Sketchbooks project

here are few sketchbooks i recently stitched and bounded. these all are hardcover sketchbooks with brilliant quality acid free paper ideal for a quick sketching in both dry and wet medium. graphite, pen, ink, watercolor works very well on the papers. they are lightweight and easy to carry anywhere.

these are available for sale. if you are interested to purchase in any of these and to know about exact availability with details, kindly send a message or write a mail to me at...

dhrubafinearts[at]gmail[dot]com

btw, i also use the similar kind of sketchbooks :)!

kindly note: the cover designs may vary for actual available sketchbooks than the pictures shown here!

© dhruba mazumder, 2014
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

A little bit about Artistic Block

artistic block is a term where one get stuck without much inspirations to work on, self doubt, lack of creative influence, failing to express etc. leaving a person blank. this can be momentary, few days, weeks or even months if not years. it gives the feeling that, all the creativity is over and we cant do anymore expressive works, we are finished in artistic term. however if we think positively, this is also a good time to experiment, experience and learn new things and scale new horizons with very less expectations. this can be either experimenting with a completely new medium, approach and style, subject, working time letting yourself more open towards experimenting new things with much less expectations for end results unlike of regular artworks that you have been doing so far. this may be the correct time to browse through the inspirations that you have always tried to explore. you may never know what new ability you could discover of yourself just because that you have never given the chance to experiment.

a very quick experimental sketch based on a profile picture of Kruttika Susarla. thanks Kruttika for the pic.

watercolor on awoen sketchbook.
size: 7 1/2" H x 5" w approx.
time: 35 min approx.
source: from reference pic.

© dhruba mazumder, 2014

Looking at the shapes of Light & Shade

give me some light and shade and i will try to capture it the most abstract way. many have wondered how i capture the most mundane objects. well its those beautiful light and dark shapes attract me most. when i saw this view, i had hardly any time to capture it on my sketchbook as the settings sun vanishes in quick seconds. so i captured the basic shapes in simple lines and added few notes for future reference. later on i completed this sketch with color from these notes.

it's almost impossible to let go a view like this in vein! happy sketching/drawing/painting!

© dhruba mazumder, 2014

Wish you everybody a Happy Magh Bihu, Lohri, Pongal, Sankranti

*********************************************************************************
Wish you everybody a Happy Magh Bihu, Lohri, Pongal, Sankranti...!!!
*********************************************************************************

this one is from couple of years back. a simple still life setting with natural light coming in from windows. a graphite sketch first for the composition and the watercolor version. a reminder to myself, i need to do these more often...!!

mediums: graphite on cartridge paper
watercolor on handmade paper

© dhruba mazumder, 2014

On location at Varkala Beach, Kerala.

this one is from beautiful Varkala, Kerala. there's a pure joy when one sketch/draws/paints on location as you can feel the atmosphere, sound etc around you, hence the other senses are also connected to it and keeps the artwork even more refreshing in one's memory.

medium: watercolor on cartridge paper sketchbook

© dhruba mazumder, 2014. all rights reserved.
www.facebook.com/dhrubafinearts

Keeping the color palette clean with frsh colors

well, according to the master watercolor artist Charles Reid, one way of judging how fresh the colors are in your just finished painting by looking at the color palettes you have used to mix colors for the painting. if the colors are still fresh in the wells and mixing areas, chances are they will be fresh in your painting as well. these are my palettes after a finished painting today. the wells were not cleaned up in the middle of the painting process and used from start to finish. apart from only few, most of the colors used were allowed to mix directly on the paper.

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2014. all rights reserved

On location viewing UB city, Bangalore

found an old on location picture from last year after the completed sketch along with the subject.

watercolor on sketchbook
size: 9" H x 7" W

this beautiful picture is courtesy Priya Sebastian. thanks priya!! you can check her illustrations at Priya Sebastian's Illustrations!!

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2014. all rights reserved

As the colors flow

a quick water color study today. wanted to pain as loose as possible with more suggestive brush marks than defined elements.

medium: watercolor on canson paper
size: 9" H x 7" W
time: 30 min approx.

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2014. all rights reserved

Another source of inspiration

a sneak peak about my source of inspirations for these kind of quick sketches. there is always something interesting around you to capture in the paper. for me, it's the play of light and dark abstract shapes that catch my attention at any place and time that inspires me most, a thing i can't ignore ! it's a good idea to give another closer look at these shapes trying to observe them in abstract manner and not as simple subjects what we are logically aware of. and if you still find them interesting it's the right time to do that quick sketch!!

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2014. all rights reserved

From doodles to final painting - stage by stage approach.

sometimes my original paintings are based on ideas generated from random and quick doodles done in fun way. here's an example how the idea was conceived for the watercolor painting 'Deep in the woods'.

kindly click on the image to view a bigger version. thanks!!

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2013. all rights reserved

Another WIp post.

Few stages with added notes of a recent sketch i did live from our kitchen window of the street in front couple of days back.

Kindly click on the image to view a bigger version. I would like to hear your feedback. kindly leave a message!

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2013. all rights reserved

Doodling fun cars.

It is doodling time with fun colors!! Tried some vehicle sketches again after a long time and I always have fun doing these where I can be free of any real expectations and just see what is evolving in the paper itself by putting line after line.

medium: permanent ink with felt tip sketch pen
size: 4" H x 6" W
time: 10 min approx. each
source: fun!

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2013. all rights reserved

Let's catch a little Sun

This is the first painting of 2013, done in watercolor. This work is available for purchase.

medium: watercolor
size: 14" H x 9" W

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2013. all rights reserved

Effiel tower in Bangalore

Lal bagh [the botanical garden] in the heart of the Bangalore city organizes and showcases this beautiful flower show twice a year, in the month of January and August with exclusive and exotic flowers, plants and floral decorations. During these days it attracts hundreds and thousands of people from all the over the country and abroad also to view this unique event in the glass-house premise. Though it is any sketchers' paradise to do live sketching of these beautiful flowers, its actually impossible to do so because of the pack crowd. even photographers have hardly any place to get a good angle :)! I happened to visit Lal bagh last Thursday and to my surprise this Eiffel Tower made of thousands of of white and red roses with some green leaves still stood there from the exhibition even after it has ended few days earlier. though the flowers have dried up and changed their color, it was still the best thing to sketch there that day with much less crowd. however I was interrupted many times as i was surrounded by group of visiting students in that sketching session, but that's a part of experience for any on location sketching and painting :)!

medium; watercolor on sketchbook
size: 8" x 5 3/4"
time: 1 1/2 hrs approx.
source: live
thanks for viewing!!

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2013. all rights reserved

Vegetable series in watercolor

some recent adventures with watercolors. i thought of working with simple still life setup using vegetables. these whole series was quite fun and colorful!! hopefully i will work more on these...:)!!

medium: watercolor on 300 gms cold press brustro paper
size: 7" x 7"
source: live

kindly click on the images for bigger and better viewing!!

thanks for viewing!!

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2013. all rights reserved 

Late afternoon mood

I love observing the sky and how much mood it can create in an artwork, love the various colors its reflects back and specially in the evening when the sun is going to set. in this view, I was interested how portion of the evening sky was similar in color as the structure itself.

medium: watercolor on sketchbook
size: 8" x 5 3/4"
time: 60 min approx
source: live

Thanks for viewing!!

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2013. all rights reserved 

Sketching at Childrens park

almost couple of years back i went to this park which has an attached children playing area, for my very first outdoor sketching with few of my friends on an early morning wintery sunday. i had no clue what to choose and what to sketch as i was too overwhelmed, though i remember i managed to do couple of sketches and i was thrilled! after that i never went to this park again though this is not far away from my home. i went there again yesterday in the evening and it was very nice to see the children playing and accompanied by their parents and grand parents. i had to do this sketch very quickly as the sun was going down behind the trees.

medium: waterproof gel ink and watercolor on sketchbook
size: 8" x 5 3/4"
time: 45 min. approx.
source: live

thanks for viewing.

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2013. all rights reserved

The corn sketch

Again I had to restrict myself to sketch something small element as it was already dark in the evening and I could not go out. luckily i had this corn and thought it will be nice to study this in watercolor :)!

medium: watercolor on sketchbook
size: 5 3/4" x 8"
time: 70 min approx.
source: live

thanks for viewing!! 

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2013. all rights reserved 

Early morning drive in wintery Delhi

This one is somewhere in between a sketch and a painting :) or rather it went a little beyond a normal sketch, which most probably i will make a much larger version. it is more of a study and experimentation of various aspects.

Thanks a lot Sawan for sharing the beautiful pic u clicked and allowing me to paint :)!! Hope u liked this version too!!

water color on 300gsm cold press fabriano paper
size: 6 1/2" x 9 1/2"
source: from a reference picture.

thank you very much for viewing!

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2013. all rights reserved 

From the roof

 

this view is on my roof. it got my attention because of how different kind of shapes, lines and angles are created by these two structures and the lovely foreground shadow created by the water tank. and its a pleasure to sit on the roof underneath this shadow in the late afternoon with cool breeze blowing.

medium: watercolor on sketchbook
size: 5 3/4" x 8"
time: 75 Min approx.
source: live  

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2013. all rights reserved

Another two sketches

Oops! I spilled the shadow :)! Almost every time I struggle when I have to sketch something after dark, as I have to be restricted with something small and artificial light somehow doesn't interest me as much as natural sunlight, however its something better than doing nothing. also sketching white element is always fascinating to me as I can explore the colors beyond what it may actually consists :)!

medium: watercolor on sketchbook
size: 5 3/4" x 8"
time: 60 min approx
source: live

It was very pleasing with cool breeze to sit down on roof on a late afternoon. though I had something else in mind to sketch that day, I saw this little faucet catching a glimpse of the sun creating beautiful tonal values and shapes is not it great to get inspired by interesting shapes rather than fixed subjects!

medium: watercolor on sketchbook
size: 5 3/4" x 8"
time: 60 min approx.
source: live


thanks for viewing!! 

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2013. all rights reserved

The first watercolor from 2013!

My first water color of 2013. yah, its been almost 2 weeks and I had been busy with some commission paintings and I had to get involved doing sketches to loosen up from those commission works. finally I could begin working on own water color pieces for this year and here it is :)!!

medium: watercolor on 300 gms, cold press fabriano paper
size: 9 1/4" x 13 1/2"
source: from a reference pic provided by smitha.

Kindly click on the image below for a bigger and better version. thanks for viewing :)!

 

visit my page at: 
www.facebook.com/dhrubamazumderfineart

 © dhruba mazumder, 2013. all rights reserved

every kitchen's friend, well almost :)! its been in almost everybody family for past few decades now although it has been replaced by the pipe cooking gas, it still remains the main contender. it comes in various sizes, and shapes however this the most common one u can have a sight on.

medium: watercolor on sketchbook
size: 5 3/4" x 8"
time: 60 min approx
source: live

the major wip stages of the cylinder watercolor sketch i did couple of weeks back. hope this helps!

a feedback is very much welcome, i would love to hear about it. thank you all :)!


kindly click on the image to view a bigger version.

© dhruba mazumder, 2013

fun with colors! experimenting with new mediums on my left over pages of last year's sketchbook and it seems fun so far. these are camel transparent photo colors and very very intense. first i splashed some colors on a randomly wet page and let it dry. once dried, i sketched this view with pental brush pen from live. than i added few more colors on specific areas, like the foliage and roof to define them more.

medium: pental brush pen and transparent photo color wash
size: 7" x 10"
time: may be 1 1/2hrs for the whole sketch in 3 different installment :)
source: live.

 

in this picture u can see the splashes. in the middle section or page, i have already sketched the structure and the trees on top of the base splash which started the similar way with random splashes as the right side page. unfortunately i lost the 1st stage picture from my comp. in the left picture i added few more colors and enhanced the tonal values to define some element like the roofs, some walls and the foliage.

 

 

something which always fascinates me to sketch from any angle. the three wheeler or auto-rickshaw which is available for hire in every small corner of this country.

medium: ink and watercolor wash on sketchbook
size: 5 3/4" x 8"
time: 45 min approx.
source: live

a detailed study of a floral mural pattern on a house wall. i think i will do this again in monochrome to understand the brilliant forms.

medium: watercolor on sketchbook
size: 5 3/4" x 8"
time: 40 min approx.
source: live

 

a suburban cattle shed somewhere in front of my house, well not exactly, which i can see everyday. a weathered, worn out structure is always artist's fascinations as it holds so much of character and if this has been added with late afternoon sunlight, then i think hardly any artist can resist the temptation to make an expression of it in one's own visual language. so here's my attempt :)!

medium: watercolor on sketchbook
size: 8" x 5 3/4"
time: 60 min approx.
source: live

this was sketched just in front of my house. i wanted to sketch this almost at the end of the day just before the sun goes down as at those moments light is always very nice and glowing and the shadow is really interesting too. so i did the line work initially and observed for few days at what time i should start the sketch and reach that special time of the day when i can capture the shadows. at this hour of the day, sun moves very quickly and shadow fades away in minutes. i am glad finally i could capture this working in couple days with breaks, a nice experience!!

medium: waterproof gel ink on sketchbook
size: 8" x 5 3/4"
time: 60 min approx total
source: live

this is showing the initial line work and the loose watercolor wash on top it. 

the food grain carrier. there's a big storage area of Food Corporation of India just across the street of where i stay and every morning these trucks will line up to go in and come back loaded with the food grain sacks. they will wait for sometime before making there journey's to their destinations. this one caught my attention because of the beautiful sun and shadow it was casting with its loads. to add on this, while sketching this [about 65 %], there was a monkey attack :)!! these two monkey came and entered my house and took out some potatoes, a pack of flour and peanuts and was not moving at all for an hour. they also drank and threw away my water sources of painting! finally when they left, the truck has already gone. so i had to finish the rest of this sketch from my memory. i am glad that i had put enough input in this sketch already before the drama began.

medium: watercolor on sketchbook
size: 8" x 5 3/4"
time: 60 min approx. with breaks
source: live

the great indian presuure cooker :). every household's essential cooking friend. if it is not there in the kitchen it is not complete. i think almost every single coking place in India has this in various sizes from tiny little to the huge ones!! it was a good exercise to study reflective metals, tonal values and subtle changes of hues.

medium: watercolor on sketchbook
size: 8" x 5 3/4"
time: 60 min arpprox.
source: live in the kitchen

one of the many fruit sellers at the neighborhood weekly suburban market. they come in their vehicle loaded with all these colorful fruits and set up the same as a makeshift shop, i think they keep going to different localities 7 days a week! i loved these weekly markets that are held in different parts and corners and mostly i guess outskirts of the city. they are very colorful and full of characteristic. this weekly market is just 5 min walk away from my home and is held on every thursday. i went to this market few times before and always thought of sketching the next time i visit again. today, i took my sketchbook and colors and did couple of sketches. and it was a very nice experience as i was working with two sketches at the same time as either one of the subject will be blocked by crowd or vehicle!! btw, i bought some vegetables also :)!!

medium: waterproof gel ink and watercolor on sketchbook
size: 8" x 5 3/4"
time: 45 min approx.
source: live

sugarcane juice seller at the neighborhood local weekly rural market.
 
medium: waterproof gel ink and watercolor on sketchbook
size: 8" x 5 3/4"
time: 45 min approx.
source: live

the moment i saw this picture, i felt like sketching it and that also in a very loose way. thanks again Sawan for sharing this picture from your parents place at bangalore.

medium: waterproof gel ink and watercolor wash on sketchbook
size: 8" x 5 3/4"
time: 60 min approx
source: from a reference picture

another two great tools for water color artist. a garden or plant sprayer and a common body sprayer recycled into a mist atomizer. they are handy to spray over the paper while working on dry condition to keep the paper moist, hence buying more time to work on watercolor washes keeping them wet. they also are very handy to create texture by spraying water on freshly laid washes. the mist atomizer is also very useful to fill with liquid water colors and directly use as a spray painting tool creating nice forms and textures! u can have few of them filled with different colors and have fun!

medium: watercolor on sketchbook
size: 5 3/4" x 8"
duration: 60 min approx
source: live

a small sketch from a beautiful reference picture shot at Varanashi by Shruti.

medium: watercolor on sketchbook
size: 5 3/4" x 8"
time: 60 min approx
source: from a reference picture

well, its a simple hair drier. but an important tool for watercolor artists as it can speed up the painting process, specially when the weather is damp and the paper takes long time to dry from those initial washes. it can also be used to control the amount of blending between colors on paper by quickly drying them. this one is a very cheap model bought couple of years back and has two speed. works fine for me. though this may look strange as an artist tool, its a nice companion and so i thought its good to make an sketch of this too :)!

medium: waterproof gel ink and watercolor on sketchbook
size: 5 3/4" x 8"
time: 60 min approx
source: live

yesterday, i almost missed my daily sketch [i am hoping to do at least 1 sketch a day :)] as the day quickly passed by while i painted a watercolor. i somehow dont find much inspiration to sketch at home, specially at night as i love to go out and sketch on location. i still had to find something to do a quick sketch before diner and here it is, the bell peppers! i wished i had the other colored ones too. may be next time i will add the yellow and the red ones too :).

medium: waterproof gel ink on sketchbook
size: 5 3/4" x 8"
time: 60 min approx.
source: as u can see, live :)!!

yesterday, i replaced the original watercolor cakes in my plein air watercolor box with freshly squeezed colors from tube. the original cakes were too dry. i had to add too much of water to make them moist resulting in weak washes eventually taking more layers to reach the certain level of dark tones. it makes the colors appear dull and not fresh. i added the basic primary colors in both warm and cool temperatures, the earth colors and couple of extra ones like payen's grey, sepia, a green [which i hardly use as i mix green from the primary colors] and kept the white cake intact. hope these colors will be better to use on location maintaining freshness. the two brushes are cheap synthetic round brushes but forms very nice points, size: 10 and 6 and on the right is the Reynolds waterproof gel pen i use.

medium: waterproof gel ink and watercolor wash on sketchbook
size: 5 3/4" x 8"
time: 60 mins approx.
source: live

the pedal boats for hire at Ulsoor lake. i have again realized few days back, how beautiful it is to sit there on the steps of this lake in the heart of Bangalore and enjoy the reflected afternoon sunlit water, the pedal boats and to view the defense personals' everyday routine practice of their sail boats, rowing and kayaking activities. i was thinking initially to spend an hour there before i had to visit a post office regarding the parcel, however i loved so much being there that i ended up viewing a beautiful sunset! if u have some free time to spare in the afternoon somewhere nearby, pls step in to this beautiful place and enjoy the setting sun with a cup of tea. well i did not have the tea but did couple of sketches. btw, apart from the green wooden boat, all the other ones there went for a paddle and returned while i was sketching this. its a nice part of outdoor sketching :)!

medium: waterproof ink and watercolor on sketchbook
size: 5 3/4" x 8"
time: 60 min approx.
source: live

medium: watercolor on sketchbook
size: 5 3/4" x 8"
time: 25 min approx.
source: live

this is sketched on a late afternoon in front of my home. i am always fascinated by the glowing late afternoon light and the long shadows it casts when the sun is going down at the end of the day. had to work very quickly also as the sun moves so quickly.

medium: watercolor on sketchbook
size: 5 3/4" x 8"
time: 45 min approx
source: live

for the last couple of days, i had a good experience of trying to track and following a parcel  sent to me by cipa from romania and i was going from one postal office to another postal office to find its where about. finally i went to the foreign parcel office at Museum Road, Bangalore. it has a very old building along with its new customer care section building. this structure is very old [no idea yet about the year of construction though] and it is very beautiful with its walls and specially the tiled roofs. i had to wait there during the lunch hour and i did this sketch during that time. i was very happy to utilize the time in a nice and pleasant way sketching peacefully under a tree :)!

medium: pental brush pen on sketchbook
size: 5 3/4" x 8"
time: 40 min approx, added few washes later on
source: live