Category: Member Artwork

A Strong Finish in Ink

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Nature Artists’ Guild members bought some new pens, tried some new techniques, and sometimes even followed the suggested prompts (kudos, Alice!) for a strong finish to Inktober®2020.  Many of the artists included the autumn color of the area while honing their drawing skills and ensuring that the fleeting treasures of the season did not go unnoted.  Here are the final contributions –

Hide (Leaves Behind Leaves), copyright Alice Wych
October Garden, copyright Marlene Vitek
Swallowtail Buddies, copyright Alice Wych
October ink art, copyright Arlene Widrevitz
October sketchbook pages, copyright Karen Johnson
Releasing a Brand New Monarch, copyright Carol Cooley
Staghorn Sumac, copyright Jane Kellenberger
October ink, copyright Arlene Widrevitz
Sketchbook with Fringed gentian, copyright Karen Johnson
Three Climbers, copyright Jane Kellenberger

Please click on any image to see the artist’s name and a larger version of the work and scroll down on the website to see previous weekly contributions.  Thank you to all of the participants!

Inktober is a registered trademark of J.P. Creative, LLC. Used with permission.

Fall Color Will Be Fading Fast

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It may be peak color in the Midwest, but it won’t last too long.  Opportunities for capturing the colors of fall, the vivid blues of the sky and the stunning reds and yellows of the leaves, will be ending soon for this year.

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are encouraged to go outside and bring back some of that color.  It could happen in a plein-air painting, sketch, or drawing (including those done from inside a vehicle), or in a photograph and color-notes later translated into artwork in the studio.  Those interested in sharing their creations can send an image to Jane Kellenberger before November 1 for the Quarterly (a members-only publication) or by November 5 to Denise Fisk for this website.  Contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook.

Chicagoland is home to numerous parks, forest preserves, as well as the spectacular Morton Arboretum, so inspiration should be plentiful!

Fall Oak, copyright Maggie Capettini

Autumn Nature in Ink

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 Nature Artists’ Guild members are invited to continue sharing their ink creations! Images can be e-mailed to Denise Fisk, whose contact information will be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook, by November 2, 2020.  Please click on any image to for the artist’s name and a larger version.

Oak and Locust leaves, ink and colored pencil, copyright Marlene Vitek
Last of Summer geraniums, ink and colored pencil, copyright Marlene Vitek
Red leaves, ink and colored pencil, copyright Marlene Vitek
(Nature’s) Rockets, copyright Alice Wych
Feather sketch in ink, copyright Denise Fisk

More Ink and Even Some Color

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A number of Nature Artists’ Guild members are enrolled in Lara Call Gastinger’s class on nature journaling, and their contributions to Inktober®2020 are wonderfully reflecting the beauty of season.

Pages from nature journal, copyright Nancy Wu
Pages from nature journal, copyright Linn Eldred
Pages from nature journal, October, copyright Linn Eldred
Pages from nature journal, color, copyright Linn Eldred

Please click on any image to see a larger version and the artist’s name.  Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are encouraged to share their ink images throughout the month of October.

Inktober is a registered trademark of J.P. Creative, LLC. Used with permission.

Nature in Ink

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Some wonderful ink creations from members of the Nature Artists’ Guild –

Rodent, copyright Alice Wych
Ink drawing, copyright Nancy Wu
Pinecone sketch, copyright Denise Fisk
Hydrangea, copyright Karen Loyer
Butterfly Weed Seed Pod, copyright Alice Wych
Boneset Front Yard, copyright Karen Loyer
Sonoran Desert Toad – Bulky, copyright Jane Kellenberger
Autumn grasses sketch, copyright Denise Fisk

Please click on an image for the full version and the artist’s name. There is still more than half of a month left for Nature Artists’ Guild members to share their ink artwork on this website. Images can be sent to Denise Fisk, whose e-mail address can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook.

Creations for this website can be sketches, finished pieces, or even doodles, preferably inspired by nature. Daily ink practice, though, can be done on any subject and having a list or selection ready to choose from can remove one of the largest obstacles to getting started. You may decide to sketch one small item for fifteen minutes each day while having coffee.  Adding watercolor or colored inks for one week might provide inspiration. Is there a crow quill pen and a bottle of ink ready to dust off and try working with again?

Drawing in ink is an excellent way to quickly improve drawing skills. There is no easy process for making corrections, so concentration and planning are essential, and mindfulness may come along naturally during the process.  Each sketch or drawing, even when “unsuccessful”, will impart a valuable lesson for future efforts.

Bulky, the Sonoran Desert Toad, Would Like A Word

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Sonoran Desert Toad – Bulky, copyright Jane Kellenberger

Maybe Bulky, the Sonoran Desert Toad, can inspire members of the Nature Artists’ Guild who aren’t already participating in Inktober®2020 to join in! One or two images per week can be shared by each member in future posts on this website.  All the details for participating are in an e-mail sent to members last month.

Those who don’t wish to share their ink creations online can just show them to a friend, family member (not sure if pets are included), or hang them in the window for passers-by.  Sketching, drawing, or even painting in ink and sharing the results is an excellent way to improve skills, learn new techniques, enjoy the creative process, and as in Bulky’s case, spread some smiles.

Inktober is a registered trademark of J.P. Creative, LLC. Used with permission.

Ink for October

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The Nature Artists’ Guild is participating in Inktober®2020!  The rules are simple, and joining in is even simpler.

Inktober is a registered trademark of J.P. Creative, LLC. Used with permission.

The Nature Artists’ Guild and The Morton Arboretum are offering some upcoming opportunities for learning to use ink in interesting and enjoyable ways –

Tomorrow, October 1, 2020, Lara Call Gastinger will be giving an online presentation about nature journaling to members.  Her remarkable journal drawings in ink illustrate some of the versatility of the medium. Guild members received an e-mail on September 24 with instructions for participating.

Stippled Leaf, sketchbook, copyright Lara Gastinger. Used with permission.

Of course, Inktober®2020 would include the art of Sumi-e, a Japanese style of painting in black ink in which emphasis is placed on the beauty of each brush stroke. The Morton Arboretum will be offering a three-part online Sumi-e workshop, taught by Patricia Larkin Green beginning on October 8, 2020.  This workshop is open to all, not just members of the Nature Artists’ Guild or The Morton Arboretum.

Patricia Larkin Green Sumi-e paintings and studio.

Please click on any of the above images or links for more information. All it really takes is a pen and some paper to begin, and images of ink creations by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will be shared on this website in the coming weeks.

Inktober is a registered trademark of J.P. Creative, LLC. Used with permission.

Summer’s End Artwork from the Nature Artists’ Guild

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Please enjoy these wonderful contributions to the Summer’s End paint-out from Nature Artists’ Guild members.  Beata Nowak and Jane Kellenberger drew and painted some of the annuals on their decks, Yvonne Buckley used pen and acrylic ink to illustrate some of the bounties of the garden, Marilyn Peretti visited a park where she found her subject on an oak tree, and Alice Wych, Eileen LaBarre, Dorothy Duffala, Bernadette Hanacek, and Kathi Kuchler all found the beauty in leaves, seeds, and flowers. Ann Lamoureux continued her work in progress from the front porch, and Gary Chipman painted a prairie view in pastel.

Congratulations to all the participants in the paint-out for choosing to take the time to appreciate the end of summer and thank you to the artists mentioned above who generously shared their beautiful results.

 

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A Beautiful Day for a Summer’s End Paint-Out

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The sky is blue, the air is crisp, and the geese are flying overhead.  Hmmm.  Is there some activity that would help a nature artist make the most of the day?

Thank you to Alice Wych for the first contribution to the 2020 Nature Artists’ Guild Summer’s End paint-out with her lovely drawing, Thistle.  While Thistle is certainly worthy of a frame, paint-out creations do not need to be finished pieces of art.  Any sketch, drawing, or painting that reflects a few hours spent in nature can be a treasure.  Details about participating in the paint-out are in an e-mail sent to members last week.

Thistle, copyright Alice Wych

Summer’s End Paint-Out

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Nature Artists’ Guild members will be receiving an e-mail soon with the who, what, where, when, why, and how of participating in this month’s Summer’s End paint-out.  The paint-out will not be a gathering of members in person, but each participant can celebrate the beauty of nature during the last days of summer by painting, drawing, or sketching on their own and then sharing images of their artwork afterwords.

Oh to be tall, copyright Fran Kelly