Trial By Pencil: A Sketcher’s Tale

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Larry Marshall

I’ve mentioned that I’m trying to figure out how to use a pencil and I’ve posted a couple drawings that I’ve attempted with them at our Musée de la Civilisation. I’m using rainy days to continue that practice.

I decided to attempt to draw one of the gorgon heads that were found in Pergamen. Guestimated to have been made prior to 129AD, they’re one of the few things older than I am so I thought it fitting that I should draw one. Gorgons, if you’re unfamiliar with them, are minions from the underworld. They have large eyes and are said to have snakes for hair. The one I drew also has a large chip out of its chin.

This was a lot of fun but also took me a long time. Mark me down as the slowest pencil driver on the planet. Done on bristol paper I enjoyed the smooth surface. It reminds me of my beloved Stillman & Birn Zeta paper. I used a mechanical pencil and some Faber-Castell 9000 pencils.

While I’m at it I’ll post this little sketch of a hanging towel. I do a lot of these little doodles while I watch my Blue Jays lose. Pencils are fun. Pens are more my style.

Rocks In My World

Posted on May 17, 2014 by Larry Marshall

One thing I want to do this summer is draw rocks and trees. I struggled with both subjects last year so they became part of my ‘figure it out’ list. There aren’t a lot of rock piles in the middle of our city but there are some, scattered around in our parks as points of interest.

As I was walking home I sat down in a park and drew these. Note little bits of green on the foliage. We’re just starting to see leaf buds bursting and even our grass is starting to green up. It’s a welcome sight.

Stillman & Birn Alpha (9x6), TWSBI Mini, Platinum Carbon Black

Stillman & Birn Alpha (9×6), TWSBI Mini, Platinum Carbon Black

Sketching Parliament

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Larry Marshall

Stillman & Birn Alpha (9x6), TWSBI Mini, Noodler's Lex Gray

Stillman & Birn Alpha (9×6), TWSBI Mini, Platinum Carbon Black

The Quebec provincial parliament building is huge. The front of the building is actually the narrow side of the building and yet it’s a couple blocks long. When it gets a bit warmer I hope to find a view where I can capture the entire face of the building.

On Tuesday, though, the temperature was border line so I decided just to draw the main tower over the entrance. Even so, by the time I’d finished the ink sketch I’d cooled down enough that I felt the need to move so I quickly dashed on some color when I got home. It was good to see the sun while sketching. It’s been a long time coming.

Are You Sure It’s May?

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Larry Marshall

I was walking back from the museum and found this guy, sitting in the park, looking out at the river. I could almost see what he was thinking. All of us who live in Quebec City are thinking it. Note his heavy coat. Note the lack of vegetation of any kind. This is nearly mid-May and while Quebec City is known for its cold, this is getting ridiculous (grin).

Stillman & Birn Alpha (9x6), TWSBI Mini, Noodler's Lexington Gray

Stillman & Birn Alpha (9×6), TWSBI Mini, Noodler’s Lexington Gray

Sketching The Bar Laitier

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Larry Marshall

One of the things I’ve always wondered about are the small ice cream places that exist in Quebec City. We have a fairly short summer and most of them simply close up in the fall and sit idle all winter. Things must be moving slowly for them this spring as we haven’t had much ice cream weather thus far. But the stores persist, in spite of the short selling season. I wonder how.

This is one of the cutest. It’s on chemin St. Louis in the old city and is very inviting, or it will be when it warms up a bit more. Done in a Stillman & Birn Alpha (9×6) with a Hero 9296 pen and Lex Gray ink. New pen for me but so far I like it. I always like new pens.