The John Deere Year

The Miami Valley Threshers reunion meets in Plain City, mid-July, every year. A highlight is the parade. This year's featured manufacturer was John Deere, with entries ranging from lawn mowers to full-size tractors. Some pulled wagons loaded with friends and family. Once in awhile, a red Farmall chugged past. My Farmall sketch is a bit messy, because I accidentally (automatically) painted it green, then had to correct it.

Some vehicles displayed signs advertising services or upcoming events. I didn't see nearly as many antique, or even old, tractors as in previous years. The elderly farmers have been leaving us.

The steady pace made sketching a challenge. Each tractor was slightly different than the one before. I found the variation in air intake and exhaust pipes (on top) interesting. Overhead trees dispersed the early summer evening light, eliminating shadows.

View from Darree Fields, in the rain

The Darree Fields park was nearly deserted on a recent rainy afternoon. We meandered around to the far end of the parking lots, and looked across a grassy lawn to see a few silos, partially obscured by a hill of gravel. At the time, I thought they must be those by the elevator at Kileville, but later figured out from the map that they are probably along Houchard Road. Heavy rain and hail began to pound the windshield a few minutes into the drawing, so couldn't see much depth or detail.

Churches

Fellowship Baptist Church, after the rain, 6/23

St. Brigid's Catholic Church, 6/26

Northwest Presbyterian Church, 6/28

First Presbyterian Church, Ada, Ohio
7/2



I find the churches in this area the most interesting buildings to draw, because architects seemed to place a higher value on beauty than with other modern buildings.

As usual, when I change sketchbooks, I find it difficult to adjust to the new paper. I liked the large Stillman & Birn Alpha I used a few years ago. The size of this Stillman & Birn A5 feels a bit cramped, and the paper doesn't take as much water as the Pentallic Nature Sketch I had been using. I used a little colored pencil over the watercolor on St. Brigid's, and a little pastel pencil on Northwest Presbyterian. (It was difficult to add watercolor layers, to get an even wash with a water brush, and to get pages to lie flat while photographing.)

I have learned from ArtTutor.com, that in order to improve my sketches, I will have to:
(1) Use heavier weight watercolor paper
(2) Give up the water brush
(3) Dedicate larger blocks of time to a piece
(4) Sometimes practice specific techniques working from photographs, where I can focus on difficult elements of a scene, over a period of time.
(5) Stay out of art supply stores; use the time to practice and improve
(6) Clear a space on my art table to actually work
(7) Get over my fear of masking fluid
(8) Become more comfortable working wet-in-wet
(9) Reduce dependence on ink lines to establish form
(10) Hold mark making tool further from the tip
(11) Try mixing more on the paper and less on the palette
(12) Experiment with glazing
(13) Consider negative shapes
(14) Try to fit sketching into a time of day when there are more shadows
(15) Draw thumbnails before sketching; consider options
(16) Experiment with limited palettes
(17) Be willing to sacrifice a great deal of pigment in the Pencil sharpener and the water jar.
(18) Work larger
(19) Use fresh paint