Café Yumm, 18th & Willamette, Eugene, OR

Two views of the group – total of 18 turned out, with two newbies!

          Amy’s back, having a break in her studies at Oregon State. You can see how her art training there translates into getting after it! Nice.

          Katie was intrigued with the flower (Thumbergia) that Amy brought in from an outside vine, and her page designs spun off from there.

          Jane was busy putting together a chart showing Derwent Graphi-tint pencils, dry & wet. Then she sketched the flower with them.

          Jim was using a photo of an old building as the basis for his sketch study – love what happened when he added watercolor.

         Bill dared to try out his Derwent Inktense  colored pencils (& water soluble ink), then back to a watercolor treatment for the portraits.

        Hugh sketched what was in front of him – Laura at the table in the window, and the scene beyond – look how that color popped!

        Here’s what Laura was seeing – that challenging braided trunk tree and the shop window beyond. The stamps worked well on the page.

          Bev’s pages are such a delight – wonderful images of what she sees around her,  special drawn frames, and rubber stamped images, too.

        Are those Café Yumm stamps? Such a nice border for Daisy’s warm detailed window display. That yellow background really works.

       This was Jude’s 2nd time with us, and look what challenging subjects she chose to draw! The sinuous lighting above, and that twisty tree!

        Barb Sh shared with us her last pages of recent events,  then continued to work on this fabulous critter – a moth? WOW.

      Speaking of fabulous critters, Lealan wanted to know which version we liked best (NO consensus!), then began a sketch of sketchers.

       Marsha brought some little white pumpkins – she really brought life and depth to them with her colored pencils, & shadows, too!

       Helga was intrigued with the white pumpkins, too, and look how her use of the pre-stamped page gives a sense of decorative fencing.

       Penny Mc was also fascinated with the store window display, starting with the bottom shelf and working her way up.  It all fits!

        Not everyone can work with graphite as successfully as Serge does (it often smears across the page for me!) – wonderful vignette!

        This was Deborah’s first time sketching with us, but she clearly has some prior practice.  Love the way that tree developed character.

        Ken (our teacher, mentor, friend) made a cameo appearance much to everyone’s pleasure. He adds so much to everyone’s experience.

Cafe Yumm, 18th & Willamette, Eugene, OR

    We like sketching here because we can move the tables around however we like. And surprise!  Jan & Satoko are back with us!

      Hugh was getting abstract, & started coloring in his doodle by choosing colors by order in his box. Jan explains her card making.

      Erik was really getting into the autumn leaf theme – great color contrast, as well as a little gestural drawing of a leaf raker!

           At the next table, Laura was getting adept at drawing on pages with pre-stamped designs – what a delightful spirit the sketches have.

        Bev caught Laura in action in her sketch. You can sure tell she has a background in design work – her pages are wonderful that way.

          When I said a heavier paper would keep the watercolor from buckling the paper, Bill said “Do you think it bothers me?”  Uh, no.

        Meanwhile, Jim was saying he would like to have more of Bill’s loose style all the while he was doing a detailed sketch of Cafe Yumm.

       Katie used a pre-stamped page to inspire her sketch of a sight in Taxco – look at how that yummy watercolor works with the stamp!

        Jane’s still into frame boxes – first on a watercolor demo for her son, then on a remembered vision of autumn leaves on Pearl Street.

      Barb Sh, just back from a travel trip to Europe, was recapturing the experience by making a fold-out sketch – she’s so clever doing this!

    Ken practices what he preaches – go darker! Look how those plant leaves reach out of the page with the dark negative space. Wow.

        Going directly to ink is catching! Here’s Serge’s multi-layered sketch of Erik sketching by the window with foliage in the patio beyond.

      Ken & Serge get a review of Satoko’s sketchbook from her recent watercolor workshop she taught in Tuscany.

Maude Kerns Art Gallery, Eugene, OR

    There was so much to see, all the detailed altars created to honor persons in the past. It was hard to decide what to sketch!

        Daisy did a whole page of images from various altars, ending with the difficult mermaid figure.

        Penny M started sketching the little sculptured figures in the glass case, then back to watercolor for her next sketch.

        Penny J drew boxed frames to isolate each of the figures she chose to draw – such an endless variety reflecting the person gone.

      Barb Sh showed Penny M one of her cross page sketches using metallic inks, then began the mermaid Daisy did – not done yet!

        Hugh did a riff on the skeleton images which were prolific.

       Marsha did a page of pre-designed box frames, playing with images across them and outside them for a great effect.

       Katie added altar images to a page she had already begun with a flower sketch. It will be interesting to see how this page develops!

       Jane tried using the box frames artist Pat Southern-Pearce utilizes, finishing with a text notation and a gallery watercolor sketch.

      Danita drew the arched windows of the building and tapestries below, then used special frames for additional altar images.

        Lona refused to be confined to boxes, overlaying her images in a colorful celebration.

        Bill & friend Jim at a table – Bill was finishing up some sketches of people he had done earlier with bits of conversation remembered.

      Jim, who does such fine architecture work, took on the challenge of whimsical images from a nearby altar – great success here!

     Bev sketched one of the special ornaments, then images from a multi-layered altar.

        Ken & Barb So shared thoughts about an altar, then Ken began sketching the interesting room construction, and Barb So an altar.

The whole experience was very rich, as we pondered the special things families had put together to honor the dead.

New Day Bakery, Eugene, OR

We took up three tables – yummy food, great fun together.

        We do enjoy learning from one another – Hugh & Erik compare crayon strategies, and Lona explains wet-on-wet sketching to Jim.

        Sharing projects: Barb Sh’s layered paper doll greeting card, Barb So’s completed Kokopelli, and Daisy’s sumi ink painting.

         Sharing techniques: Jane’s social survival sketch, Marsha’s tape removal of pencil lines, and Bev’s use of negative space.

     Barb Sh completed one sketchbook, and began a new one – hooray!

       Barb So and Penny frequently have to cut their time short with us, but see the lovely sketches they did today – what nice detail!

          Here’s how Bev’s sketch looked prior to painting negative space.  Then she did a tree sketch that someone said ought to be a stamp!

        Daisy dutifully sketched her food before eating, then did a template for her two watercolor palettes – which one will go with her to Italy?

        Erik was on a foggy morning roll – you can almost feel it!

        Hugh was eating his roll, but still did two sketches – a vibrant one on black paper, and a complex structure – not done yet, he says.

        Jane was doing her daily gratitude sketch – this from a Facebook post – first in pencil, then layers of watercolor, and finally ink.

        Jim launched right in on sketching what was in front of him and wow did he do a great job with perspective as well as detail! Feel no fear!

         Katie loves doing her sketches within frames, incorporating the stamps on the page. Here she uses a ruler to assist in perspective.

          The large jug on the piano caught Laura’s eye – love how the image develops from simple to complex with great color. Well done!

        This is how Lona does her wet-on-wet sketches – talk about vibrant!

        The secret to Marsha’s exquisite colored pencil sketches – keep those pencil points sharp! Look at that great sharpener she brought.

New Day Bakery, Eugene, OR

We enjoyed sketching in their sunny courtyard so much that I forgot to take pictures of the 15 of us who were there! Here’s what we did:

          Marsha shared her 3 colored pencil color-wheel, Hugh had a new holder he made for his crayons (& all labeled, as opposed to Erik’s helter-skelter container), & Barb S had a story of a music event.

        There had been a chance of rain, so Barb Sh came prepared with a bird photo for her ongoing visual journaling – keep posted on this!

          Marsha brought a new bouquet in her square glass vase, and many of us tried tackling that rascally glass vase, & the flowers, too.

          Hugh took a water brush directly to the crayons in his new holder, and after picking up pigment got a nice loose watercolor effect.

        Laura, on the other side of the table, did her sketch in ink, added colored pencil and a decorated border – quite a delight!

        The maple tree leaves & seed pods caught Erik’s eye. This is just the beginning of his sketch, so check back later for the finish.

        Jane did a little doodle sketch of the leaves, too, then a dog at a nearby table grabbed her attention. Logo added after she got home.

        Danita sketched a little limb from the Japanese snowbell tree before moving on to a wet-on-wet painting sketch of the maple tree.  Sweet.

        Bev was intrigued by the snowbells, too, then dared to do a sketch of a guy at a nearby table (who not only kept moving, but got up & left!)

       Daisy got in a quick likeness of Erik (who also moved!), her muffin, the fork, and the flowers through the bench backing. Busy, busy!

      Serge added the charm of the tree limb to his sketch of the building – look at those reflections in the windows! Beautifully done.

     Penny J tackled one of the picnic tables set at an angle – a perspec-tive nightmare! But it got better when she just kept at it. Good.

     Lealan had a wonderful sketch of a succulent to share, and Barb So had just enough time with us to start a sketch of the wall Kokopelli.

     Penny Mc was interested in the wall art, too – didn’t the shadows make it pop! Did she use water-soluble ink to do the pot & plant?

        Katie drew the wall sculpture, too, and made it her daily “Seeking the Light” sketch. Wonder what else is going to go on the page..

Tradewinds @ Jiffy, Eugene, OR

Does this group have a good time together? Oh yes, we sure do!

     Hugh took sketch notes (see upper left) on his recent travels which he found easier to translate than words. Nice to be back in the sun?

        Ken had just come back from the coast where he was intrigued by some of the trees – white with dark markings….alder? Very nice!

        Erik was into trees, too, but these are Willamette Valley trees – almost makes you glad that autumn is here. OK, I’m glad already!

        Laura captured some of her fellow sketchers at the next table – you can certainly tell they were intent on their tasks.

        Bev started with the tree across the road, then the cars caught her eye – “I love drawing cars!”  And didn’t that sketch turn out well!

      Daisy’s been well indoctrinated by Ken – “Sketch first!” then eat. Looks good enough to eat right off the page. Yummy.

           Jane enjoyed doing a quick sketch of Marsha’s flowers, but had to keep her dog Tutti amused, so she finished her sketch at home.

          Sandy sketched the flowers, too, and did her part to train Tutti to be an art appreciator. I think he mostly appreciates Sandy’s attention.

        Here you can see the careful buildup colored pencil work that Marsha does. That bottle vase is becoming a wonderful icon!

     It was Penny’s first outing after recovering from hip replacement (we gave her a standing ovation), and her sketching is still great!

        Barbara Sh now has Tutti included in her round about world, but takes time to take a look at a new technique Lealan wants to share.

      Lealan isn’t afraid to experiment, here to get the effect of the table top under her cappuccino; then on to sketching the folks around her.

     Serge doesn’t let the chatter around him interfere with his drawing concentration – what a wonderful architectural rendering!

Tradewinds @ Jiffy, Eugene, OR

          We were kind of spread all over the place, but you can’t  see Katie’s and Jane’s dogs, or Barbara So and Ken who were there, too.

       Barb Sh was continuing her ever evolving visual journal of where she is, & what she’s seeing,  including newcomer Jim on her page today!

       Jim was busy looking over her shoulder at the view beyond, which he captured in detail within a frame, and began a new sketch, too.

     His friend Bill, also new to the group, was into doing portraits; the last two had flesh tones courtesy of his morning coffee & cream!

    Marsha brought her bottle vase that we’ve all fallen in love with, along with new flowers. She did a lovely colored pencil approach.

     Katie had a back view of the flowers, and a different approach in doing the bottle vase in ink and watercolor, rather than pencil.

     Daisy was busy sketching her Danish & making pen use notes, while inside Barb So was doing a pencil sketch of the flowers on her table.

    Bev was sketching the table flowers, too, from two angles. She drew her signature frames around each sketch, and used a stamped page.

     Laura liked Bev’s second perspective, and added a decorative frame to hers as well as  nearby details to finish a charming sketch.

     Erik zeroed in on a close-up of one of the unique flowers in the table bouquet, Love-in-a-mist. Terrific job on all those tiny pieces!

      Serge did an architectural rendering, but when he started to ink Lealan asked to see his Lamy pen and had fun drawing loosely!

      Bill caught a photo of Jane (who takes everyone else’s photos). She got out her Lamy pen to play with, which has water soluble ink in it.

5th St. Market, Eugene, OR

    Here we are, back in our favorite window alcove at the market, sketching what we see in or out or on the table!

        What Barb Sh saw on her phone was a photo of a real live rooster to go with her sketch of the sculpture on the fountain downstairs.

        What Laura saw was the vase of flowers Marsha brought from her yard, and sketched them using only 3 colors of colored pencils!

        Marsha saw the flowers from the other side of the table, and drew them in colored pencil, too. These two are getting so adept!

        Those flowers did double duty in Bev’s sketchbook – one sketch on a page with thumbnail sketch windows, another on a pre-printed page.

        Jane started with a simple contour sketch of her pastry, but the flowers couldn’t resist getting in the sketch, too – yummy!

Daisy won the prize for doing the most sketching in the shortest amount of time. She came from an appointment and got right to it.

        And Serge? He was able to escape the exact straight lines of the outdoor architecture by putting in the hanging basket – go organic!

5th St. Market, Eugene, OR

We had intended to sketch outside on the patio, but chilly toes drove us inside. Here are nearly all that showed up to sketch.

     Tyra, a pal from the Italy sketch trip, enjoyed catching up with Barb Sh and seeing her ever evolving sketchbook. So fascinating!

          Tyra was sitting across from Barb So, and here’s how her page evolved – pencil outline, watercolor, ink and stamp!

         Meanwhile, Barb So was sketching the “rear view” of a flower Marsha brought to sketch…and…

        here’s how Marsha’s”front view” of the flower sketch developed.

     Ken was sitting at one end of the long table sketching Serge at the other end of the table.

        Serge was looking across the room for his sketch model. Nice!

          Laura was looking one way then another for her sketches.

          Helga’s view out the window to the patio was her sketch model.

          Jane was determined to stay loose with her watercolor version.

     Time for show and tell! We all enjoyed looking at each others’ work.

      Barb So & Marsha got to compare sketches of the whole flower, and Serge saw Ken’s sketch of him – “More beard hair needed,” said Ken.

        Then Ken discovered that the Market had a stamp! Jane and Helga made quick use of it to add just the right touch to their sketches.

   Marsha and Tyra liked adding the stamp to their pages, too.

Vero Coffeehouse, Eugene, OR

So nice to be under the trees on a warm day .

        For Erik, it was all about the huge fir tree, and here it is from pencil sketch to finished layers of color. What a great process!

        Ken zeroed in on a different tree (oak? maple?), and said he thought he could work on it for about five hours (which he didn’t have).

        Marsha drew what was in front of her – Ken and Jane! From graphite pencil to colored pencil, the scene comes alive. Nicely done.

        Jane was sketching a woman across the deck who moved to get out of the sun, so the rest of the sketch was all context!

        Bev sketched the couple in front of her, then went on to a car – “I like cars,” she said, “they don’t move.” Well, there certainly is that!

        Serge sketched an ornate lamp, then began doing a series of little window vignettes to loosen up – good idea! These are wonderful.

        Penny finished up a sketch she began at Lone Pine Farm, then started sketching the little tree on the other side of the deck.

        Satoko, fresh from putting her house on the market and getting ready to go to Tuscany to paint for two weeks, joined us for respite.