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.

Vero Coffee House, Eugene, OR

Here most of us are with our sketch guru, Ken, in the middle of us all.

         Ken, bless him, makes the rounds giving sketching encouragement. He sees what Barb So has done, as well as visits with Rita and Carol.

      Serge has done lovely detailed work, but wants to be looser, so Ken shares Rita’s travel sketches with him – loose and very evocative.

             Penny gets in on the conversation, and then began sketching the coffeehouse doorway in the tiniest sketchbook! Very sweet.

            Rita was interested in the use of paper fold-outs that Barb Sh had done in her sketchbooks, then Barb began her sketch from a photo.

         Here’s what Barb So did last week at home, and what she worked on today – those vivid colors are a departure for her, but well deserved.

      Laura had completed her sketch from last week, did a light colored under sketch and then added color to her sketch from today.

      Bev says that color wash strips and pre-stamped pages have become part of her signature “look” in her sketchbooks these days – nice!

      Helga got lots of support for her sketches, yes, even simple ones.

      When not taking photos, Jane seemed to be simply into a collection of what she saw, all part of the Vero Coffee House ambiance.

      Lealan’s sketch of Laura began with a light blue outline, then she layered colors and shades of Tombow markers for this rich portrait.

          Rita shared some travel sketching trips – want a straight line? use a ruler. Want to add color? use water soluble pencil and a wet finger!

       Carol had a previous page done, so she added a lovely wash to the next page and started sketching what was around her.

        Danita started with a pencil sketch, added ink, and the watercolor to a delightful sketch of the bench and planters across from her.

Jane’s yard, Eugene, OR

Just a small group of us today – Bev, Serge, Marsha, Ken, Erik, & Jane (behind the camera) – but we enjoyed the time together outside.

          Serge, new to sketching from an engineering background, started with pencil and was curious to know more about sketch booking. He sure has a good start – lovely backyard sketch going here!

      Ken is always eager to talk about the spirit of the rough sketch, and shared both his and Erik’s sketchbooks to show varied examples.

       Marsha is relatively new to sketching, too, and picked up on Ken’s advice to “go darker” to push the bench away from the flowers.

         Ken and Erik in the corner, where Ken picked up a watercolor brush and water soluble colored pencil to sketch the cyclamen. Nice!

        Erik did a small thumbnail sketch to test how his colors worked together before going into a larger sketch -note colors used on right.

        Bev is so adept at sketching that she was able to turn out three sketches during our time together, incorporating stamped pages.

      Jane did a series of vignettes of what she saw, even her dog Tutti. Last page in this square sketchbook! Hooray! On to the next.

          Tricia used her Goliath paint brush to make up for lost time, and did a two page spread including matching the new color on Jane’s house.

Jane’s Place, Eugene, OR

    The design stamps and stamp pads were all ready for folks to start adding backgrounds to their sketchbook pages. The interest grew…

    and grew and grew. People had fun playing with stamp patterns.

    Tomomi brought her three children and they quickly grasped the  making of stamped backgrounds, & sketching over the top of them.

       Katie added stamp designs to pages she’d already sketched, then went on to prepare pages for future use.

      Helga first said she didn’t know what to do with the stamped design borders, then started sketching, and it all turned out just fine!

      Laura baffled herself with stamping, and resorted to just sketching.

     Marsha did some corner stamping, then finished up previous work.

   Daisy did some border stamping, then went out the door to sketch Laura on the inner deck.

        Barb So began sketching the side yard on her pre-stamped page.

And there were lots of people on the side yard deck, too, sketching!

     Danita finally had time to finish the sketches she began when we were at Cortesia Sanctuary – lovely lush green.

      Sandy was sitting next to Danita in the shade, still determined to conquer sketching white on black paper – always up for a challenge.

      Hugh enjoys working white on black, but also enjoys adding color with Caran d’ Ache water soluble wax crayons.

     Hugh also did a quick sketch down the path, and who are those people? Ken & Barb Sh, looking at her sketchbook. Nicely done.

    Barb Sh’s sketchbooks tell the story of where she’s been – 5th St. Market, Tuesday Farmers’ Market, and Jane’s backyard – charming!

      And what’s Ken doing? Getting a ground level look at the patterns in the Hosta leaves – wonderful design development with brush pen.

       Jane got in a sketch of the potted cyclamen when she wasn’t running around taking pictures & chasing the dog who stole Barb Sh’s brush.

          Tricia did a lovely sketch of Jane’s side yard, prayer flags and all.

       On the other deck there were more sketchers at work, then Ken & Tricia (& Tutti, the dog) joined them, too.

      Bev was doing a sketch of the miniature roses in the table pot.

         Bev takes a look at Barb So’s sketch, and Tomomi looks, too.  And finally here is Tricia’s sketch of her view from this deck.  A nice time!

5th St. Market, downstairs courtyard, Eugene, OR

Marnie, Lealan, Bev, Erik, Marsha, Helga, Daisy, Barb Sh, Penny & Laura – what a nice gathering of sketchers on this warm day!

    Here’s Bev’s geraniums, and Erik’s coast painting – both wonderful!

          Penny sketched the edge of the pool and the plantings beyond, while Marnie went for the baskets and railings just above that spot.

        Barb Shirk did a monochromatic sketch of that scene, too, while Helga and Daisy did unique  multi-colored sketches.

        It’s always so interesting to see what different artists include or exclude – here’s Helga’s sketch, and then Daisy’s “goes for a walk with a line” ala Paul Klee and starting a painting on top of that!

5th St. Market, lower courtyard, Eugene, OR

     We were clustered around in the lower courtyard, staying in shade while sketching things mostly in the sun. Nice combination!

        Barb Sh was across the courtyard under shade, tackling the fountain sculpture of “Swifty,” a tribute to chicken packing done here.

      Daisy dutifully sketched her breakfast treats before moving on to the rooster, and then flower baskets on overhead railings.

      Laura got up close and personal with the fountain pool before moving on to the flower baskets, too. (Nice to sit near the splash.)

      Helga was looking at the fountain pool from a more distant view, and did a terrific job with all that perspective challenge – way to go!

        Katie said, “I just got started!” to the photographer – but that’s how we show people the way a sketch develops. “Well, ok,” she said.

        Bev began with  pencil sketch, then on to watercolor, and more details from the courtyard (& puffy comforter for the kitten stamp).

        Erik thought he had a “T” terrific strategy for doing bricks – hmm. Then he was back out of his mind (so to speak) sketching a memory.

      Penny did a quick sketch of Laura across the courtyard, then a loose seaside sketch in watercolor followed by inked in lines for definition.

      Marsha took on the rooster sculpture from a different angle, then “Anyone sketched strawberries lately?” No, but eaten them!

           Jane had a simple sketch of her berry Danish & iced tea, then things kept appearing reflected on her page, colored with Lealan’s markers!

        And here’s how Lealan uses her markers – first a light blue outline sketch, then color layers and more layers. What a great effect!

Cortesia Sanctuary, Eugene, OR

We just couldn’t give up this inspirational spot!

       Tricia never stops tending the garden, and her efforts show off!

       Barb So found a quiet spot to sketch her hat & nearby flower basket.

       Danita was despairing of her wet on wet technique which requires drying between layers, but look what a nice effect she got!

      Helga, Marsha, and Katie found a shady spot on the deck, and here’s the beginning of Marsha’s sketch looking over the deck to the trees.

        Helga tried her hand at the glass centerpiece, and learned a trick from her friends: rolling a kneaded eraser lightens pencil marks!

      Katie showed her work from last week, then tried a watercolor first approach to compare with her usual ink first strategy.  Hmmm….

     Inspired by Tricia’s usual two page spread, Jane started a new landscape orientation sketchbook with a two page view about her.

        And here’s Tricia working on that two page spread – she always puts  in some text to add to the visual experience – Nice!

      Sharon began her sketch with a light pencil sketch, then started adding interesting layers of color – and who’s that in the sketch?

      It’s Ken! Searching through his collection of tools he ends up using a brush pen with brown paint, and then goes even darker, of course.

Nearby were Sandy and Hugh, back from walking the Camino in Spain, and the Pieterpad in The Netherlands. Welcome back!

Tricia started the sharing part of the morning telling us about the watercolor pouring workshop with Winnie Givott – fascinating!

Then Sandy and Hugh shared their sketchbooks from their recent hiking adventures in Europe. They each wore out one pair of shoes!

      From Sandy’s daily journal with illustrations.

Marsha helps Sandy show one side of her accordion style sketchbook – one side was for the Camino, the other the Pieterpad.

      Hugh started showing Ken his daily journal (mostly words, some images), then showed us all his accordion sketchbook of the walks.

This is Hugh’s Pieterpad side, with images overlapping the folds.

       About that time Lealan emerged from the woods (terrific sketch), and we took a break for a potluck picnic (which was superb!).