Crows and sketchbooks

I love the sound crows make (but appreciate that others may not)

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The video recording of crows cawing is from January 18, 2021. They weren’t making a lot of noise this morning on my walk, just a caw here and there. But there were a truck load of them cawing like their lives depended on it the day after the recent snowstorm.

A crow from my sketchbook this week.

The crow above is from this week.

I really love my sketchbooks, and usually have a few of them on the go. I have one with a pencil tucked inside a “snug” I made for it because every time I put my hand inside my bag, the sharp tip of the pencil stabbed my fingers. So the snug holds it together. That small sketchbook, I use in conjunction with my oil painting. I carry a small viewfinder in it and map out a quick value and composition sketch before painting. In the world of sketchbooks, it’s pretty small (about 4 x 6-inches), which comes in handy when you’re lugging art gear around to paint outdoors.

Using sketchbooks to play with ideas, light, values, shape etc. Using sketchbooks to play with ideas, light, values, shape etc. Using sketchbooks to play with ideas, light, values, shape etc.
Using sketchbooks to play with ideas, light, values, shape etc. Using sketchbooks to play with ideas, light, values, shape etc. Using sketchbooks to play with ideas, light, values, shape etc.
A small sketchbook with snug for plein air painting.

More on my sketchbooks in a future post. That’s it for now.

Okay, here’s a couple morefrom this week … some are plein air, others are from photo references, memory and imagination. The long sketchbook is about 8 x 5-inches. One of the smallest sketchbooks is about 3.5 x 5.5-inches. I’m about to start another sketchbook, it’s a biggie, coming in at about 8.5 x 12-inches.

Pure fun.

Sketchbooks painting from life, photos, memory and imaginationSketchbooks painting from life, photos, memory and imaginationSketchbooks painting from life, photos, memory and imagination
Sketchbook drawing and painting for the sheer fun of it.

Thanks for your time and encouragement.

www.MaryAnn.ca