December 2018

One of my resolutions is to not ignore this blog this year. I've now caught up my archive of the last 15 months, just in time for the 2019 year to begin!

Sketching out the window at a new tea shop...

Get cozy!

Merry Christmas!

Happy 2019, Everyone!

Sketching in Pretty Spaces

Last Saturday, the Urban Sketchers of Portland held a sketchcrawl that was rained out for most of us. Luckily, Meadow invited us to sketch in her lovely shared studio space. It was cozy and friendly and we even had a nice soundtrack of music to accompany our sketching and chatting. Each direction held views of exquisitely crafted pottery and the tools used to create it. There were colors and textures and patterns, galore--just perfect if you like to get lost in the details.

Unfortunately, I didn't sketch Meadow's wares, which are delightful. If you would like a mug with the Chapman School swifts diving into the chimney, or a little delicate porcelain vase, or any number of other little treasures, you should head over to the Thurman Street Studios--rain or shine. 

Monday, the day was clear and dry asI joined some sketchers at the LanSu Chinese Garden. We warmed up with tea and treats.

Then I sat outside and sketched a  Penjing (bonsai) ginkgo. I had to bend the branches in my sketch to fit it in my sketchbook, but that seems appropriate for a bonsai.

Colored Paper

Every Day Sketches

Once again, a friend and I have challenged each other to try to make at least one sketch each day in November. Here are some that I feel comfortable posting.

 Some have been mundane...

Some have been sketched while I've waited...

Sometimes I've sketched looking out windows...

or on a walk...

I've gone to figure drawing sessions...

I've drawn plants....

and I've drawn with friends...

(If you look closely on the teapot lid, you'll see the reflections of some sketchers. You'll have to trust me on this.)

About two weeks into the challenge, I felt pressured to sketch and was counting the days left in the month. Then in about the third week, I was back in the swing of things and it was easy to find a subject to draw. Lots of times, I'd start planning what I might sketch the next day. Like any habit, it gets easier with time and eventually, a day doesn't feel complete until I've sketched.

September

Here are some sketches from last month that didn't get posted.

Oregon Garden

 The Banana Tree and the Gunnera were both drawn on a recent trip to the Oregon Garden. In spite of the excessively dry weather we've been having here, many lovely flowers, plants and trees were thriving.

Stone, Plants, and Water

Last Friday, a beautiful day in Portland, I visited the Japanese Garden with friends. As I sketched in the 'Dry Garden', I overheard two different tour groups. One of the tour guides said that a Zen garden always has the three elements of stone, plants, and water. Here the water was represented by the raked stones that formed concentric circles around the larger stones.

Paints aren't allowed at our Japanese Garden, so that may have been what drew my eye to the more monochromatic  and linear stone patterns in the pathways.

On Sunday, I went to our family cabin and saw those same elements of stone, plants, and water repeated in the natural setting.

From my spot on the bank of the river, I could see at least three kinds of stone...

the smooth faced, broken rocks,

worn, rounded rocks,

and rough, gravelly rocks.

..........

The summer is ending and the leaves are especially dry.

I tried something I don't usually do: I attempted a sketch of underwater rocks with six larger stones peeking above the waterline. Clearly, this needs more study next summer.

Stones, plants, and water

Elements of a Zen garden

And also, of here.

Day 25: Succulents

Hmmm...I think the one on the right needs a bigger pot.

Getting Loose

I've really enjoyed looking at the loose style of many sketchers, so I bought a bamboo pen and decided to see if using that would loosen up my drawing.

This was my first attempt, in a Canson Mix Media sketchbook.  Drawing this, I felt like I was back in grade school. Sometimes, I just had to go where the pen wanted to go.

Next, I drew my new gym shoes, and again, I had to accept the changing thickness of lines and having less accuracy. (You can't pause too long while holding a bamboo brush.) This sketch was done in a Holbein Multi-Drawing book. The Noodler's Heart of Darkness ink didn't dry as quickly as when it comes out of a Lamy pen, so it ran a bit when I added watercolor.

The next one is Picasso with bread rolls for fingers. It's drawn from a postcard I've always loved: a 1952 photo by Robert Doisneau, 'Picasso and the Loaves.' I've got to say, I did have fun with this, but was it the pen or the topic?

This last one is kind of a mess on Yupo paper, complete with smudges from my inky fingers,  but it shows the bamboo pen. It's taking forever to dry, but when it does, I'll fill it with color and distract you from the crazy lines!

Here are a couple more, drawn with my familiar Lamy pen, perhaps a bit looser than usual.

By this time, I added some cheat lines (pencil) and used the Lamy again. I think I needed some more control after all that looseness! I'll finish it up and add some color and see how it compares.