A Day With My Daughter

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Larry Marshall

My daughter returned to school last week but before she did we spent one morning wandering around old Quebec City, enjoying an unseasonably warm day. We sat down near City Hall in the new fountain area south of the building and while we chatted, I did this quick sketch.

We continued walking, talking and generally wasting time until hunger took hold. We decided to head to one of my favorite spots for lunch, McDonalds. Not any old McDonalds as I’m not particularly fond of the food, but rather the McDonalds on St. Jean street, where you can sit in a window on the 2nd floor and look out at great scenes and down on lots of tourists. I’ve done a lot of sketches from this perch (their coffee ain’t bad). On this day, since I didn’t want to spend a lot of time ignoring my daughter, I did a simple sketch of the window contents across the street. The pitcher was tall and very striking. I doubt I did it justice in the few minutes I spent on it.

My daughter was supposed to meet someone downtown in the afternoon and so eventually we split up and I headed home. On my way I found that the Levis Marathon, an annual event, was finishing up. I decided to quickly sketch some of the spectators lined up along the receiving path the runners took to the finish line, along with the proverbial guy who feels the need to climb up on the fence to be above everyone else.

It was a good day. Not a lot of sketching but just enough. In writing this I’m realizing just how far behind I am in blog posting as this day took place more than a week ago. I’ll try to get caught up ‘real soon.’

Jupon Presse On Rue St. Jean

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Larry Marshall

We’re getting bonus summer here. Maybe it’s payback for the lousy June and July we had 🙂 In any case, I’ve been taking advantage of it and doing a lot of walking and sketching.

I found myself on Rue St. Jean, one of the iconic streets that lead from the old city through, coincidentally, the St. Jean Gate. A few blocks from the old city is an old church and an accompanying cemetery with headstones that date back into the 1700s. This was the ‘edge of town’ cemetery back then, I suppose.

It has become a park, as the graves were all moved at some point, though many of the original gravestones remain, it’s where downtown people go to eat lunch and enjoy the trees and park benches. I was going to draw some of the old head stones, but as I rounded the end of the church I saw this store across the street from the church. I’m sure I’ve walked under those awnings a bunch of times but I’ve never noticed them. From the cemetery the store was hard to miss and I found the place really cute. So I drew it.

ps – I was asked the other day what watercolors I use. I use Daniel Smith and love them. I wish they’d pay me to say that but they don’t. You can get their color chart here.

Stillman & Birn Beta (6x9), Namiki Falcon, De Atramentis Document Black

Stillman & Birn Beta (6×9), Namiki Falcon, De Atramentis Document Black

Sketching In St. Vallier

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Larry Marshall

Last Wednesday several of us drove to St. Vallier at the invitation of Louise Denault, one of our sketching buddies. This was very exciting because St. Vallier is a beautiful place, with a wide variety of sketching locations.

4x6 toned paper, Platinum Carbon pen, Platinum Carbon Black ink

4×6 toned paper, Platinum Carbon pen, Platinum Carbon Black ink

I took advantage of the fact that, for once, I wasn’t driving and so I did some quick sketches along the way. The bumps in the road added to the scribbly nature of the sketches but it was fun anyway.

We picked up Louise at her house and headed to a side road overlooking the valley and its agricultural fields. Everyone set up next to a wheat field with the expanse of the valley behind it, but I walked down the road to sketch an outbuilding I’d seen as we arrived.

Stillman & Birn Beta (6×9), Namiki Falcon, De Atramentis Document Black

Claudette and Louise came to where I was sketching just as I was finishing and we walked back to the group together. It had been determined that it was time for lunch and that we would head back to Louise’s house for lunch.

As everyone else was packing up I looked out at the valley and decided it would be an opportunity to do another one of those one-line sketch drawings and so I did one. I did ‘cheat’ a bit and lifted my pen a couple times to keep the drawing a bit cleaner, but by the time everyone was packed I’d done the sketch, added some darks, and was slopping paint on the piece of cheap Bristol on which I did it. I mention this last thing because it was a mistake. I thought I’d grabbed a piece of watercolor paper but instead I was trying to herd water on a piece of slippery, coated paper and I was using a waterbrush to do it. That was exciting. But this was a few minutes of fun and the result isn’t horrible (grin).

6x9 Bristol paper, Namiki Falcon, De Atramentis Document Black

6×9 Bristol paper, Namiki Falcon, De Atramentis Document Black

Lunch was to die for, and if I’d eaten one more bite that might have happened. Louise provided quite a spread, with a beautiful salad, lots of cheeses, smoked sturgeon, quiche, baguettes, and wine… lots of wine. I was stuffed. And then Louise mentioned the pies…two pies. And, of course, we had to try both of them 🙂

Louise’s house is amazing but it’s the backyard, with its gardens, gazebo and view of the St. Lawrence that is the real jewel and we were eating in said gazebo. I’m used to a protein bar and a coffee when I go sketching. This was different, a really good kind of different 🙂

And now that we were done with lunch, it was time to get out sketching again. So, barely able to move, I left the gazebo completely delier, my new French word for the day. It means to be loosened up, and boy, was I loose. Any looser and I would’ve fallen down. I needed a nap.

Off we went, to a small nature park not far from St. Vallier. It was a parking lot, picnic tables, some trails and a gazebo set up for bird watching along the coast. Most of us decided to draw the gazebo. Here’s mine.

Stillman & Birn Beta (6×9), Namiki Falcon, De Atramentis Document Black

It was a great day but by then we were all pretty worn out and called it a day. Thanks to Louise for all her hospitality, her zucchinis, and that fantastic lunch.

Wedded Sketching Bliss

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Larry Marshall

My wife and I have been together for nearly 30 years and married for 28 of them. There have been a lot of potholes on our road through life but I can count on one hand the number of big arguments we’ve had. It’s uncanny as I’m impossible to live with – at least I couldn’t do it.

But last week we went sketching together. It’s not the first time but it hasn’t been a regular event either. We put together picnic food and headed to the Plains of Abraham to sit in the shade and enjoy a perfect day. It was a glorious day.

Stillman & Birn Beta (10x7), Namiki Falcon, De Atramentis Document Black

Stillman & Birn Alpha (10×7), Namiki Falcon, De Atramentis Document Black

I drew a tree. It’s clear that I need more experience sketching trees. Still, it was fun and my wife was drawing a tree while sitting right next to me. Life was sweet.

Then it was lunch time and we chatted, watched squirrels and talked about sketching. What more could a guy want in life? Besides, the cheese and baguette were great.

We only had 25 minutes left on our parking time (grrr…grumble), so we decided to do another sketch. I wandered around a bit while she sat down to draw. I decided on this scene and rushed it a bit to fit it into the time frame and think I might return with more time and bigger sketchbook. This was done in a 3×5 Moleskine watercolor book.

Standing On The Corner…

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Larry Marshall

Standing on the corner…
…watching all the girls go by. — Four Lads

I’m old enough to remember a time before rock-n-roll. It was an era between big band music and Elvis Presley, where pop music came either from crooners or quartets of men or women. Lyrics were silly, but happy. Melodies simple and memorable. When I was a kid there was a song, Standing on the Corner, whose melody caught the attention of this kid. I must have been six or seven.

As an old sketcher I was standing on a corner and I suppose there were girls walking by, but what I noticed was the light pole and the block wall next to it. In the background and up the street a bit is where Rene Levesque lived, undoubtedly the best known and most beloved of Quebec’s Premiers. I did this quick drawing of the scene.