July Sketches

I've spent very little time working in my studio this summer other than working at my desk/computer. However, I've been drawing every day this summer and enjoying every minute of it, getting outside and really looking at the details of the world around me.

Twice I joined Rene Eisenbart to paint in local gardens. This rose was done Friday and is my first attempt at drawing and painting a rose.

Then yesterday I participated in the West Coast Urban Sketchcrawl. We checked in near the Roosevelt statue in the Park Blocks and fanned out to sketch whatever caught our eyes. When we gathered at noon for a group picture and Show and Tell I was blown away by the amazing work that was laid out on long tables for us to see. 

St. James Lutheran Church

My first subject was a nearby door in a church. I was struck by the contrast between the two parts of the same building at St. James, and by the mysterious non-functioning doorway and  the way the beautiful old building contrasted with the strikingly contemporary white office structure on the left.

The Old Church

When we first moved to Portland I attended this church. Now The Old Church is used as a venue for all sorts of events, especially concerts and recitals. This drawing is of the porte cochere. 

After lunch we continued to work until quitting time at 4pm. The Portland Art Museum graciously welcomed all the Urban Sketchers to draw in the galleries, free of charge! I watched others draw, including a new friend, Darsie Beck from Vashion Island, WA. Darsie has invented an amazing sketching bag that has a flap that folds out to form a platform on which to rest one's sketchbook while painting/drawing. See it at his website. 

Quick sketch of my yummy lunch, tied together with a strip of deli paper.

Downtown construction

My last sketch, of a new downtown building with its massive crane and nest of orange plastic construction fencing at the top. I messed up the sky something awful by starting on dry paper on a hot dry day when even the water on my waterbrush dried almost before I could use it. 

I'm posting drawings like this so that someday, maybe 5 years down the road, I can look back and see how far I've come as a result of drawing every day. We'll see. I trust the process!

Urban Sketchers

Sketchcrawl esteponero - Malaga - Spain from Urban Sketchers on Vimeo.

I love to watch other people sketch almost as much as I like to do it and as I watched this video I made several observations that might help you on your next sketch outing. You DO sketch, don't you?

1. Use a 7-day pill container to hold your paints
2. Use a sea shell for water supply.
3. Note that most people use a waterbrush. Available at art and hobby stores, the barrel holds water, or ink.
4. A small amount of paint is enough to explain the colors; don't over-work the color.
5. Notice the different sizes of sketchbooks; one person uses single sheets of paper clipped to a backing board.
6. Notice how people hold their pen while sketching; notice how carefully and often they look at their subject.
7. Joining a group like Urban Sketchers for a day looking at your community is lots of fun.