Samourai Sketching in Quebec – Urban Sketching?

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Larry Marshall

The Urban Sketcher’s ‘manifesto’ is quite clear: “We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.” I’m a diehard location sketcher. I do sometimes sketch from photos or just doodle from things my two functional neurons cough up. But I can’t really get into that sort of thing very much.

I like to draw buildings, fire hydrants, telephone poles, trashcans and vehicles, but this time of year, outdoors is inhospitable in Quebec City, at least for an Arizona cowboy like myself. For example, it’s currently 24F (-5C) with 35kmh winds just for good measure. So, the things I have available to sketch for the next few months are going to be indoors.

One of my favorite places is the Musee de la Civilisation here in Quebec. Nice ambiance, lots of things to sketch, and it’s warm. The people are also very friendly towards sketchers, which puts one at ease. So, you’ll see lots of museum sketches from me this winter.

And here are a couple more. I went to the museum last Sunday with three of my sketching buddies and we had a great time. As we were there in the morning I decided to give the Samourai exhibit my attention. Often it’s just too busy to sketch there as it’s the current ‘feature’ display, but on Sunday mornings there aren’t a lot of visitors.

Koshozan sujibachi kabuto (1588) – This is a very rare piece, constructed with 120, riveted plates. It bears the crest of the Inabi family, a very influential family of the 16th Century.

It is a dark room, with most of the Samourai armor in lighted glass cases. Sketching in the dark is an interesting challenge and more than once I had to walk to a light to see if I was doing ok with the sketch. I’ve got to get a little clip-on light I guess. These little excursions became more frequent when I was trying to figure out whether the watercolor pencil was red, orange or brown (grin).

Nagaeboshinari kabuto (Edo 17th Century) – This appears to be hammered bronze. It features the Big Dipper constellation inset into the metalwork.

These helmets were done in a Stillman & Birn Epsilon series sketchbook (5.5×8.5) using a Pilot Prera and Noodler’s Lex Gray ink. I have a handful of Faber-Castell watercolor pencils that I used to color them. I’m guessing but I think I only have 30 or so more helmets to sketch. Then I can move on to the rest of the armor, the weapons, the guys on horses. It’s going to be a fun, long winter. Where do you find your sketching inspiration during winter?

Sketching on 12/12/12

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Larry Marshall

Yesterday I had a lunch appointment and as I walked home from it I passed a bright yellow pizza place. Have you ever done anything goofy for a goofy reason? Maybe I’m alone in that combination. It occurred to me that it was 12/12/12, a rather unique date and that I should sketch something. But, this was one of the odd times when I didn’t have my sketching stuff with me. Besides it was cold. Still, as I continued walking I couldn’t get the pizza parlor out of my mind.

By the time I got home, all sense of rationality had left me. “It’s only 10 minutes back to that place,” I said to myself. “I’ll work fast and it’s not really that cold.” I grabbed my sketching bag, threw half a dozen Tombow markers that I thought would I’d need into the bag along with a waterbrush. Off I went.

It was nuts and I’ve never sketched a building so fast. It’s certainly not my best sketch and somewhat wonky. I used the Tombow pens to color it at lightning speed. and then got out the waterbrush to add some sky color by wicking color from a Tombow pen onto the waterbrush. I made a mistake and swiped some red from the sign into my sky. I liked this little “happy mistake” so I did it some more. This adds to the wonkiness of my 12/12/12 sketch but I liked it.

I liked it better, though, when I got home and got a cup of hot tea in my hands. It’s definitely too cold for me to sketch outdoors anymore this year. Have you done anything this crazy in the name of sketching?

The sketch was done in a Stillman & Birn Alpha (10×7) sketchbooks, using a Kaweco Classic Sport (fine) and Noodler’s Lexington Gray ink. As mentioned, Tombow pens were used for color.

Fun At The Musée De La Civilisation

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Larry Marshall

Tuesdays are “free Tuesday” at the Musée de la civilisation in Quebec City. I’m a member but it’s still sort of a special day as there’s a hustle and bustle in the museum that is lacking when I go during most weekday mornings. Besides, some of my friends show up on Tuesdays, which is always nice.

Today Yvan, Bethann, and Nicolas were there and with so many sketcher shoulders to look over, I spent more time watching than sketching. It’s said that to learn to draw you need to do it. That’s certainly true but I learn a lot by watching others ‘do’ as well.

Because of all my sketcher gawking, I only completed one sketch today. Most of my sketches are done with pen but I’m trying to learn to use a pencil. I confess to being mostly lost when it comes to shading with these graphite spitters but here’s a sketch of the head of one of Joe Fafard‘s painted bronze statues. The horse’s name is Vermear, according to the plaque that accompanies the statue and he was very cooperative, not moving a muscle during the entire session.

The sketch was done with a .7mm mechanical pencil in a Stillman & Birn Epsilon sketchbook.

Where The Dogs Run In Quebec City

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Larry Marshall

The keepers of Quebec City have a sense of humor, or so it seems. On every tourist map there is a pointer to Passage du Chiens, or Dog Passage and people flock to see it. Well, maybe not flock as it’s down the street from lots of other stuff and they simply see it as they pass by.

But there it is, complete with official street sign – Passage du Chiens. It is a passageway to a road/parking area for residents who live in the area and whose house fronts on a ‘street’ that is no longer a street but rather a walkway for pedestrians. And the Passage du Cheins does sit between two art galleries that are quite photogenic and so many photos are taken of the spot. I suspect dog lovers get a kick out of showing it to their friends.

Towards the end of our outdoor sketching season I was wandering around, trying to get in some last minute plein air sketching, and I decided to sketch this famous landmark. The sun was bright, which was great because the temps were just above freezing. Before I finished, though, the sun had moved behind the buildings, shading the entire area. This, and the fact that I’d been sitting for an hour caused me to be quite cold so I quickly snapped this photo and moved on to find more sunny ground.

And then I completely forgot about the sketch, until today. I decided it was time to add some color and this was the result. Hope you like it. It was done in a Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook (10×7) and a Pilot Prera pen filled with Noodler’s Lexington Gray ink.

Parchemin Du Roy – Sketcher’s Paradise

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Larry Marshall

I was talking to a sketching buddy and he asked “Do you know about Parchemin du Roy?” I said no and he told me about a place that sold pens, sketchbooks, and pencils that he’d recently discovered. To say my interest was peaked was an understatement. That was a Sunday.

And so on Monday I hoofed my way to Parchemin du Roy, about a one-hour walk from my house. They were closed, so like a kid in front of the toy shop, all I could do was put my nose to the glass and look in. And what a view. I left with the resolve to return.

And so I did. It’s not very manly to jump up and down while giggling so I controlled myself, almost, as my eyes beheld the interior of this store. Inks, pens, books, papers, sketchbooks, notebooks, maps, pencils, watercolors, brushes, and lots of other wonderful items to look at and touch.

Maybe more important, is that while they have the more typical Paper Blanks, Moleskine, and Rhodia products, they also have some really nice high-end speciality paper products. Not only do they have J.Herbin and Pilot/Namiki inks, they’ve got walnut inks and specialized calligraphy inks. In addition to Brause dip pens, they’ve got handmade dip pens turned from hardwoods. While they stock Lamy pens and all their accessories, they also have the new Shaeffer “Ferrari” pen. Yes, I admit it. I did giggle and I jumped up and down a little. I hope Roy didn’t see me.

They offer workshops in calligraphy and you can learn to create illuminated pages. I might have to take one of those. For my first visit I bought a brush, notepad and mechanical pencil. I talked with Roy about differences between Parker and Waterman ballpoint cartridges and I looked and looked – and then I looked some more. I’m still a bit giddy from the experience.

As I left I took a couple photos (it was too cold to sketch outdoors) and ran home to do the sketch I’ve shared above. I hope you like it. Do you have a specialty store like this in your town? I’m so lucky.