Here is a very quick 2-3 minute sketch I did from John Pike's Painting Watercolors project 4, oriental style.

Used Pentel Pocket Brush pen and Yasutomo sumi-e watercolors.

Paper used was a piece of scratch copy paper I use in my printer. This was a quick fun one to do.

This is my contribution to the March "Green" theme on Kate Johnson's Coffeehouse. Couldn't get it uploaded to the regular album nor my album. Tried 3 different days. No go! Oh well, so much for Yahoo!

Just a variety of things done in green.

Wheee, what fun! Just like kids, like to slide down a hill!

Another penguine drawing using Pentel pocket brush pen and Chinese watercolors.

Pandas and Penguins are my 2 favorite animals to paint with the oriental style.

Sentinels of the Night. Done with a new Stabilo CarbOthello water soluble pastel pencils. The initial drawing was just like regular pastels. I blended them with a Q-tip. Instead of fixing it with a fixative, I applied a light wash of water over the entire drawing. Some additional blending came as I applied the water.

A very different medium. Will have to see how much more I can accomplish with wetting the colors more.

This week's Silly Saturday was the number "203". So, thought I'd put my sketches up.
Done with a Pentel pocket brush pen.

This is a sketch for our Mardi Gras theme in Cathy Johnson's students group.
Top half was done with Derwent's Inktense pencils. The bottom half with Reeves gouache.
An interesting use of art materials.

Here is a sample I did using the new Pentel Pocket Brush pen I just received. Used Marie's Chinese Watercolors for the color.

The bamboo was made by laying the pen on it's side, giving the effect of the roundness of the bamboo. Enjoyed this new pen.

Another of my Panda drawings. Using Pentel Pocket Brush pen and Marie's Chinese watercolors.

Here is another painting done with the Pentel Pocket Brush pen, Derwent Inktense pencils and Marie's Chinese Watercolors. These watercolors are artist grade.

The Marie's Chinese Watercolors are not made by the same company as the western Marie's watercolors.

This is an Hourglass style mountain dulcimer. This one has 4 strings. Some come with 3 and as high as 6 strings.

This one was handmade for me by Ken Hamlin in 1984. It is one of several music instruments I have.

It's been a long time since I played this one. The mountain dulcimer is usually played with the instrument laying across your lap. The noter is used to slide along the fretboard and you strum the instrument. It's a lot of fun.

My other musical instruments I have include a Yamaha electronic keyboard and several Penny whistles in different keys of C, D, and A.

This little seascape was done with Faber Castell Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils. Paper was in an Academie Sketch book, paper weight unknown. The paper did buckle a little.

Trying out my new Memory Brush Pen that I just got. Not quite as loose as a sumi-e brush, but close.

The Chinese calligraphy shown is actually my name. The top one is my first name and the meaning is "Grand, splendid, Glory".

The middle one means "agree". This is the first 2 letters of my last name.

The bottome one meaning "thought". This is the last 2 letters of my last name.

This was provided to my my Chinese artist Ning Yeh.

Sunset from our back yard. It was done with Cretacolor pastel pencils and pen and ink. Drawing used for a lesson in Kate Johnson's on-line drawing and sketching class.

No presketch was done. Scene taken from a photograph I took. I started with the sky.

Another pastel drawing done on Canson Mi-Teintes blue paper. It was done as an exercise in Kate Johnson's on-line drawing and sketchingclass.

Although this is not a drawing or painting, thought it would be interesting to see our cat's favorite position.

If I tried to sketch her this way, she'd look funny.

Left seascape done with number 6 pencil as part of an on-line drawing and sketching course by Kate Johnson.

Sketch on right is a selection from a series of pencil thumbnail sketches. This also part of the same class.

Another pencil sketch

My attempt at a self portrait.

A few sketches from our drawing/sketching class, direct observationa and negative space. Used brush pens on these.


This was an upside down sketch using a brush pen.


A gesture sketch and a couple more sketches using the brush pen.

Here is a watercolor painting I did on oriental rice paper. It is very thin and you can actually see through it.

Wish I knew the name of it as I would love to get my hands on some more.

Just learning to play this little jewel. I can thank Kate Johnson for the inspiration to get one.

This is called the Mellow Dog, which is a tweaked version of the Walton Mellow D Irish Whistle. It's in the key of D. Also have one in the key of C. This one is tweaked (made better) by Jerry Freeman who is the only professional whistle tweaker in the world. I also have a Walton Sweetone whistle tweaked by Jerry. The Mellow Dog, so far, is my favorite.

The penny whistle (tin whistle) of modern era got renewed about 25 years ago with the interest in folk music. The first one dates back some 25,000 years with a bone made flute. Around 1875 the penny whistle as we know it today came into being. The instrument is well known in England, Scotland, Ireland and beginning in America.

Did they ever cost a penny? The first ones sold were 1/4 cents each (two pence each) by Whistling Billing (another interesting story). He paid 3 pence for 12 of them! In some places it was custom to give a penny to a child playing them in the street. Thus the name stuck.

Today, pennywhistles sell for as little as $3.00 up to over $400, depending on the make.