What have I been up to?

It's been a busy year so far, and as many say, busy is good!   I became a uni-ball ambassador in December, and after receiving my first shipment of goods I began working on a drawing to test one of their pens.  For the sketchbook drawing above, I used a pen that's in the same family as the pen that I've been using for years.  This one in particular, Vision Elite BLX Designer, has an 0.8mm point and a green/black ink mixture.  I'm used to working with a standard black Vision Elite 0.5mm point, so working with a thicker pen was more challenging than expected.  The ink color was strange at first, but since then I have learned to love it; I think it lends it self to the kind of drawing I do.  I have ordered another Vision Elite pen in this color but this time in .05mm and I can't wait to use it.  

Work on the ghost print drawings continues, although at a slower pace and you'll find out why later.  It's strange to think that I have only been working on this series for only a year and yet it feels longer.  I love what I have done with the ghost prints but I think I'm ready to explore other possibilities and push it further.  This may take some time though, so in the mean time I'll keep hatching away with my fountain pens.  

This year I was able to print an etching I begun while in confinement during 2020.  I waited months before I was able to print it since printshops had been closed for a good part of the year.  To my disappointment this etching did not print well and to this day I'm still trying to figure out why.  The first two proofs I pulled came out very light, even after adding more pressure on the press on the second try.  I kept the faded prints, I thought that I could make something of them just like the ghost prints.  Weeks later I added watercolor and then went over it with pen.    

In mid January I received a commission six sketchbook drawings from a collector in London.  Since then I have been busy working on this suite of drawings and I am very happy to say that I'm getting very close to finishing them.  I have been juggling this commission, my own artwork, my fulltime job, and my school; and it all has been a little stressful.  

The pandemic has caused many people to rethink their lives and make the necessary changes to move forward in a new world.  Things have become more digital, more people are working remotely, and brick and mortar shops (like the one I work for) are going out of business at an alarming rate.  With this in mind I decided to enroll in a graphic design course, which will allow me to pivot to the digital world and still remain creative.  This program will run through the end of this year and it is very demanding.  I'm looking forward to what will come after I graduate in December.  In the meantime I will continue working on my art, that's something that will never change.  More to come.