Austin Skyline, from Town Lake Park (larger)

Saturday October 25th was SketchCrawl #20. I flew to Austin the night before to meet up with Lisa who drove down from the Dallas area. She got the word out and six local sketchers joined us for the event. What a great day! The weather was perfect and we were able to walk around central Austin and sketch a bunch of great subjects.

At Whole Foods World Headquarters (larger)

Texas Capital Dome (larger)

In the Driskill Hotel (larger)

Stevie Ray Vaughan
Statue (larger)

I had never been to Austin before. We picked the city as our destination because it was easy for both of us to get to and we wanted to spend time there. What a cool place! Here are some photos from the day:

Me, Sketching Stevie

Me, Studying the Dome
(not George 🙂 )

Nancy, Lisa and Anna

Ed and Janet

The date for SketchCrawl #21 has been set: Saturday January 10, 2009. Where will you be sketching?

See Also:

• SketchCrawl #20, Austin Group Sketches
• SketchCrawl #20, 87 Other Worldwide Locations
• SketchCrawl #21, Planning Forums
• My Other SketchCrawls

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Here are the rest of the sketches from my recent trip to Santa Fe. Fellow sketchblogger Lisa was on the same trip and did some really great sketches too.

I love Santa Fe and try to go every year or two. The light, spaces, color and food are amazing!

Sena Plaza (larger)

Canyon Road Shop (larger)

Cafe at Garcia Street Books (larger)

House Where We Stayed (larger)

Canyon Road Gate (larger)

At the Plaza (larger)

Jazz at Chispa (larger)

Bar at Chispa (larger)

See Also:

• Santa Fe 2008 Sketch Grids
• New Mexico 2007 Sketchbook, Part One: Taos
• New Mexico 2007 Sketchbook, Part Two: Santa Fe
• Other Travel Sketchbooks

And Don’t Miss:

• Lisa’s Santa Fe Sketches

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Sketching in restaurants can be a real challenge: people move around a lot, and food and dining companions expect some attention as well. I usually end up sketching quickly, and always add the watercolor later on.

Bar César (larger)

Here are three sketches done recently in local restaurants. The first two are in the bars, César and T. Rex.

The last sketch is at Venezia, an Italian restaurant with a unique decor. The walls are painted to make the space look like an outdoor cafe in Venice, and terraces, pigeons (fake, not real!), a fountain and a real laundry line complete the look.

The laundry is changed regularly to match the season: Santa suits, bathing suits, long johns, for example, and even lingerie at Valentines Day. I always get a kick out of that.

T. Rex Bar (larger)

Venezia Restaurant (larger)

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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

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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

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The Bookcase (larger)

This one was a fun one to do. I was lounging at the home of some friends and had time to sketch at a leisurely pace while New Year’s Day breakfast was being prepared. A rather luxurious way to sketch, I’d say! That’s my friend’s oil painting on the top of the bookcase.

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Cappuccino (larger)

At SketchCrawl #17 I met fellow sketchblogger Lee-Roy for the first time. He drove up from Los Angeles for the event and to spend a few days in the Bay Area. The day after the Crawl he came over to Berkeley to have a look. We met up in the North Berkeley neighborhood, aka Gourmet Ghetto, and took a little walking tour. It was cold though, and we’d already gotten frozen the day before, so we decided to seek refuge in Bar César. There we passed a lovely afternoon, talking and eating and drinking and sketching.

It was great fun to get to know another avid sketcher. Lee-Roy is quite talented indeed and did a wonderful sketch of the bar, right down to the many bottles and blue tiles. I love it!

At Bar César (larger)

And speaking of SketchCrawl, the date for SketchCrawl #18 has been announced: March 29, 2008!

See also: Other Sketches at César

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Cafe Sketch, Berkeley (larger)

As the weather gets colder I find myself sketching indoors a lot. Last weekend I took my sketchbook to the Espresso Roma Cafe on Hopkins Street in Berkeley and made this sketch. /2008/01/06/cafe-sketching/

The perspective was a little quirky because I was sitting close to the subject and had to turn my head a bit to see the whole thing. It couldn’t be helped, there was a wall right behind me, but I’ll keep that in mind when choosing indoor subjects.

What have you been sketching indoors?

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And a happy one it is for me, as I have been honored with Katherine Tyrrell’s, “Travels with a Sketchbook Shield” award for 2007!

Holidays at Bar César,
Berkeley (larger)

It is indeed an honor to be recognized by Katherine, and especially in the company of the other finalists, all of whom have been great inspirations to me:

Katherine’s award is extra meaningful to me because it was her "Blogging Art in 2006" posts, Part 1 and Part 2 which really inspired me to get serious about sketchblogging. Her blog is chock full of useful art information and links, her sketching and artwork is wonderful, and I have learned so much from her about blogging as well. She is a pro indeed!

Thank you Katherine for your very kind regard, and thank you to all the sketchbloggers out there who inspire me every day.

Happy New Year Everyone!

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Lunch at MarketBar (larger)

Last Sunday was the 16th SketchCrawl event. My husband and I spent the day in San Francisco sketching and exploring at the Ferry Building. We had a great day!

Lamps at Market Bar (larger)

This historic building has been extensively restored and reopened in 2003 as a food-oriented marketplace. It bustles with energy and activity and the architecture and shops are quite striking. It’s a great place to sketch. There are also awesome Bay views and on Saturdays and Tuesdays, a Farmer’s Market.

We also enjoyed a wonderful lunch outside at MarketBar. The weather was just perfect: a gloriously crisp Fall day.

Frog Hollow Farm: Fruit Stand (larger)

Berkeley BART Station (larger)

Giant Pumpkin (larger)

Far West Fungi: Mushrooms Only (larger)

Related:

• More SketchCrawls

Posted in Food, Interiors, Landscapes, San Francisco, SketchCrawl, Still Life, Travel Sketching | Leave a Comment » | View 8 Comments »

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Over Oregon (larger)

This summer we flew from the Bay Area to Seattle in a small (Cessna 182) airplane. We went with some friends to visit some other friends and had a blast.

On the way up I sat in the back seat of the plane and enjoyed spectacular views of the Cascade Arc volcano peaks strung out all along our route. A lot to capture – I drew the window in ink then decided to try doing the vistas of mid-Oregon in watercolor only. A bit unconventional but I like how it came out.

On the way back we spent a lot of time in the clouds at 11,000 feet, so being in the front I sketched the plane’s panel. All the right gauges are there, although they’ve slid around a bit!

Cessna 182 Panel (larger)

Posted in Interiors, Landscapes, Oregon, Travel Sketching | Leave a Comment » | View 9 Comments »

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In Fonda Restaurant (larger)

I couldn’t resist this unusual perspective the other day in Fonda, a bar/restaurant in Berkeley. The interior is striking and the cozy chairs invite one to lie back and enjoy the view. I settled in and, sustained by tasty food and drink, got to work in my sketchbook.

Not only is the view atypical, but the lighting is as well, coming mostly from below. The drawing was a challenge and the painting was quite enjoyable. I really like their brightly colored armchairs and that ochre wall.

Posted in Berkeley, Food, Interiors | Leave a Comment » | View 3 Comments »

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