Nina Flying

I'm musing on the graphic design of a card or a cover here. A last minute impulse to try. Watercolor and pen on Arches paper

A second auction piece. I've not been making artwork to show for a while and, just like anything I do, it takes some time for me to warm up. As a story artist my work is done in intense bursts yet I must also regard it as disposable. A conundrum about the job. You have to invest in it for it to be any good but detach from it soon as it's had it's day in the sunlight. Either half isn't easy to do (I don't even think about that, the job's a blast).

So, switching from "Nobody will see this" to "I'm putting this on the wall for all to see" can strip the gears some. It doesn't help that we draw digitally on a screen. No actual paint, graphite or ink. This auction keeps me in shape for a larger piece I have to work on. There's a project we're working on for this year that I have to have done in a month. More on that later.

Barefoot Medusa

Watercolor, gouache and pencil on watercolor board. Image links to a larger view.

An Auction Piece. I tried many studies of what to do after Ted Mathot suggested I try a companion piece to the Crystal one I did for the Emergency auction at Maverix. I had two false starts and this one was a study I had come back to after the rather tepid first tries.

Medusa, she of the Inhumans (careful of the hair, can give Reed Richards a run for his money, prehensile wise),queen to Black Bolt. Hey, I just remembered that I did a black bolt a while back for something...Oh, yeah, it was someone's sketchbook. I colored it on Photoshop. I did post it on the Drawing Board.

Anyway, this is a piece for an internal art auction to benefit our about to be born Story Pod. We're generating funds to furnish a corner of the building we can call our own. We've a name suggested by Brenda Chapman: Joe's Place, after Joe Ranft.

We've got the whole membership of the Pixar Story department generating art. I'll ask permission to post some as we progress.

Medusa
Black Bolt
Crystal

Sketchcrawl 18

Pencil and watercolor on Moleskine cahier. Both images link to full spread pics.

Ghirardelli Square. It started out a gloomy morning last Saturday, March 29. The night before it rained. Enrico and I always remark, tempting fate, that it's never rained on a Sketchcrawl. Well, a sketchcrawler's luck is hard to beat--no rain. It was cold, but no rain.

Parked at Fort Mason, a ways from the square but the parking was free. I wandered back to that side past noon and had a serene couple of hours of sketching these two pages shown here.

The afternoon got colder but then the sun came out to warm us. Don't move into the shade if you're getting too hot 'cause it's still cold in there.



My thanks to all who stuck it out for our favorite sketchbook sharing ritual at the end of the day. There were a good number of new faces who were uncertain about handing over their drawing books over to these well-meaning strangers to peruse. But they all broke through and had a grand time with it all. You just gotta jump in. We're there for ya, you'll survive.

Thanks for all the wonderful positive energy, folks. I'll see you in two months!


Sketchcrawl 18 forum
My Flickr photos of SC18

Sketchcrawl 17: Portsmouth Square S.F.

One of my more relaxed sketches on the crawl--as in, I was calm. The drawing seems to reflect this as well somehow. A detail of the sketch is here.

Another good and relaxing Sketchcrawl. Three day weekend and a Sketchcrawl called for Saturday. I must've been a good boy. Took the Bart over and met up with everybody at Portsmouth square. There was a good sized contingent there already drawing away. Enrico took a count and we had around sixty, give or take. A good turn out for what was a cold sunny day in San Francisco.



Had a great time. Didn't draw as much but meeting all you lovely folks for a day of drawing outside sure does a mind/body good. Our subjects were the good people of Chinatown who were there going about their day of congregating with friends, family and maybe take in a rousing game of cards.


From that overpass crossing Kearny St. I drew two elder gentlemen sharing a newspaper article. Great vantage point to see all the Sketchcrawlers, too. Click image for a lager pic.

The men and ladies of the square tended to be seniors and they had such character in their faces and garb. We've been here before for a Sketchcrawl and we don't seem to tire of the place. At one point our subjects turned their curiosity on us and looked over our shoulders to see what or who we were drawing.


An army travels on its stomach. True of our corps as well. Enrico, Bolhem and I hoofed if over to the House of Nanking. The chef took care of us after we fumbled with our menus--and that he did. The food was excellent! The tea arrived and we marveled at how luscious it looks with all the leaves and colorful buds. And it tasted great. Happy and full we sauntered over to Zoetrope for an espresso drink and dessert. Now that's what I call a Sketchcrawl.

I love seeing everyone's sketches at the end of the day, always a treat. Thanks to all who participated. See you at the forums and at the next Sketchcrawl.


Portsmouth Square
House of Nanking

Sketchcrawl Forums
Paperbiscuit Flickr albums

Lost Sketchbook

Had to happen sometime. At the last Sketchcrawl we went to the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, it was a real good choice. Good central location, target rich environment, free music (Jug Band that day), and the museum lunch counter was good.

The De Young Museum features a tower you can take an elevator to and enjoy a 360° view of the city. No museum fees, it's free! Wonderful! I broke out a new cahier moleskin for the occasion and started on a view towards the Golden Gate bridge. I was catching up to the group and my energies were flagging, but I managed to get one watercolor done. I took a snap of it and went down to get a bite to eat.

At the lunch area I had a thoroughly relaxed lunch and the view of the sculptures in the museum grounds was not bad either. Someone was waiting for a table and I offered mine as I was going anyway. I left and even glanced back as the bus staff swooped in to clear the table.

It would be a full hour or so before I find that the sketchbook is missing. I rush back inside and ask the staff if they noticed a little brown sketchbook. No luck. I ask lost and found and still zip. I retraced my steps all the rest of the afternoon and, needless to say, any remaining enthusiasm for drawing I may have had on reserve left me. I hung around till the end of the crawl to see everyone's work as this is my favorite part of a sketchcrawl day.


above image links to larger view. Sigh.

Everyone was shocked about my news and even offered me their spare sketchbooks. Thanks, people. Typical for me to be carrying four or five at any one time and apparently it goes for everyone at the crawl.

Let that be a lesson to you, kids. Always do a thorough check of your valuables before you leave a table. This one sketchbook had the one sketch in it, thankfully. Otherwise I would be an emotional wreck. I console myself that at least I got a picture of the work -- practicing that "half-full" point of view--and that it wasn't the book that held my Europe trip in it. That one was full...and safely inside my bag.

Sketchcrawl.com
De Young Museum
Golden Gate Park

Sketchtravel: Page colored and done

Above image is cropped but it links to a larger view. See? It takes a while for me not to be all shy about showing bigger images but I come around.

PENCILS DOWN! Well, you have to stop, push away from the drawing board and say, "That's it! Anything I can do to this from here on will have to be conjecture."

As always I am liking the work more and more the longer I stay away from it. Dice Tsutsumi and Daniel Lopez Muñoz saw it first as I was scanning it for my files (it goes away, see. I'll not see it for a long while). They were very nice and made me feel real good about the work. Artists, we're forever chastising ourselves for not being better and better every time out of the gate. Or is that just me? Shrinks are expensive, fortune cookies are free.

Anyway, my thanks to all involved and the book is now about to be handed to the next person in line. Dice will arrange the photo shoot of that hand-off. Onward!

Sketchtravel
Sketchtravel Blog

Sketchtravel: My page in progress

The finished pencil page. Color will be added.

Backstage. Deadlines are great motivators. I had the one weekend to finish and that was it. Things will get busier, what with the Italy and Paris trip just around the corner. And I'm wary that the idea I had might just turn into mud as I try to realize it. The window of two days got whittled into one day, then into an afternoon. Actually a handful of hours.


Marker study on a pad of Muji newsprint from Japan

Start already! I had a thumbnail I worked up weeks ago, even before Enrico had the Sketchtravel book. I like it, it should work. Next was to do a rough on tracing paper to work out the composition.




That rough done, it seemed that it could hold together. The meter is running. Oops, we gotta run! We're due at Pixar to welcome our close friends to a Ratatouille screening in the best screening theater in the east bay. The sound in the Pixar theater is just truly amazing. You are forever spoiled for any other theater experience. Well, after leaving our guests there I really should be getting back to my drawing. But, well, you gotta have coffee, right? Off to Peets on Piedmont Avenue.



I used a coffee press for the composition but this coffee urn had so much character, so in it goes

They have a collection of antique percolators and coffee urns. I've taken many photos of these over the years but I don't have time to hunt through my un-tagged photos in my computer. I took a snap of one that catches my eye. Then I was thinking, hey, I'm a little sore from working out last week, when was the last time I had a good steam? We schedule a steam in the early evening--just to relax the anxious drawing brain.



I also collect these large wood block letters, likely used for headlines, and I thought it looked neat and complimented the urn. Seemed like fun, so in it goes.

Back to work. Oh, look at the time. I trace the drawing onto the page. I can't see the page too well, I should go outside to the back patio to draw. Natural light. Okay, now I can draw it for real. Pencils, HB, 4B, 6B. I'm careful not to smudge the page with my hand. Oh, fudge, look at the time. Honey, we gotta go. Time for the steam!




Ahhh, that made me sleepy. It's an hour later. Man, I gotta hustle. The light is dying in the backyard. I watercolor the coffee urn with a round sable and let the colors puddle and dry on their own. Takes time. I run inside to finish coloring.

Then it's a lot of staring at it.



After a great deal of squinting I grab the pastels to unify the whole thing. The focus of the piece is pulling to the left. It has to be all about Nina. That's what the pastels do. I do a lot of retouching the pencils and chase down some smudge I made of touching wet color. It seems to be holding together, but I do the diligence of touching it up here and there. By the time it's time for bed I will have resolved to wait till daylight again next day to truly judge it.

The finished piece in color to be posted tomorrow.

Sketchcrawl 14 and auction a grand success!

I'm a little behind on my post but here it is. Coit Tower, Sketchcrawlers lazer sighted on their targets.

Hurrah! Congratulations to all who participated in Sketchcrawl 14 and auction benefiting Emergency. There was such an air of anticipation on the Saturday crawl, our Emergency reps were there to send us off and hand out information to all about the Emergency mission. The hike to and up the Filbert Steps is always invigorating, I love seeing the reaction of people who've not been before. It is so worth climb. The Coit Tower perch offers quite a view but as always the best targets are fellow crawlers--they stay so still as they draw.


We were over 80 strong! We looked like protest rally, all we needed were placards.

We ended up at in China town after a lunch break at Washington Square. The last hour of the crawl that afternoon is our traditional sharing of the sketchbooks. My favorite part because we see so many styles and modes of expression. It's all great. Thanks for sharing, everyone.

AUCTION TIME! Sunday. The crowd started arriving promptly at five and with the array of over 90 pieces of artwork to choose from it was tough--you can want a lot, you know. I personally bid on about ten pieces. It was fun and, as anticipated, competition was fierce.


One highlight of the night was a sketch of Carmen Ngai I did on the spot and taped next to the framed works. It immediately started getting bids! My thanks to Carmen for being such a good sport.

The frenzy kicks in as the clock is counted down to the end of bidding. Man, there was some stiff man-to-artwork guarding going on. Derek Thompson did a great job as M.C. and Mike Murnane carried it all home as auction master bringing the final bids on the most contested pieces to their final higher bids. I won master Tadahiro Uesugi's framed beauty as well as Manuel Arenas'. See my happy mug in Sho Murase's blog here.


Marshalling sketchrawlers through our whole day trek is fun, though I did do less drawings this time. I promise to get more done next time.

Our thanks to all who participated on both days as well as everyone who contributed to our fundraiser. We appreciate all your help and it sure was a fun way to help out for a good cause and we hope you had as grand a time as we had putting this all together. Special thanks to Maverix for being such a well-oiled and dedicated crew, it was so awesome to be working alongside you guys. Noelle Page and Carmen Ngai (Official Sketchcrawl Babes) for keeping us organized as well as always being there for us. Take a well deserved bow, everyone!

See you all at the next Sketchcrawl!

___________

For a full report visit Enrico's blog for more details on both days here, here, and here.

Emergency
Maverix Studios
Sketchcrawl 14 Forum

Fantastic photos by Bosco Ng here.

Sketchcrawl 14 countdown and warm up

Staying limber. Drawing whenever I find myself with a span of time where I can sit still. Last February at Union Square, always a target rich environment. Right in front of Cafe Rulli. What more can you ask for? Espresso drink, table and chair. Perfect. I need to get back to it. The next Sketchcrawl is nearly here and I've not drawn on the sketchbook much because of the crunch in making story reels. We just passed a milestone and it's time for a little exhale.



I also draw plants more now. After a trip to the jungle last year where I drew many plants and trees I am now afflicted with a need to keep drawing them. Very relaxing.



Don't forget about our Sketchcrawl event coming up. May 19, 2007, Enrico and I will be meeting everyone in San Francisco, at the Ferry Building at The Embarcadero, 11:00a.m.

See you there.

Illustration hibernation

Pencil, watercolor and black japanese inking brush. Photoshop white background. She was drawn full, I just cropped for presentation.

Need to limber up. Been doing the work for making reels and crew building, the everyday job in story. Surprising how little time I can elbow to draw an extra-curricular project. This one was done last Sunday. Click on the image to go to the larger version. Or click here.

Sketchcrawl 12

Driving the van and snapping a photo of the bay as I drove to the city. I'm late!

Weather Proof. That's what all the Sketchcrawls seem to be. Enrico and I don't have a crystal ball to check out the weather that far ahead. Come close to being rained out a couple of times. Come Saturday morning the low dark clouds weren't going away. But even with all the storm's hugger mugger the Sketchcrawler's luck held out, we didn't get rained on!

That is, not after all the Sketchcrawlers had done all the drawing to be had at the SF Zoo. Congratulations to all who made it! Everyone came bundled for the wind, rain and cold, clutching drawing books and drawing implements. I mean, a day like that is what sleeping in was invented for. But not us, really proud of everyone's drive to capture the day in drawing.

The highlight was the feeding of the big cats at 2 p.m. Man, those things are huge! The pictures don't communicate how massive these animals are. All that muscle and heft, scampering back and forth waiting for lunch and growling for seconds. This one was eyeing me as a snack as I drew him.


Look into my eyes. You are feeling very relaxed. So relaxed, in fact, that you want to climb into my cage after that drawing. Bring a friend or two while you're at it.

I didn't get much drawing done myself (I was an hour late. Heh, sheepish). But I was so ready for it. After all the pressures of the last few weeks I needed to get out there. This is my first time at the SF Zoo, and I must say it's a great place to visit (I made a note to come back and get sketches of those I missed). Nancy Lorenz sent us this collage she shot of these impressive specimens (the lion pic was hers, too. Thanks, Nancy!). Really good shots, the zoo should use this for a brochure or sumpin'.



Here's a few of my offerings. But do visit the Sketchcrawl forums for an update on how the whole world (seriously, I kid you not) did on the same day. Very good work, everyone!






Sketchcrawl Forum
Sketchcrawl Blog
My photo collage here.
San Francisco Zoo

Pagsanjan

Of Boatmen and waterfalls. My very first job in movies happened a few days right after I graduated from high school. Hemisphere pictures was hiring crew for a Vietnam movie being shot in various provinces in the Philippines. I got in on the recommendation that I knew how to draw. Which was entirely neither here nor there as I was going to be a grunt weilding a house brush most of the time. That was how I got to work on "Apocalypse Now."


Half-way point. Stopped for lunch by this cascading falls. One of many leading up to the main one.


The last location I worked in my few months stint was the municipality of Pagsanjan (pronounced, Pag-sang-han) where the falls of the same name is located, and also where Martin Sheen's boat inched along to get to Marlon Brando's temple. A typhoon wiped out the set I was working on and the river rose up the jungle canyon walls. I saw the plaster and burlap parts of the temple, soggy and limp, floating down the river with the storm showing no signs of abating. It was every man for himself and soon I was on a bus trudging through floodwaters headed for Manila.



I hadn't been back until now. This last trip home I wanted to finally get to the falls myself and also glide by the location of the set. The boatmen knew to hype this up though it was rather anti-climactic since all that's left are a few stone steps well into be being claimed by the moss and jungle.



The river ride on bancas (wooden boats) is quite exhilirating, traversing 14 rapids against the current! I didn't do any work, the boatmen did all the heavy lifting. Literally. We just sat in the boat got carried over rocks like precious cargo. The Pagsanjan falls at the end of a box canyon is quite a sight to see and the roar of the water completed the spectacle. After you arrive you see that there is an option (an added fee) to be dragged in on a raft right under and behind the falls!


From under the main falls. Camera all wet. Even took some little movies. Check the links below this post for little movies

That was so awesome! I highly recommend that if you were to stop over Manila do get the hotel to arrange a day trip. You'll have a grand time. Be prepared to get wet, and have a spare set of dry clothes waiting for you at your car. Also great rainy or in the heat of summer. Mabuhay!

Pagsanjan movies 1,2 and 3.

Visited a volcano. Having a blast.

Hike and draw. Taal volcano is about two hours away from Manila and not as angry as Mayon these days. Couldnt' fly to Legaspi City anyway with my schedules and this little beauty was quite accessible. The drive brings you to Tagaytay City where people with signs saying "boat to Taal" flag you down (be judicious and choose only Tourism Bureau sanctioned ones). The boat ride takes you across the fresh water lake (refreshing)for about fifteen minutes. You land on the island and go on a 45 minute hike...up. After huffing and puffing (you can rent a horse and guide for about $12) you end up at the lip of the caldera looking into the interior lake. What a grand view!

UPDATE Fixed--Movie clip of Taal here.



I attracted a crowd. Even this gentleman was curious about how I was going to draw what they see everyday. The gun was loaded. He was the local security person of sorts. Friendly, if rather loose with the decorum of his office.



After a few more drawings it was time to drink coconut juice and finally eat the coconut meat. Notice the improvised spoon made from a slice of husk.

Palace of Fine Arts Sketchcrawl

I survived Sketchcrawl 9. That was the t-shirt idea we came up with as we huffed and puffed our way back from the Palace of Fine Arts. We all earned it, I tell ya. And what troupers we had. No one treks up and down San Francisco streets like loyal Sketchcrawlers. And doing this on Earthday made it all the more appropriate. My thanks to all who made it and the offer still stands that if you were with me on our crawl--you know who you are--and would like to have a copy of Frogg's Lament just send me email and I'll fix you up.




I really should have drawn more people but the features of the Palace was so enticing...well, I took on too large a scope to draw and paint. Took two sittings. By the time I got to sketching people it was almost 4 p.m. Next time I'll try to limit the appetite. I'll have to come back and take those corinthian capitals on again.





Sketchcrawl Forum
Sketchcrawl Blog
Enrico's blog

Da Drawings

The Buddha at Kamakura. A train trip and a hike to visit the old boy. He is huge and quite a sight. He sat very still for this portrait.

Sketching on the trip. These are the sketches done while on our merry way. Drawing in trains is surprisingly manageable (man, most of the trains don't even make noise. We might as well have been skating on ice rather than rolling on wheels). Of course one has to be even more nimble with the drawing.


When in Economy and not in a window seat, one has to make do with the view facing front. In this case it was the small t.v. screen which shows the camera view from the front of the plane. Pretty clouds up there.


My train victims. Drawing victims, that is. They now populate my sketchbook and blog (insert stock villain laughter here). The girl at lower left was just one passenger apart from me and I was blatantly drawing her. At one point she curled her nose but did not flick me a look though I was very obviously drawing her. That's resolve, man.


More train drawings. The girl was with her boyfriend and she was obviously enamored of him because of the way she talked and looked at him. Ahhh, young love. Ain't it grand?


Clothes make the man. This guy's attire had some personality, though I had a crappy vantage point. Color would have helped but, hey, I was on a moving train, alright? One cannot be too picky in street sketching.


This girl could easily have won an asian Kate Moss contest. I didn't do her justice in the sketch but I think it's close. She was with her mom at Narita having a snack before the flight. She noticed me drawing her and I think she became more animated after that. Very charming young lady. That coat she was wearing was also quite a statement and not the usual.

Oh, and I did Sketchcrawl drawings, too. I wasn't lazy, or anything. Those images are up on the Sketchcrawl forum. Check out the bounty of drawings done on that day in Japan as well as the rest of the world.

Sketchcrawl Forum

Watercolor Brush with reservoir: A fan's demo

Sketchcrawl would not be as portable for me as it has been without this little helper. These are the essentials: mechanical pencil, small sketchbook, watercolors, and this plastic wonder. I found mine at the Kinokuniya supplies store across from the Kinokuniya bookstore in Japan Town in S.F. I'm sure you can find it elsewhere (the Yasutomo Waterbrush I found online is not the same as mine but must work the same). I'd annotate these photos, but really, it's as complex at chewing gum. It will take some getting used to for traditionalists, I mean sometimes you just don't want that much water with the pigment--a small quirk of the tool that one can live with, I think. I hope this is instructional. Post a comment for specific questions.








Check out the watercolors in these posts (1 2 3 4). All were done with this brush on Ingre pages of the famed Fabriano Classic Artist's Journal.

_______

UPDATE:

Found the brushes, as mentioned by Justin. Went to Longs and found the Royal Langnickel Aqua-flo pack of three brushes. Small medium and large. Made in China. Quirks of Art Link

Niji Waterbrush by Yasutomo is sold in single brushes also at Longs. Made in Japan. More expensive than the three pack Aqua-flo. Maybe price equals quality. Art Supplies Online.com Link

Pentel Aquash is the one I use and, for my money, the best. Though I can't seem to find net source inside the U.S. Link Link

The "Website of Russel Stutler in Tokyo" has a rundown on his experience with the waterbrush here.

Wetcanvas.com has a thread on people talking about our fabled plastic brush here.

Alcatraz Crawl sketches

Da Sketches. The payoff in these Sketchcrawls is having a gaggle of artists around you out in the sun doing our drawing thing together! A sort of momentum and goal is set, though no pressure. I can't define it yet but somehow everyone is energized--I mean, you could really do this on your own, in your own pace and likely get some drawings, but in the Sketchcrawl setting we all seem to hit a productivity surge en masse.

After the initial warm up some people really took off--you know who you are--Amelia. Jason Katz did an impressive array of impressions--if you ask to see them he'll have disclaimers or even demure. Don't let him get away with it, those drawings were heavenly. Tadahiro's sketches seemed like they were the drawing structure for the future illustration masterpiece it will be. And, yes, he did say that he intends to finish them back in Japan. I wish I can talk about everyone in the crawl but space and you all's patience will be tested. So, no further ado, the drawings:


The dock had this building that had amazing light and shadow just asking for it. So, a bunch of us drew and painted the heck out of it.


The green roofed building. That's not paint. It's moss. Great color and patina. That door on the roof drops off to...no stairs. Crafty practical jokers, these Alcatraz architects. And the inmates, they laughed and laughed...


As always, Sketchcrawlers themselves make great subjects. They hold a pose just enough time for them to finish a drawing. Consequently, that's when you finish yours.



I liked the blown up detail of that tiny drawing on the bottom. She was way above me and I had only a few seconds before she moved away. The translation up close is not bad, I think.


Another blow up of a sketch. The immediacy of the moment creates these washes that dry to a nice craggy finish. Very little touch ups after the initial lay of colors. All those chinese calligraphy classes seemed to be rubbing off. One can only hope.

Sketchcrawl with Tadahiro Uesugi! What a treat!

Sketchcrawl Alcatraz. The most prominent feature of our days, Enrico and I, recently has been how we've managed to overschedule ourselves in our extra-curricular activities. Reason dictates that one must have modest goals. Fortunately for us we don't know what "modesty" means. Not while Tadahiro Uesugi's visit seemed to scream "Sketchcrawl!" to celebrate the event. And why not do it in Alcatraz? Why not, indeed!

We had a blast going and sketching alongside Tadahiro-san. Now, I know that that is surreal and don't think I don't do a double blink just to come to grips that he's here and drawing, hiking and being a great sport about our little social drawing experience. And the weather! We easily could have had a socked in day or even rain, but lo, behold! A sunny day! Skechtcrawl in San Francisco has not had a bad day. Angels smile down on our crawlers.

Our thanks to all who showed up to the Alcatraz Crawl. Special thanks to our film crew: First Girl/producer Noelle Page, the ever golden Kathy Ringgold and sensational Suk-Won Park (filming? What's this? We'll fill you in later). It was another successful day out drawing. We didn't get together as usual to pass our sketchbooks around over dinner because of above mentioned schedule pressures but we'll make sure to do our regular sized crawl next time. Give yourselves a hand!

Enrico, Father Sketchcrawl hisself's Forum on our day at Alcatraz. Drawings! From all over the globe. While you're at it check out the other crawls this past year.

Link to Enrico's very excellent and instant blog posts of Sketchcrawl Alcatraz for more pictures. Part 1 and 2

And here is my meager photo string.

Oh frabjous day, callou callay! Sketches from the weekend.

I did more drawings. But still not as much as most of the Sketchcrawl horde. I'm enjoying the sketchbook scans of those who did the crawl this past Saturday posted on the Sketchcrawl forum. Congratulations all! Here's mine:





I thought of doing some photoshop colors on the pencil ones but decided that a watercolor wash on them at a later date would do them better. Keeping this purely non-digital. The one with the stumpy palm trees is proving great for research on a story I'm working on. The guy on the bicycle was not in the composition when I started, he wandered into it as I was doing the color wash and made for a better composition. The same happened to the tall tree against the sky one. A couple sat under its shade and made the image even more interesting. Love those great breaks.


The two ladies laying on the grass were instant subjects for all the crawlers. Actually, Sketchcrawlers make excellent subjects as well. They hold still for quite a bit of time and only shift to a new one when they finish their drawing. Long enough for you to finish yours.

This final one was done at the end of the day at the Japanese Tea Garden. We wandered in and I immediately had to go over that arched wooden bridge--the one that requires very long legs to span the steps--for good luck. I found this scene and relaxed into my final drawing of the day. Ahhhh.


Allabove drawings done outdoors, actual media: pencil, watercolor, Northern Californian sun and air. Does it every time.

I found some bloggers who did the crawl (one was with us in SF, and one from Canada). If you've got a blogpost of your sketches from the Skechtcrawl, just leave me a comment (please to leave a URL to link to) or write me an email so I can add a link on this post to your blog. Here's two to start:

The Firehouse Stomp
Go Gecko Girl

And the list continues...

Monkey Feather
The Iron Scythe
G. de Dios Sketch Journal
Laurent Beauvallet
Blob[p]:Gastrono-Me
Lydia Velarde
Pittsburgh Sketch
Elisa Chavarri
The Art of Erik blog

4th World Wide Sketchcrawl: What a blast!

"The Scourge of the Sketchcrawlers!" A scuffling horde of sunscreen flouting, graphite wielding, drawing junkies/zombies out to make plein air impressions of a neighborhood near you!

The biggest Sketchcrawl event yet. Enrico had outdone himself with this Sketchcrawl. More people showed up and, from what I can gather from checking in with people, they all did more drawings that in past Sketchcrawls. We've been pretty lucky with weather in all the San Francisco crawls. The sun came out to give us spectacular drawing sceneries, given how finicky the sun could be in the city we're pretty blessed. By the time I got there Dolores Cafe seemed to have been invaded by a monastic drawing order, taken up their outdoor and indoor seating, sketchbook and pencils already off to the races.

I took a group to the nearby park and we settled into warming up (literally, for most. By the end of the day a good number of us were a deep red from sun burn). Next we hoofed it the corner of Church and Market to regroup. Took the Muni to have lunch, walked to the Haight and then into the park for more drawing. Sketchcrawlers make the best subjects because they hold really still for a long time. After that, even deeper in the park we encountered a drum community drumming up a storm among a Saturday audience of picnickers and sun worshippers. Then it was off to the Japanese Tea house -- free after 5 p.m.--to draw our final, serene garden.



All that done we headed to the canvas Cafe where Terra had tables ready for the Sketchcrawl contigent to sit, eat, drink and pass around the sketchbooks for everyone to see the drawings of the day. The best part of the day. Amazing work from everyone. Thank you to all who came and braved the hike and goofy directions. We always mean to plan these better but that's part of the fun. This was the best Sketchcrawl yet and it was so good to hear that everyone had a great time drawing and hiking, saying that they're looking forward to the next one. So are we. Feeling this great after each one is done makes us wonder why we don't stage it more often. We'll be working on that.



Thanks again and don't miss out on the drawings. Check out the links below. Congratulations to all who attended and made this such an enjoyable Saturday to be alive.

Sketchcrawl Forum
San Francisco Sketchcrawl Forum thread

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Note: I wrote this post before the catastrophic events brought on by hurricane Katrina. Our thoughts and prayers to all affected. Our little community never misses the opportunity to help in these times. Watch for relief events to be posted here soon.

Sketchcrawl No.3 is done!

A really good day to be out and about, this last Saturday was. Even better to be spending it drawing with a bunch of friends and new people who're all there to draw and enjoy all that sunshine! Up until Thursday I was crossing me fingers that the weathermen were right about their prognostications about the weekend being a sunny day. They were right on the money. It was beautiful!

I was dropped off by Tess and Gerin (me wife and me daughter) at the Ferry Building in Embarcadero where the drawing was well underway ( I was late, slower on weekends, see). Enrico had a few of the brand-spankin' new Sketchcrawl t-shirts on hand for people to buy (affordable, too. Nice guy) and a few were wearing them already (I had mine on. Orange). After a few words about our day's itinerary we were off.

It's a combination hike, sight seeing, stories and sharing of drawings--as all of the other crawls have been--all in all, stuff I love doing on a perfect day like this. First stop was at the Filbert steps (Link and link). The views going up are amazing. You overload on the choices and you have to settle on promising yourself to comeback another day . Well, a bunch of days really. Aside from the huffing and puffing (I'm out of shape) necessary to march up it was well worth it.



We ended up at Coit Tower to reqroup and then it was lunch time. We all trudged down to Little Italy for some welcome fuel. Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store for the meatball sandwiches for a bunch of us. Yum. After that rather long respite we stepped back out into the sunlight. We couldn't resist the towered neo-Gothic cathedral, Sts. Peter and Paul Church, so we planted ourselves amongst the locals in Washington Square park and drew yon church and a few of the fine citizens sunning themselves there.



After that it was another hike that was a must-do on our list. Ice cream at Ghirardeli Square. Man, there was no end to the stream of people ordering ice cream there. I had the hot fudge sundae, of course. A group of us continued a discussion about Miyazaki movies (there's a retrospective being shown in the city this June of all the notable Ghibli greats. Hurrah!) that started a lunch. And before you know it, it was time to head to the water. At the beach we sketch a little more and met Kathy Ringgold, one of our dearest editors at Pixar. So good to see her there. We all made arrangements to meet at the Gordon Birsch for pint. And we were off again.



A short ride on the F-line and we had a long table at the GB for a round of frosty ones (thanks, Charles) and we commenced the highlight of the end of our fun day--passing around the sketchbooks! Everyone did so much with the day and really awesome good work. But more important, everyone had a great time. All that counts.

Congratulations to all who participated and made this day a success. I really look forward to each Sketchcrawl because it really lifts my spirits up. So, to everyone there this Saturday, thank you so much. I look forward to seeing you all again in the next Crawl. Give yourselves a hand!

Sketchcrawl.com
Sketchcrawl image posts from all over the globe here.

Sketchcrawl in SF

Pencil on Fabriano sketchbook paper. Photoshop spot color on the figure added for this post

A grand day out. Sunday, March 6, 2005 was the Second worldwide sketchcrawl. And what a day it was! It was the morning after the gallery opening at Super 7 (see below) and though Enrico and I wondered about the wisdom of meeting at 10 a.m. after the week we just went through I'm happy to report that I wouldn't have had it any other way. The day was beautiful! And it didn't take long for the sun to work its magic and made the locations all the more inviting to draw. I was having the most relaxing time I've had in a long time. All through the day there was this common report from participants, "I really should do this more often." Here here.


Pages from the sketchbook of that day.

Everyone on the crawl was very motivated and experiencing the very reason to go on one of these jaunts: It is a--pardon my gooey effusiveness here--life affirming task to be sketching what's around you. You were there and your pencils and watercolors made a record of the moment to lock it in place and time by your hand and spirit (I'm getting carried away, no?). Another thing is the rather barbershop mirrors hall of observers you have with other crawlers drawing the same thing from their experience or each other. Okay, we brought cameras as well to document what we're too slow to sketch in--we ain't luddites.


The Coppola Cafe from the street below. Apparently cars were missing me but just barely. How's that for concentration?

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, The Sketchcrawl ranks of March 6, 2005! They came from everywhere and were so game for what the day offered, like, well, there was coffee in the morning and chinese food in Chinatown (first meeting spot). More Coffee at the Coppola Cafe (second meeting spot mid afternoon). And, finally to end at Japan town for a class picture at Super 7. Of course we sketched all along the way, silly. We also ended up drawing (I mean, all of us) those Chinese guys with the thin Chinese lutes because as street performers and sketch subjects they were just too inviting. We all observed people sneaking a peek at what it is we're drawing--art critics and patrons are about, eh? And we all exchanged sketchbooks to look at all the work done that day. I had the most fun doing that. All the varied points of view and styles. Amazing! Congratulations again to all who participated. Thank you so much for making this Sketchcrawl a resounding success. We didn't do a strict count but we estimated that around thirty of you showed up for this day in San Francisco and that is so awesome in my book. Take a bow!



We hope to do another one before the summer (cross yer fingers) and this time we'll have printed itineraries and directions and perhaps a souvenir for those who make it till the end of the day. Perhaps have it that we end up having dinner at a place that can hold a good sized sketching rabble such as we. Check out Enrico's Sketchcrawl site for updates. And here at Tirade as well.



sketchcrawl.com
World wide Sketchcrawl drawing posts
Worldwide Sketchcrawl photos
Enrico's Journal for more photos.