Roz Wound Up

Zombie Pumpkins?! Happy Halloween

A friend sent me to a BBC America link for something the other day. While I was there I started poking around and found this lovely little video clip about a pumpkin craving display.

This is not your ordinary pumpkin carving display. If you love zombies, and who doesn't (right up until the point where they start eating your brain!) then you'll want to see this video clip.

If you love people carving things out of vegetables, well ditto, you'll want to see this video clip.

It's Halloween. Watch out for zombies. I hope you get a lot of candy.

"It's Carl Week" Wraps Up (for now)

Above: Faber-Castell Pitt Artist's Calligraphy Pen sketch of Carl in a 6 x 8 inch handbound journal I made with Gutenberg paper. Click on the image to view an enlargement.  

Carl has an active social life. Sometimes he goes square dancing with Chas.

Don't know who Carl is? You can check this link for his first appearance here. Or you can click on "Carl" in the category list in the left column.

"It's Carl Week" Keeps Going

Above: Pentel Pocket Brush Pen sketch of Carl with Rita in a 7 x 9 inch handbound journal I made with Magnani Annigoni Designo paper. Painted with gouache. Click on the image to view an enlargement.  

Sometimes Carl hangs out with Rita. (She's a little self-absorbed, but Carl stands by her—they have history. She doesn't have to worry about the ice cream cone—Carl is lactose intolerant.)

Don't know who Carl is? You can check this link for his first appearance here. Or you can click on "Carl" in the category list in the left column.

"It's Carl Week" Still Isn't Over

Above: Faber-Castell Pitt Artist's Calligraphy Pen sketch of Carl in a 7 x 9 inch handbound journal I made with Annigoni Designo paper, with gouache. Click on the image to view an enlargement.  

It's true, Carl is a bit of a klutz.

Don't know who Carl is? You can check this link for his first appearance here. Or you can click on "Carl" in the category list in the left column.

"It's Carl Week" of Course!

Above: Faber-Castell Pitt Artist's Calligraphy Pen sketch of Carl in a 7 x 9 inch handbound journal I made with Annigoni Designo paper. I used Schmincke and Holbein gouache. I don't usually use the latter, but I had some and I wanted a really flat chalky look—which Holbein does. Click on the image to view an enlargement.  

Living with Carl just gets more entertaining every day. (And we both enjoy television.) Carl is always up for a quest.

Don't know who Carl is? You can check this link for his first appearance here. Or you can click on "Carl" in the category list in the left column.

"It's Carl Week"—Not Nearly Over

Above: Pentel Pocket Brush Pen sketch of Carl in 7 x 9 inch handbound journal I made with Magnani Annigoni Designo paper. Click on the image to view an enlargement.  

People ask me, "So what is Carl really like?" 

You'd never know it to look at him, but he's a bit of a goof. Loveable. Very loyal. And extremely funny (and he never, ever puns). 

Don't know who Carl is? You can check this link for his first appearance here. Or you can click on "Carl" in the category list in the left column.

Of Course "It's Carl Week"

Above: Faber-Castell Pitt Artist's Calligraphy Pen sketch of Carl in a 9 x 12 inch Fabriano Venezia journal with gouache. Click on the image to view an enlargement. 

Don't worry, I did go biking. It was glorious. Carl stayed home.

Don't know who Carl is? You can check this link for his first appearance here. Or you can click on "Carl" in the category list in the left column.

"It's Carl Week" Continues

Above: Pentel Pocket Brush Pen sketch of Carl in a 9 x 12 inch Fabriano Venezia journal. Click on the image to view an enlargement. (Slightly cropped on the sides during scanning.)

While scientists may have discovered a lot about dinosaurs from their fossilized bones scientists can't be sure what dinosaur skin looked like. Sometimes Carl likes to be "snazzy."

Still don't know who Carl is? You can check this link for his first appearance here. Or you can click on "Carl" in the category list in the left column.

It's Not Shark Week—It's Carl Week

Above: Pentel Pocket Brush Pen sketch of Carl in a 9 x 12 inch Fabriano Venezia journal. Click on the image to view an enlargement. (Slightly cropped on the left during scanning.)

Don't know who Carl is? You can check this link for his first appearance here. Or you can click on "Carl" in the category list in the left column.

I thought I'd show you what we've been up to.

Warm Up Sketches from Lakewood Cemetery

Left: First warm up sketch of the day. I'm working on an 11 x 14 inch spiral pad of sketch paper with a Faber-Castell Pitt Artist's Calligraphy pen. I was sitting at the side of the road in a foldable chair. The day before (Saturday) had been a 14-hour day for teaching—I was so tired I couldn't do math and write at the same time. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I wrote about the October 7, 2012  MetroSketchers outing at Lakewood Cemetery on UrbanSketchers—Twin Cities. I posted the small sketches I started working on after my large warm up sketches told me things weren't going to be "large" on this day. You can read about my process in determining that in that post as well. But for people who aren't on Facebook and weren't at the outing I thought you would like to see the warm-up sketches I did, before I discovered a "theme" that carried me the rest of the day.

Left: My second warm up sketch was going to be a row of headstones and then their surroundings, but my interest was quickly taken by other things. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Right: I made one more attempt to work large, this time with the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen, making gesture sketches of a lovely bronze sculpture. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

By the time I finished the elk sketches I knew it was time for a change of approach. I wanted to go mobile (walk and stand and sketch, unfettered by the foldable chair) and I didn't want to hold or carry the large pad.

To see the how I spent the rest of my sketching time on this outing please go to Sketching at Lakewood Cemetery on Urban Sketchers—Twin Cities.