Walking on Harding Beach in Chatham, MA on Cape Cod, I came across a Horseshoe Crab washed up on shore. Horseshoe Crabs are invertebrates, meaning that they lack a spine and they live primarily in and around shallow ocean waters on soft sandy or muddy bottoms. The entire body of the horseshoe crab is protected by a hard carapace. Behind its legs, the horseshoe crab has book gills, which exchange respiratory gases, and are also occasionally used for swimming. As in other arthropods, a true endoskeleton is absent, but the body does have an endoskeletal structure made up of cartilaginous plates that support the book gills. They are more often found on the ocean floor searching for worms and mollusks, which are their main food. They may also feed on crustaceans and even small fish. Pilot Falcon Fountain Pen with Noodlers Bulletproof Black ink in a Stillman and Birn Beta Sketchbook.
Pen and Ink
Central Park South
A weekend getaway with friends to New York City. Difficult to find time to sketch. Very busy. This is a quick sketch of Central Park using a Pilot Falcon fountain pen with Noodler’s Bulletproof black ink in a Stillman and Birn Alpha sketchbook.
Fishing Pulley II
Another studio sketch from a photograph that I took at the New Bedford harbor of vignettes of fishing boats. It was too cold to do a live sketch since I could not get my car in good location. Pilot Falcon fountain pen with Noodler’s Bulletproof black ink and Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn Beta sketchbook.
Fishing Pulley I
A studio sketch from a photograph that I took at the New Bedford harbor of vignettes of fishing boats. It was too cold to do a live sketch since I could not get my car in good location. Pilot Falcon fountain pen with Noodler’s Bulletproof black ink and Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn Beta sketchbook.
Carousel Horses
A trip to Hyannis on Cape Cod and a visit to the local mall. While Lisa was shopping, I did a quick pen and ink sketch with watercolor of a couple of the Carousel Horses. Pilot Falcon fountain pen with Noodler’s Bulletproof black ink and Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.
Sun Angles
I was having a discussion with a colleague last night and he was saying that the sun is never north of the East West line. Going back to what I learned in school using a sun angle calculator (now it is even easier on the internet) I sketched this diagram showing the position of the sun at sunrise and sunset in at the summer and winter solstice. Pilot Falcon fountain pen with Noodler’s Bulletproof black ink and Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.
Falmouth Harbor
A beautiful Autumn Sunday afternoon in Falmouth, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. While Lisa walked Falmouth Heights, I sat in the car and sketched Falmouth Harbor. Still some boats left before they all get stored out of the water for the winter. Lamy fountain pen with Noodler’s Bulletproof black ink and Holbein watercolors in a Moleskine landscape watercolor sketchbook.
Clarke Cooke House
A beautiful fall afternoon to skip out of work early and head to one of our favorite places – Newport, Rhode Island. Autumn is the best time of year here, with the summer tourists one and a crisp coolness in the air. A wonderful sunset over the harbor tonight and this view of the Clarke Cooke House with the sun glowing on the side elevation. In 1780, Clarke Cooke, a wealthy Newport sea captain built the house nearby on Thames Street before eventually moving from Thames Street as it commercialized. The second and third floors of the building are original (while the first had been used for various commercial purposes) and these top “floors were jacked up, moved and set on a new foundation, which is now the wharf level dining area.” Pilot Falcon fountain pen with Noodler’s Bulletproof black ink and Faber Castell Pitt Art pens in a Stillman and Birn Sketchbook.
Fall Leaves II
Some different leaves on the edge of our driveway and have gone from green, to yellow and now are starting to turn a red color. This is an Korean Dogwood tree. Pilot Falcon fountain pen with Noodler’s Bulletproof black ink and Holbein watercolors in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.
Ball and Jacks
A Pen and Ink sketch of a large iron ball and jacks at the edge of a vineyard in Napa Valley, California. The sculptures are about 6′-0″ tall and made or rusted steel. Pilot Falcon fountain pen with Noodler’s Bulletproof black ink in a Stillman and Birn sketchbook.