Wheatgrass, First Watch

Amigos in the evening

Interesting how the evening light intensified and darkened the color.

 Spring flower pots

It's always fun to sketch those outdoor flower displays.  Some pigments get few other opportunities to shine. This place is worth returning to, for  chance to improve the perspective and soften the windows.

Bridge Park construction site

A number of buildings are going up on the northeast corner of Route 161 and Riverside Drive, just east of the Scioto River. A roundabout is taking shape southwest of the buildings. The square blue tower going up on the left is actually gray cinder block, continuing upward to four or five stories high. Maybe it will hold the elevator shaft. The building in the middle--behind the eah mover--is dark interior space between white-edged planes of floors and ceilings. The light building to the rear on the right, with outer walls, has made the most progress. The smaller piles of earth have become one large pile off to the eastern edge. The main site is level, lighter soil.  Darker, rough clods tumble down the outer sides.

Do they use GANTT charts for this? If so, how many does it take? How big are they? Just thinking of it is a little overwhelming.

This was an experiment, with watercolor added on site, then color pencil (blended with alcohol) applied at home. The orange plastic fence blurred into the orange and white barrels.  This view may be too complicated for the timeframe I had.  (Previous attempt to sketch.)

Bird hunting food

This bird stood by the northwest end of the pond awhile, then crouched, half-hidden, down in it. Then it climbed out and walked jerkily (on jointed legs) south, then east--off into the distance. Its neck had an amazing range of shape and motion, shrinking into a small, tight "s", then angling up and out long, almost into a straight line. It appeared to have a black stripe across the side of its head, but that stripe flew back a little loose when it was walking fast. It was the only bird I saw there, mid-afternoon. It may be a blue heron? Not sure.

Graphite and watercolor. This small Cachet sketchbook paper doesn't take much water. I use it mostly with dry media, to practice drawing people.

Robins at dusk

Quiet moment on the deck

Overlooking raised, wooden, neighborhood walkway. (Cropped for privacy.)

Throwback Thursday

Dancing Hares

Sometimes it's fun to look back through your sketching history for signs of change or progress. This sketch was done early summer of 2014, probably near sunset, on a prepared page (painting the Yarka watercolor background at home first, not knowing what the subject would be).  I used a water-soluble Tombow marker-pen, probably adding shading with a water brush. Strathmore 500 series sketchbook.

Page notations: 2 German Shepherds, 6 ducklings; "color gets the credit--value does the work."

This is probably my first attempt to draw Sophie Ryder's sculpture. I think ths is the only time I moved the pond, to balance the path in the view of the Hares.

Wall hanging, Amul India

This restaurant has a delicious lunch buffet.

Grid: textures and patterns

View from my chair at lunch, New Chopsticks. Could use as ideas for carving linocuts.

Any time someone stops and wants to know what you're doing--or looks at what you're doing--they'll look at your drawing, and then they'll look up at what you're sketching. . . .Chances are pretty good they've never seen that building exactly that way.  You're helping them appreciate their city. They're becoming more aware. That builds civic pride. Civic pride builds advocacy for a great urban environment.
-----James Richards, Essential Techniques for Sketching the Energy of Places.*

*I generally enroll in Craftsy classes only when they're offered at a good sale price, $19.99 or lower, which seems to occur randomly and around certain holidays--sometimes through their Facebook feed. 

Mail Route

Mail Box

Paused to sketch and noticed this sentry--until then, invisible to me. The mail box stands along an old Pony Express route, which followed an even older Indian trail.

The Letter
Messenger of Sympathy and Love
Servant of Parted Friends
Consoler of the Lonely
Bond of the Scattered Family
Enlarger of the Common Life

Carrier of News and Knowledge
Instrument of Trade and Industry
Promoter of Mutual Acquaintance
Of Peace and of Goodwill
Among Men and Nations.
-------by Charles W. Eliot, former Harvard President (Slightly edited by Woodrow Wilson; inscribed on Smithsonian National Postal Museum, a former D.C. Post office.)

Village Salad

Baklava!

Cinco de Mayo

Quesadillas at Amigos

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, . . . ." Charles Dickens

Rainy day garage sale

Memory Eternal

Thou only Creator, 
Who with wisdom profound mercifully orderest all things, 
and givest unto all that which is useful, 
give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy servant who has fallen asleep, 
for she has placed her trust in Thee, 
our Maker and Fashioner and our God. (Troparion)

With the saints give rest, O Christ, 
to the soul of Thy servant where sickness and sorrow are no more, 
neither sighing, but life everlasting. (Kontakion)

Across the channel

Rough sketch, Grand Haven.

Panini Opa

Tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, bell pepper, pickled peperoncini, kalamata olives, Greek feta, pita, olive oil, oregano, sea salt. (Watch Diane Kochilas compose a classic Greek Village Salad.) The juice that drains to the bottom of the bowl is delicious for dipping the pita.

Dancing Hares in falling dusk

Cloudy evening. View of park, paper, and palette dimmed as I sketched. From southeast.

Dessert

Cookie, hand-dipped ice cream, Rice Krispy cube; Golden Corral. This is a good place for people age 60 and over to eat, 11-4 weekdays. (Still getting used to this paper.)