Americano at the Vatican
Here is a quick sketch I did last month while traveling in Rome. It was lovely to sit down, rest tired tourist legs and enjoy an ‘americano’ and sketch away.
Here is a quick sketch I did last month while traveling in Rome. It was lovely to sit down, rest tired tourist legs and enjoy an ‘americano’ and sketch away.
The 41st international sketchcrawl was this Saturday. This time we met at the campus of Emory university. I brought my oils and set up to paint in the picturesque quad. There was light rain falling and I was joined by one other sketcher.
Here is a charcoal drawing from figure drawing session at work.
Last weekend I went to my favorite painting spot in my neighborhood armed with my painting gear and a square canvas. The sun was coming in and out of clouds while I painted which meant less painting time and more breaks in between. I was pretty exited to see a big old turtle emerge from the water a couple of times.
I’ve been travelling around the east coast on my summer break. I brought my travel paint kit with me and was able to do this quick oil sketch of a fishing boat on a foggy afternoon in Portsmouth New Hampshire.
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.
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.
Met 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. 🙂
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.
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.
I got a new toy! iPad mini. Today after some online research I made my own stylus using a damp q-tip and a metal tube. My coworker Will and I went to a local bar where I put the stylus to the test with the Procreate app. For my first iPad painting I painted an unsuspecting bar patron from a second floor vantage point. I had a lot of fun with this even though there is no pressure sensitivity. My homemade stylus held up pretty well and will do until I get a high tech Bluetooth stylus with pressure sensitivity.
I brought my cigar box pochade into work and did this oil sketch over the course of two lunch breaks, about 90 minutes total.
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.
I painted this small waterfall today. It is a small oil sketch 6×9 in done mostly on location. It was a test for my super portable cigar box pochade that I made yesterday. I had been looking for a quick and easy on site sketching solution . I’ve used gouache and watercolor in the past but I wanted to see how simple you can go with oils. I visualized a set that I could just use in my lap for a quick sketch and just bring a few brushes and fewer paint tubes for a limited palette. Last week I found a cigar store that was selling empty cigar boxes for cheap so I bought 2. I then got lexan glass and some hardware to complete the project. I’m happy to report that the experiment was a success although I have a few improvements in mind already.
I’m organizing regular figure drawing sessions at my work place. This is a drawing from the first session last week. It was great fun and I’m looking forward to the next one.
I am attending a figure painting group in Atlanta. Once a month they do a long pose that is ideal for those of us who like to paint. This is the result of one such night with little fixes done at home.
I was fortunate enough to go to the Massive Black/ AAU event in San Francisco this year. I saw some old friends and met new ones, and saw some super inspiring stuff. These are sketches I did on my DS while out there. One is from a figure painting session with Karl Kopinski, the other is from a Alla Prima head painting session with Coro, and the third is a super quick study of a fellow BART rider.
A quick watercolor and gouache sketch done on vacation up in New Hampshire.
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.