I’m spending more and more time looking at the backs of buildings. If I’m not careful someone will call the cops on me. But there are some areas where these views open onto main streets and so opportunities to be driven nuts drawing porch railings and stairs do exist in Quebec City. Here’s one example.
Stillman & Birn Alpha (9×6), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black
This is the time of year when I wander the streets, sketching whatever turns my head. This year has been weird as while typically ‘hot’ is the watchword, this year there are many days when I find myself wishing for a jacket. Today was one of those days.
I came across this odd building in the St. Roch area. Clearly there has been a patchwork of additions to the structure over the years. The principle entry is on the other side of the building and it appears to be a bed and breakfast place now. All the peaks on the roof made it a fun subject.
Stillman & Birn Alpha (9×6), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black
When I finished I headed downtown and sat in one of the small parks to each lunch. I’m a tourist watcher of the first order, a trait I acquired early on when it was the only way I could hear people talking in a language I could understand.
Monologue sketchbook (4×6), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black
As I ate a very small man sat down on a bench near me. He had on a hat that was far too large for him and this reminded me of sketches I’d seen just that morning. They were in Lapin’s newsletter which presented several sketches of people, drawn with heads much larger than normal, dwarfing their bodies.
I decided to try it with this guy while doing a quick sketch of him. I failed miserably as while I did make his head larger, I didn’t make it large enough to pull off the style. It just looks like I drew the head a bit too large, which, I guess I did. Oh well, turn the page and move on. I include it here only because I do a lot of quick sketches and rarely post any of them.
When I was a kid, cowboy heros dominated my black and white TV world. Hopalong Cassidy, The Lone Ranger, The Rifleman, Paladin, Maverick and dozens of others. One of the things that was assumed to be true was that because cowboys spent so much time sitting on a horse, their legs would become bowlegged, like the guy depicted by this woodcarving.
But this post is about another guy who rode a horse too long. Or more correctly, he rode a horse that was too long, at least when I sketched it without spending enough time working out the dimensions of the statue of Simon Bolivar that sits near Quebec City’s justice department (grin).
I’m not proud of this sketch but I thought I’d show it to demonstrate the importance of spending time evaluating all the relationships among parts of your subject before you start drawing it. I’ll do better next time… I hope.
Stillman & Birn Alpha (9×6), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black
The last couple days have been rainy and windy and I haven’t been able to walk and sketch like I normally do this time of year. So I thought I’d talk a bit about something new in my sketching life.
It’s called Sketchbook Skool and if you’re part of the social media crowd, you’ve probably heard of it. Operated by Danny Gregory and Koosje Koene, it’s a school that’s as much about motivation and ideas as it is about teaching techniques. This is the second session they’ve held and it’s called “Seeing”, with emphasis on how artists see and communicate what they see in their art. It brings together Liz Steel, Cathy Johnson, Danny Gregory, Brenda Swenson, Andrea Joseph, and Koosje Koene as instructors.
It seemed ideal for me, and comes at an ideal time. I’ve been very myopic in my approach to sketching thus far. When I started sketching, 2 1/2 years ago, I couldn’t draw anything. So I set out with a single goal – to learn to draw something… anything. I didn’t worry about watercolors, compositions, or any of the myriad of details that one can be involved with in art. I just wanted to draw stuff.
While I still have a lot to learn about drawing, I’ve gotten to the point where I can make scratches on paper that people at least recognize as the thing I was looking at so it seems to me that now is the time to start thinking of some of those other things that make an artist actually be an artist. And I think Sketchbook Skool is going to help me in that.
Stillman & Birn Alpha (9×6), Pilot Prera
So far we’ve had two assignments from our first teacher, Danny Gregory. We were to draw a piece of toast, with emphasis on drawing all the details of the surface. It was an interesting sketch as I nearly went cross-eyed trying to ensure that I got all the little holes and crevices in the right places. I want to do it again with a small section of grass or some other heavily textured surface.
Our second assignment was an investigation of how we see when drawing quickly vs slowly. We were supposed to draw something in a minute and then draw right on top of that drawing, but more slowly, trying to do a detailed drawing. Danny’s example used color for the first, fast rendition and pen for the second, slower version.
I drew our vacuum cleaner using yellow and gray Tombow brush pens. We were to spend one minute on this. I then spent 10 minutes drawing the machine using a Pilot Prera. I really like this idea and hope to do a bunch of them.
Stillman & Birn Alpha (9×6), Pilot Prera, Lex Gray ink
So far, I’m having a ball in Sketchbook Skool. The video instruction is first class and interactions with other students is providing a bunch of great ideas. Maybe I will be an artist some day.
We’re having a heat wave. In French it’s called a canicule. Regardless of what language you use, it means hot and humid and we’ve certainly got that. I blame myself. I spent so much time whining that I couldn’t go sketching because winter wouldn’t end that, it seems, someone from down south sent us a dose of hot.
Stillman & Birn Alpha, Pilot Prera, Lex Gray ink
In spite of the heat, though, this sketcher marches onward. I was to meet sketching buddy Claudette at Place d’Youville, a busy area just outside the St. Jean Gate into the old city. While I waited for her I did this sketch of the entrance toan Italian restaurant.
When Claudette arrived we headed into the old city to find something to sketch. Our goals were a bit atypical because what to sketch took a back seat to finding a shady, cool place to sit. It wasn’t easy.
Eventually, though, we found ourselves in Carmel Park, a tiny little park (you can easily throw a stone across it) that’s up on a hill within the walled city. Trees gave us shade and our altitude gave us access to a nice breeze that kept us comfortable. Claudette sketched church steeples while I fixated on the back porch of an apartment building that was probably 30-40 feet below me. Mostly I got caught up in the gorgeous flowers, flowers I didn’t do justice to I’m afraid. Nevertheless, we had fun and stayed cool.
Stillman & Birn Alpha (9×6), Pilot Prera, Lex Gray