Erling Ingi Sævarsson

Category: Urban Sketchers Group

  • Decatur Postcard

    Decatur Postcard

    I love to paint quick “plein air” oil sketches of my surrondings. After 2 years in Decatur, GA, I had accumulated a number of sketches with no real outlet for them besides this sketchblog. When I saw that the town had a juried competition for a postcard design, I put 6 of my sketches together into a design. My design won, and now the postcard is being sold around Decatur. The design includes this painting of a mill tower by the falls in Lullwater park on the grounds of Emory Collage. That is the only painting I didn’t post here yet, even though I worked on it a while ago.

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    tower

  • 43rd World Wide Sketchcrawl

    43rd World Wide Sketchcrawl

    Saturday was the 43rd world wide Sketchcrawl. The plan was to meet in Piedmont park on a drizzly afternoon, this time I only saw one other sketcher. It was a nice day out and a welcome break from portfolio gathering and resume writing. I have long wanted to paint this old bridge that brings the Beltline through the park. One time I looked up and saw this tiny crawler on my canvas. This inchworm blended perfectly into the painting, and then I knew I had done pretty well with my color mixtures. By the time the next Sketchcrawl comes around, I may well be in another city where I hope to continue the Sketchcrawl tradition.
    Piedmont Inchworm

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  • Tree in Decatur Cemetary

    Tree in Decatur Cemetary

    This is a oil sketch that I did in Decatur Cemetary this weekend. It was warm and sunny and I figured the only way to survive without melting in the sun was to find reliable shade. I was looking for some cool angel statues to paint when I came upon a nice shaded spot under this tree where I planted my easel.

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  • Cannon sketch

    Cannon sketch

    Here is a cannon that I sketched on my lunch break in Decatur square. It is a fun challenge to attempt to complete an oil sketch in less than an hour. It really makes you pick your strokes carefully and think ahead but also staying loose and intuitive, because you don’t have time to think too much.

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  • Sketchcrawl 39 – Downtown Decatur

    Sketchcrawl 39 – Downtown Decatur

    20130413-182611.jpg20130413-182636.jpgMet with fellow sketchers today to participate in the 39th Worldwide Sketchcrawl, representing Atlanta and Decatur.

    I brought my oil paints and completed a small oil sketch of a street corner in Decatur. Our sketchcrew of 4 was unexpectedly joined by Thomas Jefferson who displayed an amazingly steady hand at drawing, and posed with us for a picture. 🙂

  • Fallen tree at Lullwater

    Fallen tree at Lullwater

    A recent oil sketch from Lullwater park. While painting this I suffered double equipment failure. Both a part of my easel and my camping chair broke so the last few strokes were painted with me standing and holding the pochade box. I really liked the lead white oil ground I prepared this canvas with. The colors do not stain the canvas at all and it is easy to wipe off, yet the surface receives the paint easily enough. I did however find myself using softer long hair brushes more.

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  • Sketchcrawl 38 MLK memorial

    Sketchcrawl 38 MLK memorial

    4 sketchers met at MLK memorial in the old fourth ward in Atlanta. There was a talk in the Ebenizer Babtist church with some children of the leaders of the civil rights movement including dr. King’s daughter. A few of us sketched some of the attendees. I was planning to do some oil painting but it didn’t work out. I did sketch some fellow subway riders on the way home.

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  • Decatur square sketch

    Decatur square sketch

    I brought my cigar box pochade into work and did this oil sketch over the course of two lunch breaks, about 90 minutes total.

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  • Sketchcrawl 37

    Sketchcrawl 37

    I took part in the 37th global sketchcrawl event. This time there were only 2 participants on a beautiful day where we had planned to meet, at the campus. I brought my portable Paint set and walked around with my sketchbook doing thumbnail sketches, and then picked one thumbnail to render in oil paint. It was fun even though I would have liked to see more people sketching.

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  • Lullwater mansion

    Lullwater mansion

    Did this watercolor sketch on an outing with a new painters group in my new hometown. This is an amazing tudor style mansion and the home of the president of Emory University. It sits on a hill in a hidden park. I’m planning to come back for more painting.

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