The Food Court Essence

5/6/15 Diamine Eclipse ink, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

I’ve noted several times before that the Northgate food court is not the most inspiring sketching environment. It’s too dark, the arrangement of tables is awkward, and people tend to scarf down their meals and dash off quickly – not very cooperative “victims.” But since I was running a few errands at the mall anyway, I used the food court for a type of practice I don’t do often enough: very quick sketches that attempt to capture only the essence of a person’s gesture or posture.

For this type of exercise, I like to use a brush pen or, as today, my Platinum fountain pen with the big, fat music nib, which won’t allow me to start fussing around with facial features or other details. All I can get are the large shapes.

My inspiration for these is Manuel Hernández, a master of the gestural sketch. I have been following his sketches on Flickr for a long time. I so admire how he is able to capture a person’s mood, attitude or expression in the slump of a shoulder, the weight of the head or the impatient tapping of a foot. 

Channeling Van Gogh

5/5/15 India ink, dip pen, Bristol board

While I found last week’s ink drawing class exercise of copying Van Gogh more liberating than previous masters we copied, I would certainly not say it was easy. Today’s class exercise kicked it up yet another notch: using Van Gogh’s hatching techniques to draw a subject of our choosing. Instructor Eric Elliott gave us the option of drawing from a photo, a still life or through the window. Of course you know which I chose.

Our second-floor classroom windows look out on the neighboring elementary school’s playground and some of the many large trees that the Capitol Hill neighborhood is known for (see below). If I had been wearing MiataGrrl’s normal urban sketcher’s hat, I probably would have focused more closely on the playground and the kids, and I might have included part of the tree to the left for context, but I definitely would have left out that mass of trees in the background. Today, however, I had to channel my inner Vincent and ask, What would he have sketched? Based on the drawings I’ve been studying, he most certainly would have included all the trees, and what’s more, he would have found a way to distinguish one tree from another by differentiating the types of hatch marks used.

I hatched and hatched and hatched some more, and nearly three hours later, I probably wasn’t done, but the class was over, and I was tired, so I called it good. In addition to marveling at Van Gogh’s remarkable and beautiful work, the other thought in my mind is this: Why the heck did I use the entire sheet of 11-by-14-inch paper to make this sketch? (Sorry about the dark image; it wouldn’t fit on my scanner so I had to use my phone to photograph it.)

Patterns

5/4/15 Platinum brush pen, watercolor, Caran d'Ache Museum
water-soluble colored pencil, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

After a rushed morning of errands and appointments, I was parked near some trees that painted an intriguing pattern of shadows on the sidewalk. I was surprised to see these trees with only a few sprouting leaves. Most trees in these parts have been fully leafed for a while now.

P.S. May the fourth be with you!

Emulating Vincent, Part 2

5/3/15 Iroshizuku Take-sumi, Kiri-same and Platinum Carbon inks, Bristol Board

As ongoing practice of hatching with ink during last week’s class, I copied another sketch by Van Gogh over the course of a couple of days. I chose this sketch (shown below) to copy because it displays such an amazing range of mark-making – straight lines, curved lines, dots, dashes, curly-cues. The tree seems to be straight out of Dr. Seuss.

Instead of a dip pen, I used a variety of fountain pens and inks for this exercise – my Pilot Falcon (FA) and two Sailor fude pens. 

Sketch by Van Gogh

Freighthouse and Tacoma Dome Station

5/2/15 Sailor Doyou and other inks, Caran D'Ache Museum
water-soluble colored pencils, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

Freighthouse Square (also known as Freighthouse Station Market Place), a collection of eclectic shops, galleries and cafes, was the meeting place this morning for Urban Sketchers Tacoma. Since the day turned out as sunny as promised, I opted to sketch outside the Freighthouse, which is just across the street from Sound Transit’s Tacoma Dome Station.

I started my first sketch of a train that had just pulled into the station, but of course, it left after a minute or two. But I’m an expeditious sketcher, so while I waited for the next train to come along, I turned a few degrees counter-clockwise to sketch Kate sketching beneath a tree and tall lamp post. Each time another train came along, I added a few more lines to the first sketch. It took about five trains before I could finish.

Some sketchers met for lunch at the Olive Branch Café inside Freighthouse Square. It’s a delightful space appointed with beautiful antiques, including a vast collection of teacups and teapots that Liz Steel would approve of! In the true Urban Sketchers manner, Frances, Beverly and I sketched our table and surroundings as we chatted and waited for our food (the Olive Branch’s “leisurely” service facilitated multiple sketches). As hungry as I was, I sympathized with the young girl who was bored, impatient and restless in a chair that was several sizes too large for her. Well, I can’t say I was bored; sketchers are never bored. Just hungry!  

5/2/15 Diamine Midnight and other inks, Museum pencils

5/2/15 Platinum Carbon and other inks, Museum pencil

5/2/15 Sailor Doyou ink, Museum pencil

A Second Crack at St. Spiridon

5/1/15 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor, Caran d'Ache Museum water-soluble colored pencils, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

The first time I took a crack at St. Spiridon Orthodox Cathedral, it was chilly and I was parked illegally anyway, so I stayed in the car to sketch it. I wasn’t thrilled by the composition, though, so I wanted to come back and try again sometime.

An errand at REI brought me to the neighborhood again this afternoon, so I got my chance to sketch it properly: From the sidewalk kitty-corner to the cathedral so that I could see both entrances and most of the onion domes. I’m glad I got a little practice drawing those onions last time. They weren’t any easier this time, but they were just as fun!

Edited 4:30 p.m.: I just realized I forgot to draw the crosses on the two cupolas on the right! I guess I’ll have to sketch it a third time!

Swift Sales at Kyoto Antiques

4/30/15 various inks, Caran d'Ache Museum colored
pencil, Canson XL 140 lb. paper

Today was the first day of Kyoto Art and Antiques’ semi-annual antique sale in the Georgetown neighborhood. Although we like to see the interesting Asian wares whenever it’s open, we’re not serious antique shoppers, so we don’t make an effort to go on the first day. (Last September I made my first major purchase there.) We happened to be in the area today though, so we stopped in – and it was packed! We should have known that all the serious antique shoppers would mob the place as soon as it opened.

Needless to say, the crowds made sketching difficult. I spotted this large stone horse and wedged myself against the side of a cabinet to sketch it without getting bumped. Behind the horse was a screen with a lovely bamboo pattern and some Japanese calligraphy. I had roughed it in quickly along with other things in the background. At that point, Greg came by, so I chatted with him for less than a minute. When I looked back again, someone had purchased the screen and taken it away! I guess you have to be quick to sketch at an antique show.