Sketch in Progress (larger)

I just completed my International Moleskine Exchange contribution for this month. I am in group 20 (aka moly_x_20) and got to work in Lee’s Moly this time around. His Hawaii idea intrigued me, so I decided to keep with that and printed out some of my previous beach sketches for reference. I included some little critters too, to tie into Lee’s playful theme.

I’ve been experimenting a bit with how to best add color to this paper. Last time I used watercolor pencils, but this time I combined those with regular Prismacolor colored pencils of which I have many. I think I prefer the results with watercolor pencils alone: I’ll go back to that next time.

All Done (larger)

The Book So Far (larger)

Update:
Lisa (rightside) has done the next entry in this book.
Check it out!

More Entries in this Project:
     My Moly_x Drawings

For More Online Information:
     Moly_x Explained [requires Flickr login]
     Moly_x Image Pool
     Moly_x_20 Project Blog

Posted in Hawaii, Landscapes, Projects | Leave a Comment » | View 11 Comments »

❀   ❀   ❀

North Berkeley, Shattuck Avenue (larger)

In February Lisa and I did a mini-sketchcrawl around Berkeley and I never posted those sketches. Well, here they are!

The first sketch is the view across Shattuck Avenue here in North Berkeley from Bar Cesar where we had lunch. Although you wouldn’t know it, this is very close to the same view I sketched last month at twilight: same two trees there on the median strip.

After a quick North Berkeley tour we headed over to the UC Berkeley campus where we sketched the base of the Campanile Tower. I love the London Plane Trees on that plaza. They are wonderfully sculptural and go though dramatic changes throughout the year.

UC Berkeley, Campanile Tower (larger)

Posted in Berkeley, Landscapes | Leave a Comment » | View 4 Comments »

❀   ❀   ❀

   The Moly_x_20 Project

moly_x_20 Book, Napa Sketch (larger)

This is my first contribution to the popular International Moleskine Exchange (aka moly_x) mail-based art exchange project. The idea is that artists work in small groups filling accordion-style Pocket Moleskine notebooks that are mailed, round robin fashion, around the group. Thus far there are 29 groups formed: I am in group 20 (aka moly_x_20). Each group has an individual blog to track partipation and communications, and all projects post images to the unified Flickr group: a great place to monitor the progress of the project at large.

For my own book I decided to do a variation of a sketch I did recently in Napa. I’d never really reprised a sketch before but found it a lot of fun to figure out what to change and add to make it work in the new format. The paper in these Moleskine books has a waxy finish which is resistant to watercolors (which is why I rebind Moleskines for my own use), so I also had to do some experimentation to find a similar way to add color.

I discovered that watercolor pencils work fairly well in both wet and dry form. The pencils I used are Caran d’Ache Supracolor II, of which I happened to have a few assorted colors on hand. I think it’s time to go out and round out my collection of colors, in anticipation of this project!

Update:
Lisa (rightside) has done a beautiful next entry in my book.
Check it out!

More Entries in this Project:
     My Moly_x Drawings

For More Online Information:
     Moly_x Explained [requires Flickr login]
     Moly_x Image Pool
     Moly_x_20 Project Blog

Posted in California, Landscapes, Projects, Travel Sketching | Leave a Comment » | View 9 Comments »

❀   ❀   ❀

Continued from: New York Sketchbook 2008, Part Two

Madison Avenue Shop Window (larger)

After I got back from my New York trip I decided to try making some additional sketches from photographs. Here are the results. I like these sketches, although they are not as loose as those I did on site.

The shop window is an Italian children’s clothing stop on Madison Avenue. It was the low key color palette that attracted my eye.

Whitney Museum, Biennial (larger)

W. 58th Street Firehouse (larger)

The Whitney Museum is having their well known contemporary art exhibition, the Biennial, and I happened by as the line was forming for an evening event.

This year one of the art pieces is on the outside of the museum: a giant Eagle’s Nest, by Fritz Haeg, perched above the entryway.

The firehouse is on 58th Street, and is the home of Engine Company 23. I walked right by the front if it, did a double take, and knew I had to record it!

More Sketches from New York
More Sketches of Shop Windows

Posted in Figures, Landscapes, New York, Travel Sketching | Leave a Comment » | View 14 Comments »

❀   ❀   ❀

Continued from: New York Sketchbook 2008, Part One

Koons Balloon Dog at the Met (larger)

Continuing on with my recent New York Trip, I had a great day walking through Central Park and visiting one of my (well, everyone’s) favorite museums, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This summer’s rooftop sculpture exhibit features three Jeff Koons sculptures including this one: Balloon Dog, Yellow. The day was rather chilly, yet with only a cappuccino to sustain me I braved the elements to get my sketch. Suffering for art, you know!

Because of the cold weather I generally did more indoor sketching in New York than planned. Here are a couple of favorite cafes, and a quick sketch of the Lincoln Center.

Le Pain Quotidien, 65th Street (larger)

Payard on Lexington Avenue (larger)

Lincoln Center (larger)

I also attended the New York City Ballet at the Lincoln Center, a program featuring Jerome Robbins choreography and Leonard Bernstein music. As I often do, I tried to sketch blind, in the dark. Here is a montage of some of the more readable scribbles done during the three dances: Fancy Free, Dybbuk, and West Side Story.

At the NYCB (larger)

More Sketches from New York

Posted in Figures, Interiors, Landscapes, New York, Travel Sketching | Leave a Comment » | View 12 Comments »

❀   ❀   ❀

Christie’s Spring Auction Preview (larger)

I’ve just returned from a short trip to Manhattan for a couple of days of sketchcrawling. The highlight of my trip was getting to meet fellow sketchblogger Shirley and her husband. We spent a lovely day making and looking at art.

We visited the Spring Previews for upcoming Impressionist and Modern auctions at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, where we saw quite a few memorable pieces on their way from one private collection to another. Shirley and I sketched details of some of our favorites. We had a lovely lunch too, and ended the day with a glass of wine and sketch talk while finishing up our pages.

Shirley has quite a number of completed sketchbooks filled with wonderful work. Looking through them was a pure delight and so inspiring! Isn’t it fun to peer into the sketchbooks of other artists?

Sotheby’s Spring Auction Preview (larger)

More Sketches from New York

Posted in Figures, New York, Still Life, Travel Sketching | Leave a Comment » | View 6 Comments »

❀   ❀   ❀

Shattuck Avenue (larger)

The view from my car, parked on Shattuck Avenue, in North Berkeley at twilight.

Posted in Berkeley, Landscapes | Leave a Comment » | View 11 Comments »

❀   ❀   ❀

Berkeley Symphony #1 (larger)

I recently attended the Berkeley Symphony and sketched the musicians during the performance. As I’ve done in the past when sketching in a theater, I did the ink work in the dark and added the watercolor later on.

Initially when the lights came up these sketches looked like a bunch of squiggles. But as I began to paint what I could recognize, more and more hidden shapes – arms, bows, violins – revealed themselves.

Berkeley Symphony #2 (larger)

Posted in Berkeley, Figures | Leave a Comment » | View 6 Comments »

❀   ❀   ❀

Sketching and Champagne in Napa Valley

Domaine Carneros (larger)

At Domaine Carneros

True to the “Crawl” part of SketchCrawl, Lisa and I recently spent a day in Napa sketching and visiting champagne wineries. We had a great time! We started at Domaine Carneros, where it was sunny and the views spectacular. Quite sketchable, and the champagne is divine!

Tulips in the Napa Valley (larger)

We moved on the Mumm Winery and on the way stumbled upon an estate filled with thousands of tulips. It was absolutely stunning and we went back later for pictures and further investigation. By then it was raining, so we did our tulip sketches later from photographs.

Domaine Chandon (larger)

We finished up at Domaine Chandon, tired but determined to sketch!

It was a wonderful, adventure-filled day. The weather was dramatic and the bubbles divine. It was Lisa’s idea to make the trek, and I must say it was inspired! She is moving to Texas now, in fact she’s on the road today, so our sketching adventures are on curtailed for now.

I will miss you Lisa!

Posted in California, Landscapes, Travel Sketching | Leave a Comment » | View 16 Comments »

❀   ❀   ❀

Last Sunday Lisa and I joined the intrepid San Francisco SketchCrawl group on a chilly grey morning at Ghirardelli Square, where over 60 artists turned out to sketch in and around the Fisherman’s Wharf area.

It took some fortitude to sketch in the windy open areas, but we were rewarded late in the day when suddenly the sun came out. By the time we all meet back at the starting point to share our sketchbooks it was downright balmy.

We had a great time exploring and sketching both indoors and out. I took some photos of the event as well, and Lisa and I finished the day in civilized manner with Irish Coffees at the Buena Vista Cafe.

Bay View from the Aquatic Park (larger)

Ghirardelli Square (larger)

At the Cannery (larger)

Here and There:
Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Sq., Argonaut Hotel (larger)

SketchCrawl is an inspiring event which takes place several times a year. All over the world artists spend the day sketching, on their own or in groups, and then share their work online. It’s great fun and a good way to get yourself motivated to really do some drawing. Keep an eye on the SketchCrawl website for the next event and come on out!

Related:

• More SketchCrawls

Posted in Figures, Interiors, Landscapes, San Francisco, SketchCrawl | Leave a Comment » | View 11 Comments »

❀   ❀   ❀

Out and About

Continued from: Monterey Sketchbook, Part Two

Pacific Grove, Coast (larger)

I finished up the Monterey/Pacific Grove trip on a brisk day with a couple of outdoor sketches. There is a fantastic walking path along the coast with inspiring views at every turn. I took a refreshing walk from Pacific Grove to Monterey and back, and did a sketch at each end of the route.

Monterey Aquarium (larger)

See Also:

     Monterey Sketchbook, Part One
     Monterey Sketchbook, Part Two

Posted in California, Landscapes, Travel Sketching | Leave a Comment » | View 11 Comments »

❀   ❀   ❀

Sketching at the Aquarium

Continued from: Monterey Sketchbook, Part One

Kelp Forest (larger)

Giant Tree Frog (larger)

Sea Otters (larger)

Our sketching adventures continued with more exotic subjects at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. You can’t miss the aquarium’s signature 28 foot tall Kelp Forest tank. And we found these frogs that looked exactly like they were made out of vinyl, except that they moved, so they’re not. The adorable and comical Sea Otters are a favorite of mine, and of everyone else’s too: the exhibit was packed all day.

I was most intrigued by the Giant Octopus, glued to the glass of his aquarium: he seemed to know that was his most impressive view. I was able to get a photo of him and ink in a sketch as well, which I painted later that day. It came out rather abstractly, but I like it.

Sketch, Giant Octopus (larger)

Photo, Giant Octopus (larger)

See Also:

     Monterey Sketchbook, Part One
     Monterey Sketchbook, Part Three

Posted in California, Figures, Still Life, Travel Sketching | Leave a Comment » | View 8 Comments »

❀   ❀   ❀