The Argus C3, the camera I'm currently carrying in my bag and shooting with. I bought this camera from ebay and it seems to be in working order. I've loaded it with Kentmere 100 that I'll develop in Kodak D-76. Watercolor painting created with Sakura Koi Watercolor Pocket Field Kit using Niji waterbrush in my Moleskine watercolor journal.
A Visit to Summersville Dam
In a recent post, I wrote about a Kodak Brownie Fiesta camera that was found in a Goodwill store in West Virginia. The camera had an exposed roll of Kodacolor X that I developed this afternoon and scanned. I developed the roll in Kodak D-76, which was what I had available, and the resulting photographs are black and white. I was able to recover eight images of what appear to be a visit to the Summersville Dam in West Virginia in the mid to late 1960's. One of the photographs was clearly of a dam, and a google search of West Virginia dams came up with photos that match the structure on the roll of film. There is another photo of a woman standing by her car with binoculars and another of a man with a body of water in the background. It was interesting to read a little bit of history about the dam, the second largest rock fill dam in the Eastern United States. I also did a search on Merrill Photo Supply Co., the photography store that was listed on the original purchase receipt of the camera and was sad to see that they closed in mid 2011 after being in business for over 70 years. Overall, I'm very pleased with this attempt at retrieving photographs from this long expired roll of film.
Lunch Time Watercolor Sketch
Today's sketch was completed during my lunch break using my Sakura Koi Pocket Water Colors and Niji Waterbrush. The little Koi waterbrush that fits inside the pocket water color box is pretty nifty to have in a pinch, but I prefer the Niji Waterbrush. The bristles seem to hold their shape a little better than the Koi. I'm using the small tip Niji Waterbrush, but I'm planning to get the other sizes in the line to have a little more variety. Last night, I picked up another pocket watercolor kit to try out, the Windsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Sketcher's Box. This one is just a bit smaller than the Koi and includes a nice little brush in a metal case. I'll be trying that one out later this week. Today's sketch is from a photo of my front porch that I originally had planned to paint from life, but Sunday got away from me before I knew it.
Kodak Brownie Fiesta
A friend of mine found this very nice Kodak Brownie Fiesta 127 film camera in her Goodwill store and picked it up for me for $2.99. I already had one of these in my collection, but this one is in new condition and included the original box, sales receipt, flash, a couple of bulbs, and a "new" expired July 1970 roll of Kodacolor X 127 film. I was surprised to find an exposed roll of film in the camera - Kodacolor X C-22 process film, that I'll develop in black and white. The original handwritten receipt is from Merrill Photo Supply Co. Photographic Goods For Amateurs Professionals and The Graphic Arts, dated 6/2/1965. The purchase price for the Fiesta Outfit was $9.95, with four rolls of film, and two packs of AG-1 flash bulbs bringing the total to $17.30 with tax. I'm always looking for old cameras with an exposed roll of film that can be developed to get a glimpse of the past. I'll post some images from this one if they turn out.
Today's Sketch
I haven't been sketching that much this week as I caught an extreme case of poison something on my arms while working in my yard last week. A trip to the doctor for some Prednisone and being back at work after a two week vacation pretty much wiped me out every evening. Today's sketch is from a photo I took out at Natural Bridge, Virginia. Pigma Micron pen, pocket watercolor field sketch box, and waterbrush in Moleskine watercolor journal.
Last Day of Vacation
It's the last day of my two week vacation and I've had a very nice time off with my wife. I accomplished most of the things on my vacation to do list, but some will have to wait until my next. Here is a watercolor sketch done from a photo taken during one of my lunchtime walks around Baltimore - St. Paul's Plaza. Watercolor field kit in my pocket watercolor journal.
New Website
I'm launching a new personal website with a blog where I'll be posting my sketches and photography explorations. This is an extension of my Facebook art page, Instagram feed and Flickr uploads. This sketch was made with a Pigma Micron pen in a new sketchbook that I picked up on a recent visit to the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, MD. I used a photo I had taken on a trip to the Nixon Nature Center in Jacobus, PA as reference.