More or less practicing here, pictures just out of my head. Nice heavy paper with texture. Fabriano 140lb. I need new paints, however.
These are pretty tiny, BTW. 8 by 5 inches or so…..
January 18, 2022
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MLK
By Jack Ruttan in digital, heads, Portraits, women
This is a little late for Martin Luther King Day, but I drew him a couple of years ago, for an article for Coreopsis Journal of Myth & Theatre. It’s called It Can Happen Here, and it’s written by Ron Boyer.
December 6, 2021
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More sketchbookery
By Jack Ruttan in ballpoint pen, cats, Coloured Pencils, pencil, sketches, watercolor, women
Pictures done from reference are more “realistic,” but not as much fun to draw as more cartoony things.
I sort of adore the way ballpoint pens “blob.” Other artists wipe the point, I think, in between doing cross-hatching lines.
November 28, 2021
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Yet Another Sketchbook Post
By Jack Ruttan in sketches
I have lots of sketchbooks on the go at any one time. Here’s one that I started in May of this year. These are the first few pages.
Sometimes I’m in a bit of a mood when I draw these. But they generally look fun, even if people rarely smile in these drawings. It IS good therapy, and I draw every day.
November 26, 2021
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Okay, some more….
By Jack Ruttan in heads, horses, pencil, Portraits, sketches
I decided to scan a few more. This is sort of an old book, from the beginning of the pandemic. These are $4.00 “Dollarama” sketchbooks, which are great, because they are cheap, and the paper likes watercolour. Brush pen, though, sometimes wicks a bit.
These things claim, however to be “acid free paper,” which is a fib, because they yellow very quickly. So in a few centuries, they might be dust. But I won’t be around either, so what would I care?
November 26, 2021
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Hello, Hello?
By Jack Ruttan in sketches
I’ve been so terrible at putting things up here. Back in the heyday (around 2012 or so and before,) I was posting every day. Don’t know who was looking. I should try to put up more, dammit!
February 25, 2021
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Feeling Neglected
By Jack Ruttan in Coloured Pencils, pencil, sketches
Sketchbook page
My blog and I have been through some times. But since the advent of Facebook and Instagram and all of those corporate web things, the blog has been sort of neglected as of late. I used to post here daily, putting up whatever I had drawn that day, good bad, or indifferent.
I still draw a lot, but haven’t been posting as much. So, here’s a random page I’m sure hasn’t seen the light of day, just to keep my hand in.
October 30, 2020
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Watercolour Boy
By Jack Ruttan in color, paintings, sketches, watercolor, watercolour
I saved my blog today. It’s a little bit dated, and I’ve got to go through and prune the links on the left hand side. But I’m still carrying on!
October 2, 2020
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New Profile Pic
By Jack Ruttan in digital, self-promotion, sketches
I like drawing green monster boys. Did this one as quickly as I could, on the digital.
September 11, 2020
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Bat Boy
By Jack Ruttan in digital, paintings, sketches
I’ve not been playing with the blog for a while, and something got broken. I’ve fixed that, and backed everything up, I think, so here’s another post! If this makes it to Instagram, I will be very happy.
February 5, 2020
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Digital Cattery
By Jack Ruttan in cats, color, digital, sketches
I’m getting more cosy with the digital tools; painting on the computer. Still, I want to be more disciplined, and paint things that would look good in a portfolio. That means doing things with an eye towards pleasing people, rather than whatever strangeness comes out of my head.
It’s difficult to explain. I can draw whatever inside the sketchbook and it looks like a sketchbook, but what I do on the computer seems more like individual paintings rather than pages.
If something pleases me, or feels like it’s destined for general consumption rather than being strange, somewhat wobbly images from inside my head, I’ll put it up.
Maybe do some more 3D things. Or, maybe, comics….
January 23, 2020
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Spiky Hair
By Jack Ruttan in color, digital, men
I’m afraid I’m avoiding watercolours by drawing things such as this. He’s sort of true to this drawing software, which started life out as “Manga Studio.”
January 23, 2020
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Moose
By Jack Ruttan in watercolor, watercolour
Back into watercolours. They’ll get better, I promise! Will use reference next time. Gee, there seems to be no shortcuts when it comes to stretching paper. I tried a lot of them, and no thanks. Paper tape and staples do the job.
January 21, 2020
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New Coloured Pencils
By Jack Ruttan in color, Coloured Pencils, men, pencil, Portraits, ruttan's place, sketches, womenA generous friend sent me a set of 168 wooden coloured pencils. (Is it “coloured” or “colour”? The last one sounds slightly illiterate.) I’ve taken them out of their packaging, where they were inaccessible, and put them into yogurt containers, where I can reach them and see what I’m drawing with.
Some of the pencils crumbled inside the twisty sharpener, so I’m sharpening them with the razor blade, as shown. It’s more like gentle stroking rather than a twisty reaching motion, and easier on the cores.
Here’s an example of something I drew. The pencils are called “blendable,” but they are only just. Maybe some sort of solvent will work. 
There’s a list of colours you can fill out with the accompanying numbers in case you need to buy a new pencil, but I wish they had come up with even dumb names for the colours, because I like those.
