or to simply move on to the next thing. As a general practice, I try to finish every page I start within about a week. This keeps me engaged and interested, ensures that I get to the satisfying final stages of each painting, and keeps me sketching from week to week.
Grateful
Sending you good wishes, a bit of November beauty, and gratitude on this Thanksgiving holiday! I’m grateful to you for taking time in your life for art and for your kind “likes” and comments on my posts. It’s a strange thing to send my sketchbook pages out into the world each week and not really know where they go. I’m grateful to those of you who I’ve met in person or online who thank me for being on the receiving end. I’m also grateful for the wonderful artists who take my classes— I love teaching, seeing your artwork, and getting to know you. It’s truly a pleasure.
And now, I’m off to run a Turkey Trot, celebrate with a donut, and later join family for a fine meal together. Enjoy the day!
The Last of the Zinnias
The leaves are mostly fallen, and November has turned cold. Still, I haven’t found time to fully put the garden to bed. I’ve left some coneflowers for the birds to pick over and the zinnias are mostly standing upright and brown. I love their curling leaves and stray petals, now dried and drooping or sticking out every which way. They gave me one last chance for a sketch before meeting the compost pile. Cold as it was, it was good to be outside, remembering summer, and savoring this last moment in the garden.
Tips and Techniques– I used a Micron 005 sepia pen for this sketch in my Handbook Journal. I managed to draw some of these outside before my hands got too cold and it started raining, so I brought a few inside to finish. I decided not to add paint—the lines seemed like enough to convey what’s left of the flowers and the chill of the day. Take another (or a final) look at the flowers in your own garden and see if some of the shapes or curling leaves might inspire you, too.
Inspired by the Moon
In just 15 words, Japanese poet Matsuo Basho, who lived in the 1600s, correctly explained a beautiful night sky phenomenon that I recently saw: the lunar halo.
“The moon glows the same:
it is only the clouds
make it seem to change.”
For those who prefer science to poetry, a bright halo around the moon is caused by light refracted through ice crystals suspended in cirrus clouds located at altitudes of 20,000 to 40,000 feet. Seeing one is more common in winter when the moon is full or nearly so. But no matter how you approach it, it’s an inspiring sight.
Tips & Techniques– Some subjects just really can’t be captured, and this may be one of them. It took me a week to figure out how to approach it and, even now, I wish it were more painterly and ethereal. Still, I wanted to record it in my sketchbook and I’m glad it’s here to remind me of that night. (Painted in a Handbook Journal with 140lb watercolor paper with Indanthrone blue and yellow ochre.)
Autumn ART IN ACTION Festival, four days of free art demos, work-alongs, and talks is coming up at Winslow Art Center, November 20-23. It’s a great way to learn and sample a variety of instructors. I’ll be offering Virtual Italy! on Saturday 11/22 at 3:15pm PT/6:15pm ET. Check it out!
Golden Hour
Last weekend I had the pleasure of teaching a four-day botanical and nature sketching retreat at The Ashokan Center in the Catskill Mountains. Hosted by Draw Botanical, it was a joy to work alongside the amazingly accomplished Wendy Hollender, Lara Call Gastinger, Giacomina Ferrillo, Vern Fannin, and nearly 70 participants. I started this page during a session I led on “Sketching on the Go.” It was late afternoon and the setting sun’s still warm light cast its last glow over fields and woods. But really, anytime I get an hour to sketch outside in the company of other artists is golden.
These types of multiday workshops offer so much: the joy of making art with people who share your passion; the opportunity to be immersed in sketching and painting; and extended time to focus and learn in a supportive atmosphere. Plus, great food and inspiring settings.
Next year, I’ll be leading just two longer in-person workshops. I invite you to join me and experience the golden gift of time doing something you love.
June 3-8, 2026: SKETCHING THE NATURE OF PLACE at Sofia in Monsaraz, Portugal
Discover Portugal with me as we delve into ways to capture landscapes, plants, and wildlife, as well as food and culture. You’ll come away with a journal that reflects this unique setting and your experiences, as well as new ideas and techniques to use at home or on your next trip. If you’d like to come along, please don’t delay signing up. We’d like to confirm the class in the coming weeks and need to have seven or eight registered to do so.
July 20-24, 2026: DRAWN TO NATURE at Madeline Island School of the Arts, Wisconsin
This workshop takes place on beautiful Madeline Island, one of the Apostle Islands located on Lake Superior. The workshop will focus on multiple approaches to sketching and painting nature-related subjects in your sketchbook as we explore the island’s birds and wildlife, gardens, fields, Northern forests, and waterways. Registration is open and all skill levels are welcome.
Mother Lode
After a season marked by a dearth of mushrooms I found a mother lode of amanita growing under a large spruce tree just down the road last week. They were so colorful and numerous I could hardly wait to go back home and retrieve my sketchbook. When I nestled under the branches later in the day to sketch, I was surprised by the driver of a passing car who rolled down his window and called out—“Amazing mushrooms!” This was a first. I’ve had people slow down to see what I’m doing, and once had someone come by to see why I was parked on the road by his property. But never has someone joined in my enthusiasm. How wonderful!
Tips and Techniques– I like to sketch mushrooms from life and right where they are when possible. It’s the best way to really observe all the things that will go into identifying them. It also helps you convey your sense of discovery and lots of subtle details. Take photos for reference or color notes if you’re painting inside later. (Materials: Micron 005 sepia pen, watercolor, 5.5×8.25 Handbook Journal Co 140lb watercolor sketchbook)
Coming up! Drawing the Nature of November online starts Thursday, Nov. 6. Sign up at Winslow Art Center. Learn about 2026 travel workshops here and reserve your spot.
Something Old and New
I bought a leather-bound journal with lovely cream-colored laid paper with deckled edges while in Italy. It’s not suited to watercolors, but it’s good for ink sketches, which I’ve been eager to do more of using sepia ink. Brown inks, including sepia (originally derived from cuttlefish), bistre (made from the residue found in chimney stacks), and iron gall (made from the tannins in oak galls and iron), were frequently used for drawing and light washes during the Renaissance (think Leonardo Da Vinci or Rembrandt drawings). I love the way that brown inks can give a drawing a softer effect and historical tone compared with using black.
I sketched the bitternut leaves and hummingbird nests with a dip pen and Winsor & Newton drawing ink and did the olive leaves with a Micron 005 sepia pen. As you can see, I’ve also tested the ink using a brush and was pleased that the paper didn’t buckle at all. I’m eager to keep going and try some lighter washes and more complex subjects.
Drawn In 