Frutigen, Switzerland

I have to admit that I really enjoyed drawing this one. I was kinda sad when I finished it. This one is special to me because of the location.

Frutigen is where my grandmother was born and raised. She very likely attended services in this church. She left Frutigen for America when she was 21 years of age and never returned. Growing up in Ohio I saw lots of old pictures of this church and town and dreamed of one day visiting this place. Now I can say that I have been there many many times. I never tire of this place. How could Grandma leave this amazing place in the alps?

Original size: 21x20cm, 8.25x8.0 in.
Pen: Rotring rapidographs various size nibs.

Hudson, Ohio part 2

Another drawing from Hudson, Ohio. This is the town's bandstand where weekly concerts are held on Sunday nights in the summer.

This one has the names, "Tim", "Sandee", "Luke", and "Tyler" hidden in it. Maybe you can find them by clicking on this picture and looking around.
Heavy stock paper, rapidograph pen, the usual thing. Lots of pen strokes.

Hudson, Ohio

I drew this picture a number of years ago. This town is just north of my hometown of Stow, Ohio.

I have always liked the views in this town. This clock tower is a well known landmark.

I enjoyed drawing this picture, however, that's a lot of leaves to draw, ain't it?

Pen: Rapidograph technical pen, 0.25 and 0.35, naturally.

Kandern Rieglerhof Drawing

I believe this is my favorite building in Kandern, Germany. Formerly, it was a brewery. Today it houses various apartments and the offices of Campus Crusade for Christ Europe. It really is a spectacular building with lots of interesting views.

I enjoyed drawing this building very much. It is quite a complex building with lots of angles, windows, etc. This is another large drawing with the original size being 9.76x7 in., 25x18 cm. This one took quite a long time to draw, but I enjoyed being able to work at it every now and then. Many people ask me how long it takes to draw something like this. I have a hard time answering that question because I take my time and "pick at it" when I am in the mood. So it could take weeks from beginning to end.

Once again, this was drawn with Rotring Rapidograph pens - 0.25, 0.35

Adelboden, Switzerland

I drew this back in 2002. This town is probably my favorite place in the world.

This drawing was quite an undertaking and took a long time, but I was very pleased with the results. Double click on it to take a look at the MANY swiss chalets I had to draw. I had some high quality copies made and have given signed copies to friends as gifts many times.

This view is from the front entry to Pension Hari, a hotel we have visited many times. This village means a lot to us, because this is the town where I asked Sandee to marry me.

Original size: 28x22cm, 11"x8.5"
Pen: Rapidograph .25

Pen and ink portrait

This drawing was a HUGE challenge for me. I had always avoided drawing people in a realistic way. I finally decided I would push myself and do this portrait of my son Tyler back in 2001 when he was 10. I surprised myself, that this came out so well.

This is actually quite a large drawing. I really liked the realistic effect I achieved with the jeans. I also like the railroad tie in the background. As I drew this, I put off drawing the face until last - I was afraid I couldn't do it. Finally, I started and it worked out pretty well. The good news about this drawing: I did it. The bad news: this was the last portrait I have ever done. I should have done one like this of our other son, Luke, but I never did. Maybe I should do him next.
Paper: heavy weight watercolor paper
Pen: rotring rapidograph
Orginal size: 6.5x9.5 inches, 16.5x24 cm.
Number of pen strokes: 1,256,832

Kandern Marktplatz

This is a pen and ink drawing from Kandern, Germany where I have lived for 20 years.

Obviously, a drawing this large takes a long time to do. I have never actually counted the hours, I usually work at it a little here and there until it is done. It might take me several weeks to finish. I really enjoy working with pen and ink, but it does take a while to make all of those pens strokes. In spite of that, somehow it relaxes me. This was done in 2005, and actually this drawing is the most recent pen and ink drawing I have done. Wow. It's time to do one again. What should I draw this time? Any ideas? Just click on the "comments" link below to leave your thoughts.

Pen: Rotring Rapidograph - various sizes
Paper: heavy, smooth watercolor paper
Original size (approx.): 27x20cm, 11x8in.

A pen and ink drawing

I did this pen and ink drawing back in 2000. This is a store front in the village of Staufen, Germany.

This drawing was done during the time when I slaved over my drawings attempting to get total accuracy of every detail. This included things like individual paving stones, hinges on the doors, and the curves in the handrail. Today I am more relaxed in my drawings and allow myself a bit more creative freedom.

I like most parts of this drawing. The parts I don't like are the items on the inside wall of this pharmacy. I don't know - just looks kinda amateur.

Original size is quite small: 8x4 inches.
Number of pen strokes: 754,032

A little corner of Kandern, Germany

I liked drawing this one a lot. I drew this way back in 1999, one of my earliest pen and ink drawings. I would actually like to redo this one - maybe I will one of these days. Or better yet, maybe I will draw the view looking the opposite direction. It's good too.

I like the manhole cover in the road. Have you ever noticed how many manhole covers there are in Germany? Think about it.

Like most of my pen and ink pictures, I used a rotring rapidograph technical pen. I drew this on heavy, smooth, watercolor paper. Original size of the drawing is: 5 1/2" x 8".

My leafy phase

This drawing was done in 2001. I really like the contrast in value - dark to light. I enjoyed drawing this one a lot. This one has the names Sandee, Luke, Tyler, and Tim hidden in it. Original size: 7x6 in. (18x15 cm.)

This one was also done in 2001. I am not as happy with this one, but I like the way the leaves come through the square opening. No hidden names in this one. Both of these were drawn using Rotring Rapidograph pens. My favorites. Original size of drawing: 7x6 in. (18x15 cm.)

My Door Phase

This drawing was done in 1999. It's the back door to the church in the village of Holzen, Germany. I really like the shadows in this picture. I enjoyed drawing the stonework on the sidewalk. This was drawn when I slaved to get every detail correct - note the missing tile on the little roof covering. The original size is: 7.5x6 in. (19x15 cm).

This is a door of a small chapel in the cemetery in the town of Kandern, Germany. Like the one above, I really like the shadows in this drawing. You can see the "hint" of a sitting bench beside the door to the left. This was drawn in 2000 using a fine technical pen. Probably a Rapidograph .01. Both drawings were done on heavy, yet smooth, watercolor paper. The chapel door drawing original size is: 6 1/2 x 4 1/4 in. (16x11 cm).