Flowers

So you go walking in the mountains with a sketchbook and a pencil, and you decide to draw some easy subject like flowers (they don't move, unlike birds and even cows).
Big clouds move fast in the sky, so the light on your subject changes every couple of minutes (and you alternately freeze and burn). When the sun hits on the white page, you are almost blinded by the reflection, and immediately after, when the sun is covered by a cloud, you see strange colored spots around you.
In order to gain the best point of view for that beautiful flower, you have to assume strange postures, and you occasionally sit on some thorny plant. Ants, spiders and bugs walk on you and under your clothes.
The wind is blowing, and turns the pages of your sketchbook.

So, is it worth the bother?

Of course it is, because it's so fun. And, incidentally, walking in some beautiful mountain landscape is one of my favourite activities, despite some minor annoyances.

As I'm lazy, here are the actual sketchbook pages, with no selection.

Back to ink

A couple of new ink drawings.

The first was made for a contest, but in the end I decided to submit a different drawing. It's about the local situation, so it's probably not worth explaining.

In the second one, I wanted the scene to be complicated and messy, and I guess I was successful... possibly a bit too successuful..   :)

Incubo - Nightmare

A new character from Dino Coltro's book Gnomi, anguane e basilischi.

Nowadays, an incubo (nightmare) is a dream full of anguish and fear, but the meaning has changed during the centuries. The italian word, incubo, comes from latin incubare, which means "to sit, to lie on top of someone or something"; a incubo was originally a kind of dwarfish evil creature sitting on the breast of sleepers, making breathing difficult. In english too, the same "shift" has occurred. According to the online etymology dictionary, a nightmare was "an evil female spirit afflicting sleepers with a feeling of suffocation".

Anyway, the original meaning of incubo has been retained in popular culture, and the little creature is the subject of a couple of drawings:

 and a watercolor (alas, the scanner has butchered a bit the colors):

Incidentally, you may want to look at a painting by Johann Heinrich Füssli on the same subject.

Snow maiden

Dino Coltro, who sadly passed away last year, was a writer, poet and scholar of traditions of north-eastern Italy (link here in italian). Incidentally, his love for local traditions dated back to many decades ago, and was completely devoid of any discriminatory or racist attitude, which is (sadly) worth noting nowadays in northern Italy.

Anyway, I've recently read a book of his about some creatures in popular myth, and I decided to imagine and draw some of these strange and funny characters (in case you ask, the title is Gnomi, anguane e basilischi).
The first character I propose, la fanciulla delle nevi (snow maiden), is actually not so strange, but quite poetic. Snow maidens are fairies living in the mountains, guarding and protecting the glaciers and the snow summits. Sometimes they come down and help men to move their flock or herd:

here is a kind of character study (I hope they don't look too much like "models"):

You may have noticed that snow is almost missing in my drawings... yes, that's right, but these are simple preliminary sketches... :)

Portrait of a lady

A couple of quick sketches from life.
The lady is quite an interesting person, and a good subject to draw.

Ink again

A new ink drawing, possibly a bit better than the previous ones.
Three ladies in a lunar landscape - the original is much better, believe me!!! :)

Souci

This month James Gurney's Art by Committee is about a dialog:

"Souci?"
"Yes."
"This is Billy."
"I can see that."
"Oh, right. You don't have your camera on."
"Mmmm."
"Umm, welcome back."
"Thanks."
One... two... three... four...
"So, should we, um, get together or something?"
"What do you want to do?"
"I don't know. Have lunch? Some drinks?"
"I'm on a diet."
"Take a walk?"
"Where?"
"I don't know. Want to talk?"
"What about?"
"Ummm. Never mind. Look, I'll, uh, call you again, all right?"
"Sure."
"Bye."
"Bye."

here is my proposal:

To be called Souci (in french: preoccupation, concern) may not be easy, but to be in love with Souci is probably even less easy. I've tried to imagine the difficult and conflicted young lady at the phone. Everyone has met at least one Souci in his life...  :)

The drawing was made in a hurry, so there are some evident faults (besides my usual ones, I mean...).