16 Tons Café, Eugene, OR

A beautiful day sketching in the sun. Unfortunately, your blog editor had a computer melt-down, so pics are all you get!

        Barb Sh

      Barb So

      Bev

      Danita

      Ellen

        Erik

       Hugh

       Jane

     Jim

      Katie

     Ken

    Laura

Lona, Laura, Ellen

       Lona

     Marsha

   Penny

      Sandy

       Serge

Café Yumm, Meridian Building, Eugene, OR

            Ken loves giving sketching tips to everyone (here to Serge), but he usually also manages to get his own sketch done – that plant has life!

        Serge took on the challenge of the building’s odd architecture, which really paid off when he followed Ken’s advice – “Go darker.” Wow.

        Jane is often up taking photos, then back to play with sketches using the frame format- speaking of having life, that tree was escaping!

        And here’s Erik in the line-up. He’s trying out a different approach to his sketches, using watercolor and ink. Yes, this is working. Yay!

      Hugh and Laura look industrious. Hugh did two sketches – one with a water brush & soluble crayons, one in ink referring to a photo.

      Laura was busy grabbing images from all over – the store windows, the flowers Marsha had on the table, and then the people nearby.

      Bitty and Lealan concentrate on their work. Lealan gets those markers working to get contrast, making the flowers pop forward.

      Bitty was sketching the tree outside, dramatic against that brick red wall. Then she began a mountain range, referring to her photo.

Bev & Daisy are seated in front of the view of trees & the red wall.

      Bev enjoyed sketching the merchandise in the store windows, using Pitt markers for color (“I need more colors!”), then a hanging plant.

       This is a good challenge to take on – Ellen refers to the black & white photo, then uses her artist sense to add color, replicating contrast.

      Barb Sh wanted to honor Notre Dame, so she’s sketching the photos of the gargoyles there. She’s using water soluble graphite – nice!

    .   Bill recorded some golfing advice along with his sketch, then moved on to more portraits. Nice how the color values provide contrast.

       It was a treat to have Mary McLain (from the 2006 Italy sketch trip) come down to sketch with us. She did some very nice portraits.

      Marsha & Jim were next at the table. Here’s what Jim was doing – sketching all those lined up Yumm Sauce bottles, then designs.

      Marsha really liked how the simple dandelions popped in her digital photo. When she went to paper, she tried using red edges to pop!

    Katie is still exploring alternatives within her frame system – it will be fun to see how this strategy plays out in final form here.

    Liz did a delightful pencil sketch of tulips in a container, then started laying on colored pencil pigment – lovely effect.

    Penny did a great job on the hanging plant – that dark pot makes the leaves jump right out! I kind of like the unfinished partial leaf color.

      

And Sandy was busy sketching the sketchers! Here they are!

We pretty much filled the central courtyard, with lots to view.

     

   Laura was looking across the room at the service table & water jug.

   Barb So was intrigued with the braided ficus tree – wow.

   Penny brought a sketch from a home arrangement to paint. Nice!

     Ken sketched a hanging plant, & Erik sketched the start of a tree.

     Sandy finished a concert sketch, then sketched Ken and Erik – yes!

     Bev got caught up in the designs and displays in nearby stores. Wow.

      BarbSh documented different ways to sketch her hands – double click on that last page to see what she did. It’s amazing!

     Danita did a watercolor sketch of the celosia plant Jane brought.

      Jane is still doing little vignettes in little frames. Low anxiety here.

      Marsha is doing framed sketches, too, but includes portraits. Zow!

   Serge did some perspective sketches, playing with it bottom right!

   Jim did a great job with corner perspective to frame people.

   Hugh is enjoying going back to travel photos to do sketches.

   Bill had a great character photo and got a kick out of sketching it.

      Daisy had a Sumi-like sketch of her cat, then was on to people, too.

     Ellen is making great progress in her portrait drawing – so sweet.

     Liz caught the warmth of the salt lamps, & Bitty (who was with us in spirit only) sent in a sketch she did at a meeting – they were intent!

Friendly St. Market, Eugene, OR

       

Here we are in the covered patio, having a great time sketching!

    

           Marsha was intently sketching the subject across the table – Bev!

   Bev was sketching anybody who popped up – fun loose style here!

     Barb So was continuing her travel journal, while Barb Sh started a new sketch & then showed us one she did at home – great umbrella!

       Sandy & Hugh were in the corner, doing mystery sketches. Hmmm…

     Bill and Jim were completing some sketches they’d already started.

          Bitty grabbed the moment in the sun outside to sketch – delightful!

      Daisy & Jude were inside sketching inside, and having a great time.

        Ellen & Katie exchanged ideas – Ellen is doing a photo of an ancestor.

      Katie was catching up with her travel sketches, and one here, too!

     Jane is still enjoying using Katie’s frame template for little sketches.

      Then Bev and Lealan borrowed the template and went wild with an abstract application.  Wow, who knew that template could do this!

Friendly St. Market, Eugene, OR

   There were a total of twenty of us sketching today, despite the rain.

      Some didn’t make it outside – Jude & Bitty started sketching inside, were joined by Ken who then had a mini-conference with Lona.

      Jude was fascinated with what she saw in the cafe windows.

      Bitty chose to focus more on the people in the cafe context – great!

     Outside, Sandy brought flowers to share and didn’t she do a nice job!

      Danita chose to focus just on the currant blossoms – delightful!

      Jane was still playing with frames, changing parameters to fit what she wanted to sketch from the images around her – what fun.

      Lona – accustomed to loose, intense, and splashy – was trying out her travel palette thinking ahead to her upcoming sketch trip to Italy.

      Laura utilized her calligraphy skills to head her page, then did a sweet colored pencil sketch of the flowers on the table.

        Rounding out the table efforts, Penny did a close-up sketch of the daffodils and a hint of the current blooms behind. Nice touch, Penny.

      At the next table, Barb Sh was pondering her sketchbook use for a travel memoir and general miscellaneous sketches – hmm..snails…

      Bev looked to the next table for her flower sketch, then got intrigued by Barb Sh’s snails, so she added them with some whimsey, too.

      Marsha was also looking at the next table, but she was sketching the sketchers! They certainly look intent. Nice use of marking pens.

      Hugh was in anther world (far, far away). Thanks to his photos, he gets to revisit travels and enjoy bringing them back. Great shadows.

      Daisy did the obligatory sketch of her treats (interesting treatment of the table top – see Jane’s too), then turned and sketched Hugh!

      Ellen is moving from black and white to color, using colored pencils. Jane stopped by to admire her progression. Nice landscape choice.

      Liz brought a favorite photo from her travels, trying to capture in her sketch the interesting weaver sitting on the ground. Great character.

      Bill has had a long time fascination with sketching people, here moving into gestural studies, using ink, colored pencils, watercolor.

      Jim was sketching a photo from the Chinese Garden (oh! that roof!), then finished with a collection of images around him at the market.

      Look who snuck in the back door – Lealan and Katie! Katie brought a little pot of Spanish lavender. Here’s her beginning sketch of it.

        Lealan really has the watercolor markers figured out – look what she did in such a short time. Lovely sketch with shadows & textures, too.