Tag Archives: Sketching

Going To The Used To Be Zoo

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At one time, Quebec City had a marvelous zoo.  I got to see it when I did my post-doc here.  By the time I returned to live here, however, politics had caused its demise.  These days a portion of the zoo grounds is now a park called Parc des Moulins because there is a windmill on the grounds, but I miss the animals.

Anyways, the Artistes dans les Parcs went there and had a lovely day.  The weather couldn’t have been better and so hanging out with a bunch of artists, in a heavily forested area, with a creek running by was really relaxing.

For a while I was off by myself because I’d decided to draw the rear of one of the old buildings and the garden area behind (in front of the behind?) of it.  This too is a relaxing place as there is a small pond and creek as part of the garden.  Here’s the drawing I did in the morning.

Stillman & Birn Beta (8×10), Deatramentis Document brn/blk, Daniel Smith watercolors

Then it was time for lunch and we sat around enjoying each other’s company.  Wish I’d think about taking photos of these gatherings.  I never think about it until I write the blog posts (grin).

Piglet Gets Some Attention

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When people think of Winnie the Pooh stories they think of sad-sack Eeyore, bouncy Tigger and, of course Pooh himself.  Almost forgotten is a fourth member of their tribe, Piglet.  He doesn’t have as many lines as the others but he’s still an integral part of the Winnie the Pooh mythos.

In spite of his being Pooh’s best friend, he was omitted from the first Disney rendition of Winnie the Pooh and it took A.A. Milne’s (Pooh author) protestations to get him included in subsequent films.  Piglet should get more respect than that because he tries so hard to be brave in spite of his small size.

I’m continuing to draw my daughter’s collection of stuffed animals and I really enjoy it.  I’m not sure whether this is because they’re stuffed animals (very different subject for me) or because its studio work, something I am dis-inclined to do, though I should.  In either case, drawing Piglet was a joy.  Piglet, you’re the star today.

Location Sketching (Finally) In Beauport

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To say that spring/summer has been slow in arriving would be a big understatement but we’re finally starting to get some warm, sunny days.  We took advantage of one of them last week and found ourselves in Beauport, along Avenue Royale, a street that runs along a hillside, a part of the city where the architecture is spectacular but quite different from the really early architecture of our “old city.”

My first sketch was an example of me biting off more than I could chew.  It didn’t start out that way.  I intended to draw just the end of a long set of Quebec equivalents of New York brownstones.  These are covered with gables, towers, etc. and are quite stunning.  They’re also quite complicated.  Very quickly, though I let my eyes grow big while my time stayed the same and the result was that very soon I was scribbling my way to depicting half of the entire complex, something that should have taken twice the time and been done in a much larger format.  My little 4×6 book just wouldn’t hold it all.  Here it is, serving as a lesson – when you decide the scope of a drawing, stick to it.

Stillman & Birn Alpha (4×6), DeAtramentis Document brn/blk, Daniel Smith watercolors

As it turned out, I had more time than I thought.  It has been forever since I’ve sketched outdoors with our little group and getting back into the swing of things is harder than it should be and my timing is off.  Anyways, I started drawing a small subject, figuring I could get it done before everyone wanted to head off for lunch.  In spite of its simplicity, I really like this one.  Hope you do too.  In any case, summer is here and I hope it will be a good one.

Stillman & Birn Alpha (4×6), DeAtramentis Document brn/blk, Daniel Smith watercolors

My Daughter’s First Teddy Bear

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Every collection must begin with a first and this teddy bear was the first of what would become a huge collection of stuffed animals that my daughter acquired (cuz her dad liked to buy them so much).  There’s nothing special about this teddy bear except that it was her first.  I guess that’s enough.

My Pepper Plant Sketch

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In my last post I mentioned that I had to cancel a local sketching adventure because my knees weren’t cooperating and I suggested that I might sketch a pepper plant that I’d bought. That’s exactly what I did.

The weather was wonderful and I sat on our deck, got some sun, and communed with my pepper plant.  I find drawing plants to be a challenge as it’s easy to get lost in the overlapping contours of the leaves.  As I draw them they become abstracts; I’m no longer drawing a plant, but rather a whole bunch of curves relative to one another.  There’s considerable cross-checking between the curve I’m drawing and those I’ve already drawn, locating my position by comparing angles and distances constantly.

When I finish with the ink contour a decision must be made.  Do I add a bunch of cross-hatching or do I add watercolor.  Sometimes I consider the third option of leaving it just as it is – a contour drawing.  At this point I almost always choose one of the two ‘shading’ options but when I’m done I often wish I’d left the sketch as the contour.  This may be because I love pen lines so much.  Maybe it’s because I’m too impatient to do a good job with watercolor.  Here are both stages of my pepper plant sketch.  What do you think?  Which do you prefer?

DeAtramentis Document brn/blk, Fabriano Artistico CP