More progress this week on The Professional Dog, my latest childrens book project. Here are three together and like I mentioned in my last post perhaps you can see how the colors transition from one piece to the next?
Here are closer looks so you can see the details. I’m creating each portrait using ink and gouache on board. The text I plan to use for the book is below each artwork.
This week a friend dropped by with a surprise! Her son had made the pencil I’m holding in this photo!
The pencil is a lead holder aka a “clutch pencil” that extends then holds 2mm lead by clutching the lead in its jaws so to speak. This gift pencil is thicker than the clutch pencils I’ve used in the past! Right away I drew with it in my sketchbook. It is nicely balanced and the thickness does make it easier for my hand!
This new clutch pencil has now joined my fountain pen in daily use. Both have thick barrels which are easy to hold for durations of time.
To play some more I used my new pencil to draw a portrait of my pencil. Then I added ink and gouache. I’m thinking this might be a fun image for a thinking-of-you note card … for my Zazzle shop eventually.
If I’ve made you curious about clutch pencils aka lead holders there’s a good blog here with juicy details https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2015/10/02/why-use-a-clutch-pencil/
One of the many things I like about both clutch pencils and fountain pens is the environmental friendliness of them. Both are refillable so there’s no trash to throw away! Below are a few of my favorite books about using pencils and fountain pens.
I think the creative writing process benefits from visual drawings and vice versa. If a writer can draw a floorplan in which the story action happens sometimes that will help the written descriptions flow more easily. If a painter can write a verbal description of what they see in their imagination that can help the visual image flow better.
I’ve been thinking on this topic, the helpful cross-training effects on perception that comes from playing with words and pictures, for about a week. So almost the second the house was quiet and workmen had ceased hammering and sawing I did one of my Creativity Chat videos about this topic of seeing. https://youtu.be/4ljLOhgK30o
As I mentioned in my last post I’m still waiting for the go-ahead from the Caplan Art Designs gallery to post about my holiday box project. I varnished it this past week and will deliver it to the gallery soon. Here’s my art studio supervisor dachshund waiting … and wearing a sweater because it’s cold.
The food creativity this week now that the kitchen is back (Yay!) was a lentil stew over basmati rice. Yum! Here’s the recipe I used: https://mydominicankitchen.com/slow-cooker-lentil-stew/
Here’s hoping your week is full of fun play with words and pictures. See you next Monday.
sue clancy - artist 
12 responses to “Professional dogs, clutch pencils, fountain pens, writing and drawing”
Your art studio supervisor dachshund is just too cute for words!! Speaking of words, I’ve been thinking about the relationship between words and images in my writing for the past couple of days after getting inspiration for plot points from photographs from the Vermont History Association. To ground my characters in place and time, I have to have images, preferably with sound and smell, in order to write a scene. If I haven’t experienced the place myself, I have to see a photograph. To a certain extent, it feels like a weakness that I can’t just make the whole thing up out of whole cloth–but that’s my process, and I just have to go with it!
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Thank you! I will tell my art studio supervisor dachshund you said so – he will be pleased! Thank you for sharing your own thoughts about the relationship between words and images! We are so similar on this point: in my current childrens book project (and with all of my works) I use real-life elements or at least photos of real-life dogs or things. This working from real-life habit that I have is also why there are often non-digital elements in my work. Anyway, I don’t think it’s a weakness to work from real-life like this – creativity and imagination is the recombination of things. I’m thinking here of the saying “fiction is the lie that tells the truth” – the better we can make something feel real to a reader/viewer the more likely they will be able to participate with us in our imaginative worlds. And besides if you can travel in real life to somewhere to get the full sense of it it makes for a lovely adventure!!
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Thank you for the affirmation, Sue. I appreciate it. And you’re right about the lovely adventures!
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My pleasure! Keep up your good work! I look forward to hearing more about your adventures as time goes on.
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Thanks!
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I really liked your flashlight analogy in your video. You always have such sage advice for other creative people. That pencil holder is fabulous. It does look like it would be very pleasing to hold too. Your friend is very talented.
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Thank you so much for your comment!! I appreciate it! ❤ I will pass your compliment along to my friend. 😊
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The sentiment on the card is beautiful.
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Oh thank you!!
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Love it all, including the portrait of your new pencil! I hadn’t thought of putting olives in lentil stew and can’t wait to try it!
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Thank you so much!!! I had never thought to combine olives with lentils either and felt dubious about the recipe at first but decided to try it anyway… and the olives gave the stew a pleasing robustness of flavor! Really yummy! I hope you’ll like it when you try it!
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I’m sure that I will, Sue!
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