Gail Niebrugge's Blog
“Bishops Beach” original ink and watercolor drawing by Gail Niebrugge, to purchase original call for price and availability. Another drawing from my sketchbook during my recent visit to Homer, Alaska. Bishops Beach is strewn with piles of driftwood, huge tree trunks scattered along the high water line like monster pick-up sticks. It is a great [...]
“The Office” original ink/watercolor drawing by Gail Niebrugge, sold. Back to the series on my early days living and painting the Wrangell-St. Elias. One of my favorite buildings at historic Kennicott Copper Mine in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is the small log building that served as the managers office. It is a simple little [...]
“Napier Car” ink drawing 10″x 14″ ©Gail Niebrugge Here is the finished drawing. Unfortunately I have no idea the make and model of this classic. While doing research for paintings I’m looking for shape, light and shadow, and interesting lines and I become absorbed in these details. This vehicle at this angle had it all. [...]
Multiple layers of crosshatch ink lines have created the significant values in this drawing of the classic car I found in the Art Deco city of Napier, New Zealand. I’m going to darken the darkest values with yet another layer of parallel lines to finish the drawing. Gail Niebrugge, pen and ink drawing
A pleasing pattern is emerging by concentrating my ink crosshatch build-up in areas of shadow and using the dark value as a background. The above sketch shows the beginning of the third layer of parallel lines on the upper right background behind the vehicle. To reach the darkest dark I may need five or six [...]
With my passion for old cars I was thrilled to see a display of fully restored vintage vehicles while on our trip last year to New Zealand. In the sketch above I found this classic parked at the dock in the Art Deco city of Napier. I went crazy in Napier, the Art Deco style [...]
Here is the finished drawing of “Wasilla Tractor” ink 10″ x 14″ ©Gail Niebrugge. This gem is located at the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry, Wasilla, Alaska, that is open to the public in the summer. A worthwhile place to visit. Below is a detail of part of the drawing. It took 5-6 layers [...]
I thought the outline of distant foliage behind the tractor shape was distracting, so I began to layer crosshatch to fill in the negative spaces created in the background. At this point two layers of parallel ink lines have been added to darken these spaces. More to go. This is tedious work, and takes a [...]
At this stage I have three layers of parallel ink lines in crosshatch in the dark shadow areas and background of the drawing. I’ve begun the fourth layer using diagonal lines. You can see the partially completed fourth layer of crosshatch above the steering wheel. Each layer creates a darker value, and I decided I [...]
One of my favorite places to find old vehicles is the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry in Wasilla, Alaska. I think this is such a cool place that I arranged a field trip for an art class for student research one year, that was graciously hosted by museum chief volunteer and good friend, Faye [...]
Here is the recently completed series of four old vehicles sketched with pen and ink from my research in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska. A very enjoyable project and walk down memory lane. Top left “Truck near Strelna” ink drawing 10″ x 14″, top right “Coupe at Chitina” ink drawing 10″ x 14″, lower [...]
“Truck near Strelna” ink drawing 10″ x 14″ ©Gail Niebrugge This ends my series at the moment, of old vehicles found in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska. Over the last 30 years I’ve painted and sketched a great many of these ancient autos, and enjoyed not only the research in the field, but completing [...]
Pencil sketch and beginning ink drawing of an abandoned truck along the McCarthy Road in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, near Strelna, Alaska. I found this oldie tucked away in the willows just off the road during spring break-up, it would be quite hidden once the leaves returned in the summer. I’m beginning this drawing [...]
“Coupe at Chitina” ink drawing 10″x 14″ ©Gail Niebrugge During one of my explorations for forgotton vehicles along the backroads of the Wrangell-St. Elias region of Alaska I found this relic stashed in the willows near Town Lake, Chitina, Alaska. During the dense vegetation of summer this old car is virtually invisible, but during spring [...]
Here are the two pen and ink drawings I’ve completed so far, these old trucks are hidden away in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska. The larger drawing is the truck at May Creek, a roadless wilderness outpost for the national park. During the late 1930′s during the mining era in this region a railroad [...]
“Nugget Creek Truck” pen and ink drawing 10″x 14″ ©Gail Niebrugge Here is the finished ink drawing of the truck at Nugget Creek, Alaska, in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Love the bullet holes in the window glass, the rope on the front bumper tied to the rock, and the rear wheel axle propped up [...]
Here is the partially inked drawing of the truck we found along the Nugget Creek trail in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska. I’m using many layers of tiny parallel lines in the cross hatch technique to achieve values. This drawing is smaller than the last one, so I’m using my #1 nib on the [...]
Here is another old truck from my reference material on ancient vehicles in the Copper River Basin, Alaska. We found this beauty during a week exploring the Nugget Creek Trail on our ATV’s. It was an amazing trip, we had the keys to an astounding cabin that was perched on a narrow ridge with sheer [...]
“May Creek Truck” 16″x20″ ink drawing ©Gail Niebrugge After a few days of inking parallel lines, cross hatch and a few dots of stipple I proclaim the drawing “May Creek Truck” is finished! This was great fun. I love the bullet holes in the windshields and noticed the absence of any headlights. The #1 nib [...]
At this stage I begin drawing hundreds of free-hand parallel lines crossing them with more lines to create values in black and white. I’m working from the darkest shadows and will leave the paper white for the lightest values. I was disappointed when resurrecting my ancient Rapidograph pens to find my favorite nib, #2, was [...]
Gail Niebrugge (Knee-brew-ghe) born and raised in California has pursued art since childhood, winning a poster contest on the Johnny Jet television show at the age of twelve. Gail began her career as an illustrator for the US Navy and Marines in San Diego, and later established the Instructional Media Center for the Grossmont High School District in La Mesa, California. The Niebrugge family fell in love with Alaska while on vacation in 1976 and never returned home, instead they established a residence and studio in the remote interior settlement of Copper Center where the artist painted … [Read More...]
Wikipedia defines pointillism as; "a style of painting in which small distinct points of primary colors create the impression of a wide selection of secondary and intermediate colors." It goes on to say that the mind and the eye mix the color spots into a full range of tones and that it is closely related to Divisionism. Divisionism was practiced by Georges Seurat during the Neo-Impressionism period. He broke his color into basic elements and painted very small and regular dots. His dots are carefully placed as to not touch each other, so the white under painted canvas shows around all of the dots. I call my painting technique pointillism, but technically it is incorrect according to Wikipedia. The difference between my technique and true pointillism is that I use … [Read More...]