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I have understandably not been feeling up to doing much the past couple weeks. I know it takes a little time sometimes to get back to your old self when bad things happen.

This past week was a little more frustrating. I wanted to get back to drawing (still not sewing for a while — in fact, not sure if I will be attending the event in mid-November or what I’d even wear. Might not know until the day before, or even right before the event), but I still have not fully regained decent focus (or caring too much), and I feel horribly awkward and annoyed.

So I needed to do something fun and see if I could try to draw something at least.

I was originally going to do a quick cartoon-style drawing, but I do think I like drawing the dwarves using this style the most now. I also was not sure if I should draw it in black pencil (darned sharpeners keep breaking the point off of those pencils… miss my old sharpener), or ink it. I needed to work quickly. So I ended up grabbing a couple art pencils. I usually only use pencil in quick outline form so I have something to work with later for inks. I haven’t tried drawing in pencil “seriously” in way too long. It was actually kind of fun! Now I want to pick up some more of those.

Anyway, yes… it’s a bit of a silly drawing — today is the birthday of a friend of mine, plus I love having images like this to use when needed (I left off the candles and other cake decorations so it could also be a generic cake for non-birthday sharing). I also made some mistakes since I had to rush it. I am having fun working out some of the details of Thorin and his costume and how I like to draw him. I still need to sit down and draw the pattern of his vambraces so I have that handy. By the time I get around to doing those, which is usually the very last thing, my vision has blurred to nearly double/out-of-focus and I can’t tell what’s what. *laughs*

But at least I drew. As usual, check out the link on deviantART for the full-size image and more information about the drawing itself.

View drawing here.

So far, I’m a little behind on a lot of things I’d planned on doing. Because… *blushes* on August 23rd, I missed the last step leaving my 2nd floor apartment, and sprained my foot/ankle. Ouch! Fortunately, I’m almost healed, and I cannot wait to get back to walking and my usual fitness routine. I’m especially looking forward to hiking once cooler weather sets in!

I have not been sewing, and I desperately need to get that back on track. I have an event I’m hoping to attend in mid-November, and I’m a little nervous about some of the things I need to make. My husband will not be dressing up since his costume is still not finished. It would just be too much for me to deal with. There will be other times.

I do have a problem, though. I can’t seem to stop sketching dwarves! I think the pile of sketches is building up too quickly (including the one I’d started the day I had my accident with the last step), but I keep starting new ones. It’s just so much fun to come up with ideas, and it’s a little easier on me to draw than it is to move furniture to get to sewing supplies, or kneel on the floor to cut out fabric.

At least I do have a new finished drawing to share! I sketched it when I was just starting to walk without crutches, wanting to see if I could handle sitting at my art table. I kept playing with it and finished inking it today! Please check out the full-sized image on deviantART, along with other details about how I drew it.

View finished drawing here.

I finally finished one of the sketches I had drawn a little while back. After a lot of fretting and wondering I finally went out and bought a new brush. I love the Winsor & Newton series 7 brushes. I was taught by a comic book inker how to ink, and not only did he recommend Black Magic ink to me, he gave me one of his old brushes. I’ve since bought my own — in larger sizes of 2 and 3, for filling spot blacks, as well as the 1 I used as the main inking brush for a while, and now the smaller size 0.

I was worried I would lose some of the details I loved in the blue pencil transfer, and it was such a small space (and I’m still a bit shaky and getting used to drawing again)… well, I wasn’t sure I should ink it. I really wanted to use inks, however. I also wanted to use the ink like watercolor. In fact, I ended up doing that a little more than originally intended.

I’m pleased with the results! My husband wants to frame this drawing and the previous one of Gloin that I drew. Now to figure out what type of frames, and where to put them!

Please see the deviantART page for more information about the piece (as well as links to the original sketch, and a section of the blue pencil transfer).

View finished drawing here.

I also picked up a few more supplies for another project when I bought my new inking brush. There are a few more things I need to get, but hopefully I can start testing some things out and get to work on that project. In the meantime, I’m sure I’ll work on another drawing soon! 🙂 It’s been too much fun!

Babbly repetitiveness brought to you by random headache! I think I need a nap!

Unfortunately, I ended up skipping the event I made the accessory for. I never even finished putting ribbons on it. Perhaps another time. Maybe it will even give me a chance to possibly seal it so rain won’t ruin it (it was raining the day of the event — and my husband was also working over the weekend).

About the inked drawing…

I still feel incredibly clumsy, but I was able to finally ink something!

I use a brush when I ink (Windsor & Newton series 7 size #1), and in the past I was so used to doing that. I was perfectly comfortable using a brush and throwing down some lines in ink. However, when I inked Thursday, I felt shaky and even ended up with a death grip on the brush and my hand cramped. Not to mention, I could barely see (something I always had a problem with in the past, but it usually didn’t happen in the middle of working on art — mainly after I stepped away from the drawing table). Oof! I guess I really have a ways to go before I’m literally comfortable doing art again.

If I could offer any advice, it would be this:

If you have a hobby you love doing, don’t stop for too long. It’s really frustrating going back to it later, even if it’s something you’ve done most of your life.

I could obviously pick apart what I did, but I’m just going to say I’m happy enough that I did it and hope the person I drew it for is also pleased.

To read more about it, as well as see a bigger size (and a link to the sketch I worked from), go to my deviantART account.

View finished drawing here.