Today I’m showing a page from my sketchbook that has drawings from two different days. At the top is a drawing of a dead sunflower head I did on Jan. 25th, on a very snowy, cold day! You can read what I wrote on the page about that. I was trying out my new Graphitint Color Pencils, this one is ‘cocoa’. After I sketched it, I used a waterbrush (brush with water stored in it) to pull the color out and create graded values of tone. Then I worked back into the dark areas to push the value range further and define the flower’s shape.
Today I found a green caterpillar when I picked up some bricks that were piled by my driveway, it was tucked in some rotting leaves and snow. I can’t imagine how caterpillars survive the winter like this. But he looked as fresh as springtime! Umm…so if you knew me, you’d already know I took him inside to draw and study!
The picture shows him lying on my sketchbook page. 1st I did a pencil sketch with the ‘outliner’ pencil that comes with the Inktense color pencils. I drew it at actual size then made an enlarged drawing that looks like he’s under a magnifying glass. The shadow and the magnifying glass make it look more real. Then I drew him again (small) and tried to add a cast shadow. This didn’t work out too well at this tiny size so I pulled the ink black color all around it to ‘fix’ it. I also show a picture of the sanding block I use to sharpen my colorpencils. I don’t keep a very long point on them because they are more prone to breaking then graphite. Click on the pictures to see enlarged views and read my notes on my sketchbook. 
Love that green. Did he start coming back to life once he warmed up?
You didn’t say what became of your muse. Hope you were able to reward him with a juicy leaved plant inside a warm greenhouse for his services. In any event I would have thought that his chances of surviving until the Spring on that dried out Sunflower would have been pretty slim indeed.
Hi camulus and betty2dogs, yes, he did start to stir after awhile. He got frisky and was crawling down the inside of the spiral of my sketchbook! It was a sunny day so I drew fast, then got him back outside and under the leaves. The sunflower is from a drawing another day, I didn’t find him on that. Anyone know what kind of catapillar it is?
Outliner pencil??? I didn’t get anything like that…
Your sketches are stunning though…
Best–
Cathy (Kate) Johnson
It’s funny, I don’t know why they included it, but it’s just like a graphite pencil when I tested it, it erases just like one and smears like one.
I keep playing with the inktense pencils to get used to them, so far I like them a lot!
Thanks Kate!
Mary