I did some sketches in the Conda sketchbook with a Micron 03 while Gene napped this morning. I had to be quick just in case. The two from life can double for the Scavenger Hunt and Inktober. The items for the Scavenger Hunt must be sketched from life so the pick-up doesn't fit the criteria.
Number 6 for Inktober is "smack". I have skipped that for the moment.
Did the title grab your attention? I need to make someone smile. I sketched in the Ohuhu sketchbook with an Ohuhu pen. I did it very quickly in the car while Gene was in PT. He was a little tired when we got there and I needed to get back in the building in case he finished early ... and he did.
Number 6 public - Koko's Mexican Snacks. It looks a little like an earthquake is taking place with my crooked lines. I will use the sketch for Inktober item 7 panic - I think some folks would panic if the store were to close and they couldn't get their fix. I went in and had a fruity drink with hot spice on the rim. It was OK but I prefer my lattes. I will post about it on my Inktober sketches on Saturday.
The Lost Pines Art Association is having an art fest on November 7. I think you can still get in as a vendor if you desire. More information at Lost Pines Art Center https://www.lostpinesartcenter.org/ The Chubby Knuckle Choir is such a fun band, they play all sorts of music.
Gene went to Physical Therapy today so I sketched in the Ohuhu Sketchbook with an Ohuhu 0.3 pen and watercolor. It took about 30 minutes and I barely finished. I also sketched an ogre for the Inktober sketches and will post them on Saturday. It was from a photo of course, so not eligible for the Hunt.
For Scavenger Hunt from Life 201 https://creativespark.art/threads/scavenger-hunt-from-life-201-sept-30-oct-12.9315/
Number 5 non organic - shelves and exercise equipment at PT
I wanted to post this photo of the pottery shreds I sketched the other day in my last post. I forgot and I think they are pretty nice.
It's that time again to do an ink sketch every day in October. I will have to do several when I have time and plan to post every Saturday. We shall see! The Scavenger Hunt sketches have to be from "real life" not photos so will double them up when I can. One prompt is "ogre". I doubt I will see one of those in real life. A substitute may be in the works.
I sketched last night at my computer desk for the first four prompts which I adapted for both challenges. I sketched in the large Conda sketchbook with a Micron 03 pen.
Number 1 Organic (apple) - looks more like a pumpkin, it was yellow and red.
Number 2 oddlly shaped (relic) - pottery shreds my mom found about 90 years ago or more
Number 3 small (miniature) - little pottery jars from Chile and Peru
Number 4 organic 2 (cactus) - a cutting from my grandmother's 100 year old Christmas cactus.
There are so many ideas for Inktober 2026 you can just use a search engine and find many, many ideas. Some of Joanna's musician friends are writing a song a day. Wow! Check out Matt the Electrician here on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mattthee
Another challenge on the original Inktober is to sketch a sketch a week for the year. I think I probably get that done without the challenge.
I sketched at Gene's PT on Monday and forgot to post it. Sigh.... The reception counter with an assortment of "stuff" on it. This is in a small Master's Touch Mix Media sketchbook I had in my purse. It was one the great grandson, Owen, sketched in. I'm sketching on the back of his sketches. He took out a bunch of pages and they are on the fridge. I used the Ohuhu 0.2 pen.
Still working on getting a routine going here again. One thing after another. At least we are both feeling pretty good even if we can't do all the things we would like. We must be old folks!
Joanna, Gene and I sat on the porch this morning. Enjoying what seems to be the last of the hummers. There seemed to be just 3 of them. The others have gone South I guess. I sketched in the Conda regular paper sketchbook with a fine line Sharpie. About 1/2 page in the large book.
For Scavenger Hunt from Life 200 https://creativespark.art/threads/scavenger-hunt-from-life-200-sep-18-30.9291/
Joanna gave me a new set of goauche paints. I've been wanting to try them as they are the in tools to use for plein air painting. You can have a small kit and only carry a small sketchbook and the colors with a brush and water. Pastels are heavy and oils are wet. Acrylics are OK but different.
The set I got is in pans like watercolors so not easy to get the opaque look I was after. I did have white in a tube which is more the consistency of oil paint or acrylic. I ended up painting more like watercolor and then adding a bit of texture and opaque color using the white. The finished sketch when dry feels a bit waxy ?? and has some texture unlike watercolor.
I always thought of gouache as glorified poster paint and that is what it seems to me. I do see beautiful paintings done with it online so will watch some videos. I will need to practice .. always something to learn.
For Scavenger Hunt from Life 200 https://creativespark.art/threads/scavenger-hunt-from-life-200-sep-18-30.9291/
Number 1 tree - Gouache, ink from a Micron 02 that fizzled out and is now in the trash. In the large Canson Mixed Media sketchbook, half page. I sketched on my footstool in the living room looking out the window while we visited. Cody (nephew), Joanna, Gene and I. Cody was visiting from Arizona. So nice to see him and catch up.
I was looking for jam or jar that I hadn't sketched. I decided on the grape jelly. Then I thought I could sketch another item on the list, "right in front of me". These are sketched in the large Conda sketchbook with an Ohuhu 0.2 pen.
Number 5 jam or jar and Number 6 right in front of me.
It was good to play in the ink.
This was sketched on the porch on Saturday. We were going along smoothly. Then...Saturday night Gene had a seizure. It didn't last long and I had no idea what happened so another night in the hospital. They wanted to do a few tests and Gene was too agitated in the hospital so we just brought him home. He is doing OK and I am recovered pretty well, so all good again in the Castillo household. Check up on Monday then back to PT and schedules. Thanks to wonderful kiddos and we can get caretakers when needed.
We will celebrate our two birthdays tomorrow. Will be back soon....
I sketched at PT with Gene a few days ago and then at the park here by the house. Joanna and I sat in the shade at the pavilion by the fire station.
Number 3, candle or lamp - the light fixtures at PT, well some of them.
I have missed sketching and posting. I had a procedure on my heart, ablation. It should fix my A-fib and I got to quit one medicine with bad side effects. I was in the hospital overnight. That was much harder on Gene than on me. He needs routine. Having other caretakers and more people around is hard. He is doing OK again.
Back soon....
Happy Birthday Gene! It is the 35th anniversary of his 50th birthday. Hope he has a good day. He has PT and maybe lunch with Joanna, Jennie and me. We will celebrate his birthday and mine together in a couple of weeks with cake and all.
Number 1 hand and Number 2 ink - I only have some acrylic ink.
Sketched in the Conda sketchbook, 8.5 x 11 inches. About 2/3 of the page, so about life size.
Gene went to PT today. I have sketched everything in there but decided I should do something. One of the items on the Scavenger Hunt was "underneath". The receptionist had on black and white pants, black shoes and a white blouse. The computer was black, chair black and counter white. No need for watercolors, eh?
For Scavenger Hunt 197 https://creativespark.art/threads/scavenger-hunt-from-life-197-aug-12-aug-25.9212/
Wow, we get a new Scavenger Hunt tomorrow and I only did two sketches this time. I used to average about 10 sketches and we only had 9 days. Now we have 12 days and more time and I do less sketching. What a life?
Whiskey reminds me of Jenny Reynolds. https://www.jennyreynolds.com/ One of her old songs is Whiskey & Pie. Fun. She is a great performer and person. She plays a mean guitar, too.
Jenny Reynolds, Whiskey & Pie - https://youtu.be/yE94UAC2rYw?si=EiKBQUkLw2lJC_Wb
Yesterday evening I thought I could do a sketch and Gene could draw and write on a white board. I got out my pastel pencil set thinking that would be an easy way to sketch at the table and not make a big mess. It worked but pastel pencils on Pasteboard is slow and you have to go over it like colored pencil. You know I like fast and done. I had to finish very late after Gene went to bed. I wanted to work on it again this morning but it didn't happen so this has no background or shadows. I should have worked on a colored background. (When I wipe this off I will have a background for the next sketch. Ha.)
For Scavenger Hunt from Life 197 https://creativespark.art/threads/scavenger-hunt-from-life-197-aug-12-aug-25.9212/
Number 2 whiskey - a fancy bottle of Four Roses. The bottom should be slightly larger as the top is square and it turns to round as it goes down.
My pastel pencils is a big set of Derwent pastels. 75 in the box I think. Even though it is so many pencils there is not a good variety of colors. No white or I have lost it. Most haven't even been sharpened since I got the box which I've had for years. I just don't like the "coloring" like with colored pencils. Artists like them for detail, but I don't do much detail.
I need to do a "real" pastel. Thinking about it......
My last sketch for this Hunt is the "cooler" I use for ice cream when I pick up groceries. It used to be for my lunch and drinks when we traveled for plein air painting or just running around.
For Scavenger Hunt from Life https://creativespark.art/threads/scavenger-hunt-from-life-196-jul-31-aug-12.9181/
Number 10 cooler - in the Canson Mixed Media large sketchbook. About half a page with a Micron02 and watercolors.
The cooler is not that wonky, it is just my perspective. I sketched on the porch. Slightly warm but it was about 730 a.m. so not bad. The last I looked it was 100º in the car about noon. Gene had PT and then we got a Chef's Salad at the Roadhouse Bastrop. (We have a new Texas Roadhouse here, not be confused with that. We haven't been yet.) The salad is huge so we share with a side of fries and a blueberry milkshake that we also share. Nice lunch.
Gene and Joanna walked by the lakes the other day, well, Joanna pushes Gene in the wheelchair. He is still unable to walk unassisted and not on the bumpy trail for sure. Gene brought me a flower. It was so tiny and cute. Turns out it is a Texas Frogfruit. https://txmg.org/hendersonmg/plant-library/texas-frogfruit/
It was my day out. It was very warm, but I parked in the shade and rolled my windows down. Not too bad with a breeze. The item on the list was "garbage". Fun to find this dumpster overflowing with stuff. The house is being updated. The whole inside was gutted. The outside looked pretty good. Roof looks new but the screens on the windows were bad.
Then I went to Jersey Mike's for a tuna sandwich lunch. They have gluten free bread. It was good, but I like Schlotzkey's bread better. I like the tuna and bread at New World Deli in Austin. So yummy.
At any rate it was good to be out and about. I brought Gene a Dairy Queen sundae and a Blizzards for the caretaker, Shellie and myself. Gene had a pretty good day, too. We both need a break once in a while.
This beautiful morning found us out by the east lake or pond (as it is drying up). It was a lovely morning for a very hot day to come. I sat on the bench and sketched in the small Ohuhu sketchbook. I took my sketchbook, pen and watercolors. I failed to take the water brushes however and did ink sketches. I added watercolors to the first sketch back at the house. I liked the sketch better before color so left the second without color. That is the fire station in the background.
I found a recipe for Rice Krispie squares, titled "Grammie's Rice Krispies Squares". They have peanut butter, chocolate and butterscotch. I will get the ingredients and try them. I like easy gluten free sweets when I have sweets. I will report back and share the recipe ... if it is good.
It was my day out so I went to sketch. It was too hot to be outside so went to the library to see what I could find and not be in the way. It was noon and all the restaurants are pretty full and not parking downtown. I found a chair by the window and sketched the scene outside. It fit the Scavenger Hunt list for "truck" if I substituted the cars and SUVs out there.
I sketched at Physical Therapy for Gene yesterday. Not much to see, sort of like a doctor's office. It is so good for Gene to be more active.
I sketched in a sketchbook I got for the great grands. I sketched on the back page, just in case. The tablet style is 4 x 6 inches, Master's Touch by Fabriano. Nice paper, will take watercolor. The sketches fill the page. I used a Pentel R.S.V.P. ballpoint pen. About 30 minutes.
For Scavenger Hunt from Life 196 https://creativespark.art/threads/scavenger-hunt-from-life-196-jul-31-aug-12.9181/
Maybe more sketching today. It is too hot to be outside during my day off, so maybe a library or coffee place.
It was starting to get warm about 930 or so but we went for a walk anyway. Joanna pushed Gene in the wheelchair so she got a workout. I went to the first bench and sketched in the Ohuhu sketchbook that is 10 x 7.6 inches with only one more page to fill. I had my small watercolor set, Windsor Newton. I'm not fond of the colors in this set. It is small and fits in my pocket, though.
So, there you are then.
An item on the Hunt was "sketchbook cover". I like this new Marker sketchbook. It is black with The Starry Night by Van Gogh on the cover. I haven't done more marker sketches. Should get with it. Well, I should get with all my art. Life has still been in the way. Getting better though.
Today I sketched at my desk in the Conda Sketch Pad, full size pages, so this is about half a page. Number 6 sketchbook cover - Marker sketchbook with a Micron 03
My niece sent me a few things Barbara (my sister that recently passed) wanted me to have. Some of the Christmas cactus that belonged to my Grandma Jennie. The main plant has to be 100 years old, wow. It is in a galvanized tub. Beautiful and blooms red blooms. I hope this one survives.
My sister also sent a couple of cameras that belonged to Mom. The old Brownie took such good photos as the negatives/film were so large. She had to put tape around it to keep the light out when she changed film. I love the cameras and Larry will have them as he is the photographer.
