Sketching wherever we are:

Marsha, Jane (still in virtual Italy), Bev (still in actual Brookings), Rita (still in sunny California), Bitty, Danita (still in Forest Haven), Laura, Daisy (in a quilting frenzy), Barb So, Hugh (still in virtual Machu Pichu), Sandy, and Lealan.

      Marsha’s been using different tools to sketch the same still life – white gel pen on black, wax crayon, water soluble ink (her favorite).

           Jane’s still taking Sketchbook Design, so she wonders about leaving the negative space white. How will it balance with page 1? OK, black.

      Bev sketched her lemon tree, did several sketches of her cat, and then completely out of her mind (too to speak) Lunar New Year!

      Rita enjoys sketching her yard, family artifacts for her daughter, and her daughter’s cat – “how do you paint black”, she asks! Wow.

      Bitty warmed up with a b&w sketch of counter items, then b&w still life  followed by a series of color versions (yellow bottle invented!).

      Danita started with 2 page spreads in a “meander” booklet that she turned into an accordion style featuring travel scenes – delightful!

        Some people are just too busy to post their work, but Laura took on the challenge of nearly black tulips, which have now given up petals.

    Barb So started with the ever popular sketch of her hand & tools, then her yummy breakfast, and a little salamander at her door!

       Hugh’s having a great time using “Coffee Break ” water soluble ink for 5 min. sketches, but prefers watercolor & bold black ink line.

      Sandy’s still determined to use up her blue water soluble ink, and when she made a scribbled mess she sketched Hugh over it in black!

Real life was interfering with art for a couple of us, so present today were just Marsha, Jane, Daisy, Danita, Bev, Laura, & Hugh.

      Marsha was busy testing white mark makers – her first sketch was with Uniball Signo, and the last with Art n Fly.  Different effects!

     Jane is still looking for the perfect sketchbook – one makes a pre-sketch in pencil a graphite mess, the other absorbs paint.  Hmmmm

     Daisy took a class on painting snow on a virtual trip – that looks like it was fun! Then a sketch to show a quilting technique – WOW.

Danita’s on a mission to represent all of Oregon’s trees.  Here’s a start (she had enough for several pages!), and isn’t it delightful!

      Bev is out exploring on the coast, capturing vignettes wherever she is. What a wonderful diversity of sketches and thoughts, too.

   Laura’s playing with people sketches while watching tv, but saves her “serious” sketching for real objects right in front of her.  Well done.

      Hugh’s still seeing what water soluble blue ink will do, then a memory trip back  to Amsterdam, and time with soluble black ink!

      Somehow the changed time email missed Bitty, but she didn’t miss sketching this week, all 5 minute sketches in a new 5.5″ square book!

        Barb So missed the meeting too, but didn’t miss sending in her charming sketches from this past week. Ziva is her son’s dog.

  Rita had a doctor’s note for her absence, but she turned in her homework – what a pleasure to complement the art with poetry.

   Here we are again – Marsha, Jane, Barb So, Sandy, Bitty, Danita, Laura, Hugh, Rita, Bev, & Daisy. Laura starts with water soluble ink!

.   Hugh’s exploring water soluble ink, too, but in between he revisited a place he & Sandy visited in Europe – lovely work either way!

      Sandy got blue water soluble ink with the fountain pen she bought, and she can hardly wait to use it up! Great gestural studies.

      Marsha wanted to see what watercolor on top of water soluble ink would do, then back to her class work, getting more dramatic now!

     It’s hard to know what Bitty will use next – crayon, watercolor, ink…
whatever, she’s having fun exploring and we are in seeing her work!

     Jane is taking a design class – first “closed” compositions, which have defined containment, no overlapping. Oh boy. This is a struggle.

          Daisy’s taking the class, too, at her own pace, several things on the page, 2 page spread, adding receipts as a collage related to it. NICE!

   Danita showed us how she builds the 4 page spread in a folding sketchbook – first b&W, then watercolor & gel pen highlights. Wow.

      Rita has a bounty of fruit in So. CA, so she tried her hand at the interesting bowl where she’d put some oranges – hmm, maybe if…

   It was raining in Brookings, so Bev resorted to sketching…clothing hanging in her closet! What a great idea! Interesting clothes, too.

       Barb So. finished her sketch of Amanda Gorman from tv, then included the rain with the bird outside, and her sweet puppies!

Please remind the photographer to take at least two screen shots of the group. Well, we were all intent, anyway! (click to enlarge pics)

Bev, Jane, Sandy, Marsha, Rita, Danita, Tricia, Daisy, Bitty, Laura, BarbSo, & Hugh. We shared and talked for about 1 1/2 hours today!

     Bev’s joining us from the rainy coast in Brookings, Oregon – so she’s back to serious designing, & sketching her closet! Of course she is.

       Jane used colored pencils on colored paper, then did her  fountain pen & ink survey, and tried her soluble ink on the catkins. Whooee.

      Sandy’s starting a new sketchbook, so she’s testing her mark making tools to start. Quick sketch on the river, & follow up on suggestions!

          Marsha got sidetracked trying out her husband’s pens, then on to class assignments – she’s committed to stretching her talents!

          It’s such a pleasure to have Rita back with us, thanks to Zoom. She says she’s trying to loosen up, but why! We all think these are great!

      Danita is one of our most committed sketchers, and so put some thought into these. Well, the last one took five minutes each item.

      Tricia’s back with us, and eager to share her watercolor sketches from a workshop in South America. Lovely and lush.

      Daisy’s still sketching neighbors’ yards – “not done, come back!” OK. And taking workshops – a different way of looking at landscape.

     Bitty took group advice from last week & cut her painting in half! Then rosehips (using friskit), and the neighbor’s real house color. (!)

       Laura (& Jane) is taking Liz Steel’s “Sketching Now” class, mostly on page design & adding elements –  here: borders, boxes, color blocks.

       BarbSo tries to get a sketch done every day, so her life gets chronicled along the way. And we want to join her for tea!

         Hugh caught the glow through the trees & quickly captured it on his iPad. Then he tried watercolor to get reflections.  And now he’s trying out his new Lamy fountain pen with soluble ink. Never bored!

Guess who’s learned to use a virtual background on Zoom???

Marsha, Jane (in Trevi, Italy), Danita, Laura, Rita, Hugh (at the  coast), Bitty, Daisy, Barb So, Sandy (at the coast), and Bev.

Marsha’s 5 min. sketches. A study in light starting with a photo, then turning it into black & white to use for a painting interpretation!

Jane finished her accordion sketchbook, now what? Bee 9×9, Arteza 8.25×8.25, Etchr HP 5/75×8, S&B Zeta 7×7, Shinola 5×3.75? “What paper do you like best?” Rita said. Hmm, Arteza with the crab I did:   

Danita played with negative space – first imagined grass, then the background & splatter! And some more sketches from her “yard.”   

          Barb So had to go early, so we just got a screen shot of her sculpture sketch.  Laura is still playing with Derwent pencils – nice colors!

    Rita’s busy resolving sketches – the spacey one with mushrooms got..
more of them! Loose yard sketches were her favorites. I see why!

      When Hugh’s not out walking to pick up on people sketches, he reverts back to travel photos (which makes us want to be there!).

   Bitty’s trying her sketch skills applied to watercolor (yes, friskit on the boat masts) – great discussion on object depth with the boats.

      Daisy’s enjoying her design class, trying things outside her comfort zone and liking them! And the last neighborhood Xmas decoration.

      Bev’s using some hand carved stamps (missing our Jan. stamp-out!), and getting used to drawing boats since they’re around her now.

     
When Sandy can’t find people (including her husband) to sketch, she just looks around her & sketches her home! Sometimes adds dogs.
     

     And this just in from Ken – here’s why we haven’t seen him lately – he’s busy boxing up local artists’ archives that he had stored!