I made this sketch from my car yesterday while waiting for an appointment. It was fun to do!
Shop windows are great to draw: interesting and colorful, and they hold still too 🙂 . I did some others on my recent Pasadena trip and also the one below in Italy, in 2001.
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I have been thinking a lot about line style recently. I can never predict how a sketch will turn out; some drawings are stiff and labored while others are loose and lively. On any particular day I can tell what my drawing style will be from the first line I put down, but seem to have little control over it.
I thought I would draw a single subject in multiple styles, to confirm for myself which I prefer and perhaps learn to better control my line quality. However, this experiment did not turn out as expected!
| Order drawn: | 4, 1, 2, 3 |
| I thought I would like (best to worst): | 2, 3, 1, 4 |
| I actually prefer (best to worst): | 4, 3, 1, 2 |
The expected best and worst are flipped!
Now I am more perplexed than ever. These sketches are not as varied as I had hoped, and the results are basically backwards from what I expected. The order I drew them may be a factor: I lose focus as I get tired and seem to like the earlier drawings better.
I did these from my parked car. I think I will try this experiment again in a more relaxed setting, and take my time with each sketch.
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Here are a couple of Berkeley sketches I made last Saturday in the downtown area, in between errands. The first is the airy reading room at the public library. The building was beautifully renovated recently, and its art deco roots are well preserved.
The library doesn’t have a cafe though, and so on to Peet’s Coffee across the street. I grabbed a quick sketch and a quick cappuccino!
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Paul Madonna is an artist in San Francisco who does amazing drawings of local scenes. With a loose but detailed focus he captures the essence of the city so well it’s downright eerie. Snippets of text are added on top of the drawings, and they’re published in the San Francisco Chronicle once a week as All Over Coffee. Now, a wonderful collection of his “strips” has been published.
The drawings are rendered in pen and (often coffee-colored) ink. Crisply edged washes glow with light, and occasionally a spot of color is added. Some scenes are tightly focused, but others take in vast expanses of cityscape such as North Beach and Coit Tower: the very area where SketchCrawl 14 took place last weekend.
Details express the quirky uniqueness of each place. The scenery is always still, no cars or people, but perhaps because of a heightened attention to light and shadow seems to grab a specific moment in time. The text, quirky and provocative bits of conversation or story fragments, adds to this transitory feel.
The book includes 150 strips spanning several years, and it is fascinating to see how Madonna’s style has evolved over time. There is also an extensive essay detailing his writing and drawing methods and how All Over Coffee came to be. The book is published by City Lights, the San Francisco Bookstore & Publisher with a fascinating history of its own.
Find out More:
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On Saturday I joined the San Francisco SketchCrawl group for SketchCrawl 14. I hooked up with fellow art blogger Jana Bouc and we spent the day wandering and sketching. It was great to finally meet her!
The San Francisco group had about 80 people this time; quite a crowd. This SketchCrawl was especially Crawl-y; we walked over four miles. The general route (for us at least) was: Ferry Building, Filbert Steps, Coit Tower, North Beach, Ferry Building. The weather was just about perfect. What a great day!
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Last weekend we went to the Harmony Sweepstakes A Capella Festival. It’s a yearly event where vocal groups from around the US perform and compete. They sing beautifully, and in a wide range of styles. They move around a lot too; this makes drawing a challenge!
I did these ink drawings in the dark. I couldn’t see a thing, and even ran right off the paper on that first one. Later after the show I added the watercolor. This is a fun way to draw, and of course there’s no pressure to make it come out perfectly. Drawing people that move is hard though, even when you can’t see the paper!
By the way, I’ve added a few new items to the menu bar on the right including “Link-o-rama” (my links list) and a Sketch Gallery. It seems one can spend an infinite amount of time tweaking their blog code and configuration. I have to remember to leave time for sketching! 🙂
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I’ve never been a car person, but I love my little Mini Cooper S. I’ve had it for three years now and the initial glow has not left our relationship. It is cute, well appointed (as they say), and a hell of a lot of fun to drive. 🙂 If only it was a hybrid, it would be perfect.
This is a different sketching technique for me (pen without watercolor). I have been admiring Tommy Kane’s amazing drawings lately and they’ve got me thinking about hatching. He is a master hatcher!
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Five days of vacation in Hawaii: yowza! Short, but very sweet. We went to Maui for a small family wedding and had a great time. Swimming, walking, snorkeling, dining and sunburn: we got it all.
Despite the activity I managed sketch every day. There were sketch-worthy views everywhere: wish I’d had more time. I admit to being sick of drawing palm trees though!
My sketch kit was with me everywhere I went and I got sand in everything. My little paintbox has the stuff in every pan. I probably should empty it out and put fresh paint in, but I am inclined not to bother. Free texture!
I was able to do all of these drawings on site but much of the painting was done later: some even here at home. I find that if I can finish a sketch the same day it’s fine, but if even one night goes by the results are not optimal: stiffer and less lively. I need to work on speeding up.
It’s always a treat to sketch daily for a number of days, especially in an unfamiliar environment. Everything looks interesting to me when I’m away from home. What a great excuse to travel, travel, travel!
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Don’t know why, but I never seem to draw the same thing twice. Yesterday though I drew a scene I had also done last year. This view is looking down from a second floor hair salon, onto the street below.
I was surprised when I pulled out the old sketch how similar the two are. I don’t love either one, but I think I have a slight preference for the older sketch.
I’m going on vacation tomorrow, for a week (Hawaii!). Hopefully I’ll come back with some interesting sketches to share.
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We’ve been having (mostly) fabulous weather for the past few weeks. Did this little (2.5×5 inch) sketch very quickly today before heading home after an all-day meeting at a nearby hotel. I go to this shoreline a lot though; it has wonderful views across the bay, great walking and lots of fresh bay air.
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On my recent Seattle trip I spent an afternoon sketching but didn’t have time to draw at the Public Market. I did take a few quick photos though.
I often take pictures with the intention of later sketching, but rarely get around to actually doing it! This time though I didn’t want to miss a chance to draw one of the luscious produce displays.
The Public Market is filled with amazing produce, flower, and fish displays; huge piles of healthy and colorful goods, artfully arranged. I am sure I could spend a full day happily sketching there.
I drew this sketch from the photo, directly in ink. The sketch is small, as are all my sketches: 5.5 x 3 inches. You can see that it isn’t exactly like the picture but all the main components are there. The best part was adding the watercolor; so many colors!
I wasn’t sure if I should paint in the signs (see below) but went ahead anyway. I am not sure which version I like better; what do you think?
Related Post: Sketching in Seattle
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