Pillar

I think sketching has helped me to to notice the world around me. I have walked past this pillar every day for two years and didn’t notice it until last week. I find myself taking in more of my surroundings now that I’m always looking for things to draw. I feel so much more of a sense of beauty about the place I live and appreciate it more. There’s so many wonderful little spots that are hidden in plain view all around us, if only we take the time to see them.

This is on the back of the old city hall.

Sakura koi watercolors, Blackwing 602 pencil and a Sailor brushpen with Noodler’s eternal black ink.

Many more sketches

I have been on a sketching kick lately.  I have one of those personalities that obsesses about new things all the time.  For a few months, it will be banjos or ukuleles or banjo-ukuleles.  The past few months, it’s been watercolors and sketching. Here’s a whole bunch of recent pages I haven’t had a chance to blog about yet.

This sketch of a winding bridge in Linear Park in Rochester, NY. This sketch looked awesome about 20 minutes before I painted the daunting shadows in the middle of the page.  Should have quit while I was ahead. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that, with sketching, less is more.

I love the texture of the wood and the shape of the bridge, but all I see now is the big shadow in the middle.

Also, some of my photos are a little blurry.  Guess it’s a good thing I draw for a living, I’d get nowhere as a photographer.

My younger son’s hands are in the corner.  I love having him pal around with me.

Again with the blurry camera.  The turtle looks awesome when in focus.  We found him along a trail while hiking the other day.  There were hundreds of frogs all over the place and this one massive turtle in the middle of the trail waiting to be stepped on.  The banjo and guitar were just quick little sketches for fun.

People at church and people in the airport.

Something I have been thinking a lot about lately.  This was a tree in Temple Square in Salt Lake City, UT.  The girly handwriting is mine.

A real quick sketch of the LDS temple in  Salt Lake City.  Took maybe 5 minutes to draw.  I like it so much, I don’t dare put any paint on it.

Random stuff I drew while on an airplane.  Note the two vaudevillian robots.

A plane at the Chicago Airport.

Another one of the Chicago Airport.

People at the Chicago Airport.  I sat down by a Starbucks kiosk and drew all the people in line.  They turned out great, except for the first one (top left).  I’ve noticed that I can’t draw well all the time.  Some days it’s not worth trying, everything comes out horrible.  Other days I wonder how I could have created something so beautiful.  The dude on the top of the page is one of those bad drawings you have to get out of yourself before you can draw the good stuff.

Some people I work with.

Sakura Koi 24 color watercolor kit

My new favorite sketch kit. I received one in the mail from Jet Pens that didn’t have the pallette included.

One quick email to Jet pens, and they sent me another one, free of charge. It’s a great little kit, slightly largish, but thoughtfully created.

The watercolors and bright and vivid and the brush holds a surprising amount of water. And the service was amazing. I don’t usually make endorsements, but I was so surprised with how well Jetpens treated me, I can’t help but shop there again.

My son was trying to sneak some of my pencils from my art pouch while I was taking pictures.

Robots with under-bites.

I’ve been on a robot sketching kick lately.  And, for some reason, I like to draw robots with massive metal under-bites.  It’s either the Iron Giant influencing me, or some sort of nostalgic link to my pet dog as a teenager.  Puppy (yes, that was her proper name) was half Shi-Tsu and half under-bite.  And all hyper.

I kept the actual leaf painted on the opposite page.  My younger son gave it to me during one of our hikes.

Hydrant in watercolor, some other sketches

So, I was really desperate for something to sketch the other day. The most interesting thing I could see was this here fire hydrant. Turned out better than I thought.

Bigger version here.

Here’s a few more:

First red leaf of the season.

Random sketches, some people on the bus.

I’ve had this tube of sepia paint in my art box for probably a year and a half.  I hear it’s great for portraits, but all my portraits end up as caricatures.  Sepia caricatures seems weird to me.  So, I did this of my two sons playing on the beach at Lake Ontario.  Mostly I did it because my older son was being so kind and patient with his little brother.  He was holding his hand and walking with his little brother who was intimidated by the waves.  Maybe it was for me, I need proof of these moments when they are beating on each other with Legos.

The cottage

Biggish version here.

We went ‘camping’ at our friends house the other day. They just finished building an incredible playhouse in their backyard and I spent the night in there with my son and his buddies. Cold night, but the ’smores were decadent.

Watercolor sketch of the Hill Cumorah

Click here to embiggen.

Here’s a watercolor sketch I did of sunset at the Hill Cumorah in Palmyra, NY. It was done with a Sailor brushpen, Noodler’s eternal black ink and W&N paints in a A4 size watercolor Moleskine.

It was a beautiful night and the sunset seemed to last forever.

Downtown Rochester

Clicky clicky.

A sketch of downtown Rochester, NY. It was done with a cheap Duke fountain pen, Noodler’s eternal black ink and W&N paints in a A4 size watercolor Moleskine.

There’s also a series of abandoned subway tunnels that runs under the library and bridge. Some time, I’ll have to do some sketching down there. With a big flashlight. And buff friends.

Sweet potato fries and sketching.

Recent sketching spot on the Erie Canal in Fairport NY. One of our favorite haunts with the awkward name of Whatchagotcookin?, is right on the canal. We nearly had a showdown with a swarm of bees, but the fries were well worth it.

Sketches