New Chopsticks

A grid of line, color, and texture is a quick and easy way to organize impressions when you're in a hurry or don't want to reduce a drawing to one focal point. It's a good exercise for beginners who think they can't draw, because anyone who can write their name can fill in a simple grid of close-ups.

I seldom use a grid, but on this day remembered the previous one I'd sketched at New Chopsticks. It's always fun to return to places and repeat drawings, and see how your vision has changed over time, what catches your eye, how you see differently.

Standing in line, Panini Opa

When a sketcher first ventures into drawing people, it is easier to draw them from the back, in a situation where they will hold still, for at least a few minutes.

Re: past

Weekend repasts

One of the best parts of childhood Sundays was coming home to the smell of my mother's roast beef dinner in the oven. Nowadays, we occasionally go to Cracker Barrel for a throwback to those meals, which were—themselves—a foretaste of the Marriage Supper to come.
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These sketches brought back the memory of Lyle Lovett's tribute to everyone whose stomach ever rumbled embarrassingly in a church service.
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The lower Sunflower sketch was begun in watercolor pencil. Ink was added after watercolor, to give definition where needed.

Sailing the seas of Asian cuisine, Thai and Chinese

Maneki-Neko (Good luck cat)

We recently visited a couple of Asian restaurants.

Joey Chang's, a beautifully decorated, semi-formal establishment housed at Mill Run (Hilliard), serves the Thai and Chinese food of Mr. Chang's heritage. The friendly young waiter recommended the combination platter; we took his advice, and split a delicious dinner portion.

Café China, located in the Perimeter area of Dublin, seemed to be a quick week-day lunch stop. The large golden cat, beckoning from the end of  the counter, begged to be a focal point. The Lucky Cat, originating in Japan, has also become a Chinese symbol of good fortune.

Play time

Amigos, again

The other day, I drew the dried foliage in a large window vase, and used Dr. Ph. Martin's Radiant Concentrated Watercolor to finish the sketch, at home.

I have been fascinated by Dr. Ph. Martin's since I first saw Danny Gregory use them.  The color is intense, and they mix differently than pan and tube watercolors. I am surprised at the range of hues I get from the three bottles I have: Lemon Yellow, Scarlet, and True Blue. My goal here was to see if I could move the colors toward neutral without losing them.

Color in this medium is fugitive, so work needs to be scanned quickly or kept in a sketchbook, away from long exposure to light.

Amigos

On this day, the sunny hues, friendly staff, and comfort food of Amigos provided a welcome refuge from the snow flurries of winter's long goodby.
(Colored pencil, and watercolor pencil, over ink and wash.)

Patterns from plain people

Der Dutchman 1: modified hex sign?

Der Dutchman 2: quilted wall hanging

Around the table, around the sun

Seasonings

During the season of Great Lent,
so much depends upon the brown sprinkle of pepper,
the white glaze of salt.

carrot cake, fries

Rows of beautiful desserts line the display case at Panini Opa. Here I drew the carrot cake, as I waited in line.
The fries are always good. (The foil-wrapped gyro next to them needs a little work.)

WIndow

Vase

I can always find five minutes and something to draw at Amigos.

I'm not sure why all the vases in the front windows have a hole through the middle. I recently saw a vase of this shape in a décor advertisement, so it must be a style.

Panini Opa

Another quick sketch of the egg basket lights at Panini Opa. The longer you look at them, the more you notice the differences.

Bibibop

Bibibop is one of our new favorites. The interior is light and bright, and the food nutritious. They have a short assembly line, where staff add ingredients to your bowl as directed, similar to Piada and Chipotle. We are happy a new one will be opening fairly close to our house, in a couple months. Free miso soup.

Here, I just quickly played with angles, sketching from the car. I also tried to pay attention to tones. Within four letters, I managed to commit what Roz Stendahl calls a "write-o". So it goes.

Arches

Lunch at Amigos, as the weather turns cold. The music sounds homesick for warmer climes. The rows of arches remind me of old British church windows. The layers and angles remind me of the surprise around the corner in Japanese gardens. I see something new every visit.

This is a good place to work on perspective; wish I had more time. The drawing is not quite as wonky as it appears; overworking the page curled the edge. I confused the height of the middle wall. Need to go back and see what happened there. A photo taken on the scene would be helpful, in this case. Taking time to paint on the spot would have solved the issue, too.

Baklava

The calm before the holiday (advertising) storm called for baklava.

Amigos

I'm probably the only one whose first thought on reading this poster ("The best shots are shared.") was of a doctor's office, and companionship in pain/suffering.

Should have added shadows on the spot, rather than later. Playing with Carbothello pastel pencils over watercolor.

(Sorry this is a little blurry. My hands are shaky from being ill.)

Village Salad

Watching traffic flow past during lunch.

Wondering if driving by faith makes you a safer or a more reckless driver. Maybe more relaxed.

"Write-O"

Panini Opa, lights

I love drawing these egg baskets. They remind me of days long gone, and also give practice with ellipses and depth.

(As Gay Kraeger says in her Craftsy class, "I strive for imperfection." Roz Stendahl has coined the term  "write-o", for unintentionally creative hand-lettered spelling.)

Note: Watch for frequent Craftsy sales, when most classes are $19.99 or less.

Amigos' musician

Amigos has a new stand-up cardboard musician. Children can stand behind him and be photographed, with their faces where the hole for his is.

Sunflower Chinese Restaurant, montage

I have heard Sunflower is now the only eatery in central Ohio offering Dim Sum.

(I thought the bas relief bird facing the dragon was a chicken but was told a phoenix is more likely.)

Custard

Old-fashioned Baked Custard Pie

3 cups milk

3 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons flour

[a few drops of almond flavoring]
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Pastry for 1 (9-inch) crust [optional]

Combine sugar and flour. [and salt]
Add beaten eggs.  [and a few drops of almond flavoring]
Bring milk to boiling point [scald] and add gradually to egg mixture [temper].

Pour into an unbaked pie shell and sprinkle nutmeg over the top. [or pour into 2 custard cups and a pie plate]
Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until an inserted silver knife comes out clean. [not liquid, but still jiggles a little when shaken]
Makes 1 (9 inch) pie. [or 2 custard cups and one pie plate]
                                                           Anna B. Showalter, Broadway, Va.

From the Mennonite Community Cookbook, edited by Mary Emma Showalter.

I bake the filling in two custard cups and a pie plate without the crust, in a water bath (bottom of a broiler pan).
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Here I am trying out my new Brause Blue Pumpkin dip pen nib with turquoise acrylic ink.  This paper was not made for dip pens.
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The purple pie plate was a shower gift from my friend from Syria.