I’m torn between writing a post explaining why the calls for ceasefire are utterly disconnected from Hamas’s ceasefire record, the safety of the 240 kidnapped, and the safety of everyone living in the area, and creating an escapist post filled with cat nonsense and pen stuff. On the one hand I want to educate people, on the other hand if people wanted to be educated they’d spend 3 minutes googling before posting fictional maps of the area, calling for “ceasefire now” and ignoring Hamas leadership’s own disownment of their people, saying that they aren’t their responsibility, and having zero qualms about using them as human shield to provoke just the kind of reaction that they’re getting on social media.
So here are kitten sketches, and please take the time to fact check stuff you like and repost on the internet, even if it came from your favourite hairdresser or singer.
De Atramentis Document Ink Green Grey is a waterproof fountain pen ink that could have easily been called “Sage Green”. It’s dry and offers a fair amount of shading, is quick drying and would be a good addition to any Urban Sketcher’s kit.
Ink swab on Col-o-Ring
While I think that De Atramentis Document Ink Green Grey is much too light to be useful as a writing ink (see sample below) its subtlety, natural shade and waterproofness makes it very useful when coupled with watercolours.
Writing sample with two different pens on Midori MD cotton paper.
When used by itself, particularly in wider nibs, DA Geen Grey gives sketches a “vintage” feel and a good amount of interest: it both shades and allows for dry brushing effects because it’s so dry. Want a dry brush effect? Just work fast, and the tendency of this ink to skip will suddenly be an advantage:
Dry brush effectVintage look to a vintage motorcycleThis shade makes this sketch a bit melancholy, which is what I was looking for.
DA Green Grey truly shines as an under-drawing ink for watercolours. You can freely sketch guidelines and work directly in ink with it, and then add watercolour. It’s light enough to fade into the background, while still remaining permanent on the page and providing you with useful references.
Under-drawing/guideline sketchInk sketch with a Staedtler pigment liner
Can you even see DA Green Grey lines in this sketch? (you can, from very close by and if you know what you’re looking for)
If you work with watercolours, especially if you’re an urban sketcher, I highly recommend adding De Atramentis Document Ink Green Grey to your kit. It can replace a pencil for the under-sketches of your work, and it doesn’t change the shade of the watercolours, nor does it need to be erased. A pen with this is going to be added to my sketch kit, though I will probably use a fine or medium nibbed fountain pen for this ink and not go any finer because it’s so dry.
I never thought this was how Inktober would end. It’s been a bad day for my PTSD, so I’m just quickly posting this and going to spend some time taking care of myself.
The intro post to this series is here, journaling for mental clarity is here, journaling through fear is here. Journaling to clear your mind is here.Journaling to work out choices is here. The 5 year diary is here. Travel journaling is here.
There are times when there are no words, or words are not enough, but you still want to put marks on paper, because pens are a comfort, pencils are a comfort, paper is a comfort, just the sound they make as they meet is a comfort. Beyond doodling mindlessly, copying down a passage from a favourite book or a poem, or just practicing your handwriting or repeatedly writing down a mantra, here are some things you can try doing:
1. Pick an object or a photo and draw it without looking at the paper, and without picking up your pen (blind contour drawing). You need zero artistic skills for this, and the result doesn’t matter, just your focus on your subject and the movement of the pen or pencil on the paper.
2. Pick up a pen and then list 10 things that you see around you in that pen’s colour/the ink’s colour. This is a variant of a stress reducing exercise that I do regularly (find 10 objects in a certain colour in the area around you), and it helps ground you in the moment and take your mind off things. It’s best to choose an unusual colour for this (not black, blue or brown, but pink, purple, yellow, etc) – something that’s a bit more challenging to find. You can also do this with a pencil and then just pick 10 things in/with a certain shape (triangle, zigzag, hexagon, etc).
3. Pick a pencil, a pen and an eraser, and sketch them. It doesn’t have to be accurate, and nobody cares if you don’t get it anywhere near “right”. These are simple objects to sketch (basically rectangles and triangles smooshed together), they are readily available and usually don’t carry too much emotional baggage with them.
4. Put on some music with no lyrics, grab a piece of paper and some pens, and just sketch the piece. Go abstract, vary lines and shapes and colours with the change of tempo, instrument, etc. I love using Oscar Peterson or Thelonious Monk tracks for this, but it’s best to do it with tracks you already know and love.
I’ve been using a combination of all of these lately. Sometimes they help, sometimes they don’t.
Three rocket attacks today and I’m getting ready for an uneasy night. They’re sending them in large waves so Iron Dome missed a few and there direct hits and more wounded people today.
In better news the stray black kitten that my mom and brother saved is back from her stay at the vet’s (she had to have her tail removed after she was run over by a car). She’s so friendly and fearless the vet thinks that she belonged to someone who threw her out (a common fate with black cats in particular). But now she has a great forever home and she’s having the time of her life:
Spent a few hours at the office this morning instead of just working from home. It was nice to get to see people face to face after three weeks. Got caught by a siren attack a few minutes after getting off the bus so I sprinted to the shelter in the middle of a heatwave. There was a direct hit near my parents’ house just as they were bringing home a new stray 4 month old kitten that had its tail amputated after being run over by a car. She’s black, cute, and was terrified by the siren and the booms of the rockets, poor thing. I hope she settles in and the other cats there accept her.
One of my parents’ cats, Ninja, bird watching. She’s the mom of my two cats.
I had a phone call with an old friend today, and he asked me what I do to stay sane these days. I told him that I’m back to my chemo routine:
Wake up in the morning, take care of my cats and my plants.
Do some form of physical activity: run, gym, Nike Training Club workout, walk, something. This is non-negotiable since without it I get very depressed very quickly.
Work as best as I can.
Have a conversation with at least one friend. Messaging and emails don’t count — phone calls, zoom calls, face to face only. Yes, it makes a difference. I hate making phone calls too — it’s still worth it.
Talk to my family as much as possible.
Cuddle my cats. They’re very cuddly, and it helps. The little one in particular is velcro.
Journal, at least two times a day (morning and evening). These days I go for a midday session too. Write what’s going on and what I’m feeling to process it.
Read. It’s always been a comfort to me, and while most people can’t read during treatments and many can’t bring themselves to read anything but the news now, I’ve always found comfort in books.
Build Lego every night. It’s the best meditation ever. You can’t feel scared while building Lego. Your mind can’t race while building Lego. There’s only the Lego. And in the end you have something cool in your hands that you’ve built.
Writing at Large 