Finalists for the A.R.C. 2011/2012 Salon

Dear Art Renewal Center 2011-2012 International Salon Competitors,

With over 2100 entries this year, the competition was steeper then ever. Even with expanding our finalist cut off from 300 + images to over 500, we still are only including the top 24% of works submitted and almost all the works were good to great, so congratulations to all! http://tinyurl.com/73sv6ya

Auburn Oak

I've just finished this drawing of one of the Auburn oaks that was poisoned by a disgruntled Alabama fan after Alabama's loss to Auburn in football season before last. I worked from a photo that I took before the trees were poisoned. I've always liked that corner of the campus across from Toomer's drugstore. I have it available as note cards and prints. The original is also available.

New Pen and Ink Ebook Published

American Artist, Artist Daily has just published this new pen-and-ink ebook with my article in it. It is a free download!

Get It While You Can: New Free eBook on Pen and Ink Drawing Techniques 

In its most elementary form, a pen and ink drawing is stark black marks against a white surface. No dilution of color, no shades of gray. But artists who've spent time inking their way across a page know that drawing with ink can actually be an incredibly subtle and finessed endeavor if you use ink drawing techniques that allow for a slow build up of dark areas for value contrast, and if you are open to the idea of how to draw using line in varied ways.


Contemporary ink artists like David Beynon Pena and Neil McMillan have taken what their pen and ink predecessors have taught them, utilizing the practice as a skill honing endeavor on the part of Pena, with an emphasis on making preparatory ink sketches for his oil paintings. McMillan pursues drawings that are less graphic in feel, though he too finds that working with ink has enhanced his ability to paint--mostly in getting confident in working with a fluid medium.

Grant's Lion by Melissa Tubbs, pen-and-ink drawing, 12 x 7.

Artist Melissa Tubbs create drawings that are dense and rich with ink yet are made with delicate lines and are subtle with gradation. She builds up layers of line section by section, always changing direction so her parallel lines transform into hatched and crosshatched marks.
There are so many pen and ink drawing lessons to be gleaned by looking at the history of the practice and how current practitioners are adding their own influences. In Pen and Ink Drawing Techniques from Artist Daily: Drawing with Ink to Create Art with Strong Contrast and Surprising Subtlety you'll find ink drawings from the past and present and the insights on the artists who created them. Download now!