Thursday, March 28, 2024
cat artworkdaily sketchmewsettemimimr. sunshinepencil

Daily Sketch Reprise: Birdwatching, a Family Activity

pencil sketch of three cats watching birds
“Birdwatching, a Family Activity”, pencil, 7″ x 7.5″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

This is Mr. Sunshine (kind of listening to me), Mimi (intently watching) and Mewsette (crouching to pounce) watching birds at the feeder outside the dining room window. They sleep in a heap, and they watch birds in a cluster, all pressed together, often with mama Mimi in the middle.

This has been a favorite spot lately, especially for Mimi who spends time there by herself on a regular basis, though there are no more birds this year than before. It could just be because there’s a furnace vent under that window and it might be a little warmer. Or it could be that they are in the kitchen when I’m in the kitchen. In any case, I love to watch them watch birds.

. . . . . . .

What else was I sketching on this date?

2012: My Sister’s Tail
ink sketch of two cats playing
“My Sister’s Tail”, ink drawing pen, 4.5″ x 8.5″ © B.E. Kazmarski

Bean is about to get into some trouble here as he watches his sister’s tail dangle off the stool. Her back is turned, but she knows he’s there. She’ll put up with a little tail-swatting and pulling, but when she’s had it she’s done and reaches down to grab Bean with both paws and give him a good shake. It doesn’t deter him. If I’d drawn him from the other direction we could see his totally dilated pupils. He’s asking for it.

Back to my favorite ink drawing pen. I usually keep it in a drawer in my studio and get it when I want to use it, but I tucked it into my hair for safe-keeping and convenience. I have a lot of hair, and there’s usually a few writing implements in there.

. . . . . . .

2011: The Little Panther
"The Little Panther", brush marker, 7" x 5" © Bernadette E. Kazmarski
“The Little Panther”, brush marker, 7″ x 5″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Mimi has a good stretch on the bathroom windowsill. She is only 6.5 pounds, just a petite little girl, compared to her children and even the tortie girls, but she is sleek and black and graceful, just like a real panther.

I love the varied line quality this pen offers. It’s one of many with a brush-style tip actually shaped like a thin round paintbrush. I tend to press too hard and wear these down so I don’t get fine lines anymore, and I’m looking forward to seeing how well these pens hold up. I have them in several brands, and an illustrator friend recommended another to me. When I’m looking for this line quality in an illustration I typically use a metal crow-quill nib in an old wooden handle, much like the ones map makers used to use, and dip it into the ink of my choice to draw. I’ve always felt I had more control that way, but for quick sketches I don’t want to mess with a bottle of ink! Often I’m standing in the middle of a room and have nowhere to put anything down so I’m holding my sketchpad and all the materials I want to have at hand. I’d be wearing the ink, and so would my house.

Which reminds me, an artist friend remarked on her FB page that she was tossing her scraps of paper onto the floor just like her mother told her she could do when she got her own house. Likewise, when I spill a bottle of ink, and I have, there is no one here to get mad at me. It’s just ink on the floor, sometimes interesting all on its own!


Click here to see other daily sketches.

For a gallery of the ones available for sale, visit my Etsy shop in the “Cat Art and Prints” section.

Read about the reason for the daily sketches in Two Years of Daily Sketches.

And download your free desktop wallpaper calendar for computer or mobile, usually based on a daily sketch.

"Mewsette on the Afghan" desktop calendar 2560 x 1440 for HD and wide screens.
“Mewsette on the Afghan” desktop calendar 2560 x 1440 for HD and wide screens.

"Feline Style Sampler" book of sketches and portraits.

A collection of 34 images of feline artwork

Feline Style Sampler

Daily sketches, illustrations, commissioned portraits all in a small coil-bound gift book.

Click here or on the image to read more

or find this book in my Etsy shop and on Amazon.com.


Gifts featuring cats you know! Portraits of Animals on Etsy.

AfterDinnerNap-Etsy


Subscribe to The Creative Cat e-newsletter for specials on exclusively feline-themed art and merchandise.

 


All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.


© 2014 | www.TheCreativeCat.net | Published by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Weekly schedule of features:
Sunday: Essays, Pet Loss, Poetry, The Artist’s Life
Monday: Adoptable Cats, TNR & Shelters
Tuesday: Rescue Stories
Wednesday: Commissioned Portrait or Featured Artwork
Thursday: New Merchandise
Friday: Book Review, Health and Welfare, Advocacy
Saturday: Your Backyard Wildlife Habitat, Living Green With Pets, Creating With Cats
And sometimes, I just throw my hands in the air and have fun!

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | LINKEDIN | ETSY SHOP | PINTEREST | TUMBLR | STUMBLEUPON | GOOGLE+ | EMAIL

HOME


Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this:
Verified by ExactMetrics