KJ Bateman

I have two of these wood-handled pin vise hand drills. Not sure why. They are great for drilling tiny holes with little bits. Good for jewelry work and models. The shaft is actually straight, not wobbly as in the drawing.

“Black Vase with Double Spout” pen and ink on paper Having participated in Inktober for the past several years, I appreciate the structure a daily practice brings. I'm also interested in the objects we surround ourselves with. I probably have far too many. It also gives a gentle way to work back into posting on this blog.This is a vase my parents bought in New Mexico in the mid 20th C. It is probably a Santa Clara wedding vase. Unfortunately, both spouts were broken off and have been glued back on.

"Ghost Stories"  10/24/2017 The Excited Prairie Dog and Manny share cocoa and stories around the campfire. Wait! What was that noise? Did you see something moving in the shadows? "Stovetop Still Life'  10/25/2017 This drawing was quite popular with viewers and quickly sold. "Poodle"  10/26/2017 This is my cat. We named her Blanche but no one calls her that. We call her PoodleCat, Noodle, Screamer and The Cat. "Edible Ink"  10/27/2017 Drawing is drawing whether your medium is ink, pencil, or frosting. "Halloween Cookies"  10/28/2017 "Cynthia" 10/29/2017 "Peggy"  10/30/2017 "Trick or Treat"  10/31/2017 And another  Inktober completed. I love this external discipline and inspiration.

"Feather" 10/16/2017 Gulls feathers littered the beach. "Excited Prairie Dog Meets Paranoid Screaming Elk"  10/17/2017  Paranoid Screaming Elk is a choice on the NPS Midwest Halloween costume list. "Chicken Pot Pie" 10/18/2017 And it was delicious. "Open Wide"  10/19/2017   Find drawing inspiration in your daily activities, even the unpleasant ones. "Excited Prairie Dog and Sloth on Sloth Day"  10/20/2017  What do sloths do on Sloth Day? Probably not much. "Peggy"  10/21/2017 10/22/2017 "Beware the Candy Corn"  10/23/2017

October 8 "Crooked" October 9 "Screech" This is my cat. She is beautiful. She is old. She is deaf. She used to have a soft, cute meow. Now she screeches every morning. She just screeched for dinner. October 10 "Seadragon" More from the Georgia Aquarium. These creatures look like a fantasy. October 11 "Gigantic" Whale shark, the very epitome of gigantic. October 12 "Run" October 13 "Excited Prairie Dog" I took a detour from the topic suggestions when the @MidwestNPS posted a list of suggestions for Halloween costumes based on your name. I am Excited Prairie Dog which fits me perfectly. If you're curious what your costume would be, you can see the list here . I highly recommend it. October 14 "Beach Rocks" Summer extended well into October here in the Pacific Northwest and was warmer than usual. Everyday the sun shone I went to the beach, either on Puget Soun...

2017 is the second time I've participated in Inktober .  Last year I carefully photographed each day with my camera and posted here before linking to Facebook. This year I used the phone camera and posted directly to social media. I'm just now getting around to adding them to the blog. The benefit of posting to social media is getting a lot of response. The benefit of posting here is seeing them all together. Jake Parker publishes a prompt list for the theme of each day. Some days I followed it, some not. 10/1/2017  "Divided" 10/2/2017 Evoking memories of small children and summer, this one received many comments. "Poison" 10/3/2017 The amanita popped up sparsely this year and late, but perfect for poison. "Underwater" 10/4/2017 Underwater couldn't mean anything but Manny. He featured in several drawings for last year's Inktober. "Long"  10/5/2017 "Sword"  10/...

Tomorrow is October 1 which means it is the start of InkTober , one of those month-long challenges which I find irresistible.  Created by Jake Parker, th e rules are simple. One ink drawing a day for the month of October. There are daily prompts, if you desire. Post the results on social media  #inktober and #inktober 2016.  I have assembled my tools, though I may use disposables, too.