![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSIh-gLGvntKwmCsmVCVNtsWXLPd4u55uXIeNGmTQvA65u0Inzdk7hDzChIyAFfcCJV_zTtBjAuLpQch3bEW_LbCVEceJGt-oY5jgMgWMp8k3bqaT3FV7jdeuu4ppHRYjpKQ48JRcjw/s640/8-15-15+D.+Choc+Brown%252C+fude%252C+Museum%252C+XL%252C+Diplodocus+at+Science+Museum+of+Minnesota%252C+St.+Paul.jpg) |
8/15/15 ink, colored pencil |
Escaping without a single mosquito bite, we’re back from a
brief visit to the Midwest – the Twin Cities of Minnesota. This annual trip is
always a good mix of family visiting and city touring, so I always manage to squeeze in
sketches wherever I go. The biggest challenge this year was the weather –
boiling heat with 100 percent (!) humidity on most days; a deluge on one other
day. We spent quite a bit of time indoors evading both extremes, which turned
out to be a sketcher’s delight.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0ezlXrk4qSWmVkfjTXuCZfjovS7Mmmk3ftk1xyL3C_4nu85vdtuOrr9mJp3dUe0Puzp2MAdkLGFqFErWx7s2ViDK06v3C2HqEzrn6TkmdkG5kSJTii0678p8Q-2zWhTVNEMtRpynmw/s400/8-15-15+D.+Choc+Brown%252C+fude%252C+Museum%252C+XL%252C+Carolinochelys+Wilsoni+at+Science+Museum+of+Minnesota%252C+St.+Paul.jpg) |
8/15/15 ink, colored pencil |
Our first indoor stop was a morning at the Science Museum of Minnesota, billed as “Minnesota’s
favorite museum” for good reason. I thought Seattle’s Burke was rich in dinosaur skeletons (arguably one of my all-time
favorite sketching subjects), but I’m sorry to say that it can’t hold a candle to
the SMM. While the rest of my party saw all three of the museum’s jam-packed floors,
I happily stayed on the paleontology floor sketching as many prehistoric
critters as I had time for. I know I missed plenty of great exhibits on the other
floors that I heard about later, but I’d rather see and sketch a few fantastic
skeletons than run through an entire museum seeing everything only
superficially. Carolinochelys Wilsoni, Diplodocus and Triceratops (the world’s
most complete specimen) were plenty for me! If I lived in St. Paul, I would
probably visit every week and wouldn’t run out of skeletons for a year. (Note
to self and spouse: Visit again next year!)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHn5d2tDfJ3-6mq_TUnZc2Wpoc6e6FtAJJjX95yHd3FfY0DPOzqmNCZrz6fLuoHiiuJnW1sE2ZSgejjQXAVfnBMEM4K8rsfo_qqY57h7AiK4uZFOlkjlmKwlQwALfNvfw9WxIa2yQ8w/s400/8-15-15+D.+Choc+Brown%252C+fude%252C+Museum%252C+XL%252C+Triceratops+at+Science+Museum+of+Minnesota%252C+St.+Paul.jpg) |
8/15/15 ink, colored pencil |
By that afternoon, the heat was unbearable, but I couldn’t
see St. Paul’s Cathedral without a quick sketch. I found a spot of shade across
the street, but after about 20 minutes, all I could manage was its elegant domed
top before the heat got to me. Someday I’d like to go back and sketch the whole
cathedral – on a cool and comfortable day.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoYIfYkPGvXmEblmb42lZ7zLkIEo_-DqztPzDzH8CYcF0ElB0Ir7i8XoL8M7D-1CEVHIOdpqAfE8ABp_DrsiLKdsghW4bhXCaH3p6_KcRb-M5WjbSfBiqtI2kCEgAp0L3_4pa27ZoqWg/s400/8-15-15+Plat+Carbon%252C+matte+fude%252C+grey+ink+mix%252C+Tsuyu-kusa%252C+XL%252C+St.+Paul%2527s+Cathedral%252C+St.+Paul.jpg) |
8/15/15 inks |
Super bones! Now I see that you're visiting family. That happens all the time. I ask a question and get my answer in the previous post. Looks like you are getting in a lot of sketching time.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joan! Yes, it was a short trip of family stuff and fun stuff!
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