Sketching in the Rain in Comfort

Cornucopia, 17th & Lincoln, Eugene, Or
Cozy with the overhead heaters and the clear vinyl walls!

   Lealan, Katie, Jim H., Serge, Marsha, Bitty; Danita, Peggy, Barb So., Daisy, Lynda (& Jane behind the camera).

      It’s fascinating to see Lealan’s sketch emerge, starting with light turquoise marker, then adding depth with other colors and shades.

      Katie brought a travel photo to start, but then couldn’t resist sketching plants nearby – wait until the ink makes them pop!

      Serge always sets up a learning challenge – this one’s all about values & the impact they make. He’s using different values of Pitt markers.

      Marsha had a photo she’d just taken of the crocus blooming in her yard. The colored pencils make such a soft effect. Early spring!

      Bitty had fun dropping watercolor wet-on-wet for the whimsical pottery. I think some of her lunch got in the photo, too.

      Danita has the strategy of photographing her food so she can eat it while it’s hot and then sketch it! Even the condiments are present.

      The twisted vines are right down Peggy’s alley. Didn’t she do a great job of keeping track of what went where? Nice shadows, too.

   Barb So. got the vines into the background of her sketch – a glass jar on the table. Note: the jar is kept from “floating” by table & shadow.

   Daisy spied a stack of booster chairs in the corner – what a challenge! The cross-hatching and background color are helpful.

      The glass jar & condiment tray caught Lynda’s eye, too. She says she’s just concentrating on pencil right now. Color in the future!

      Jane had great fun fitting the vines, sculpture, & daphne blossoms into the frame format. Lots of whimsy going on here.

Wait for it…color coming to brighten winter.

Alvadore Schoolhouse, Camas Country Mill Bakery, Junction City, OR

  Peggy, Hugh, Sandy, Serge, Marsha; Danita, Michael (her husband), Laura, Bev, Daisy, Jim H., Jean, Bitty. (Jane behind the camera.)

       Sandy started right off with the table decoration – so much color and line variation going on, it was great fun to sketch!

       Jane, sitting beside her, was doing the title page for her 40th sketchbook, and included part of the table decoration, too.

      Serge was in another world – the sunny colors of Buenos Aires, Argentina. I think his perspective lines took him right there, too.

   Speaking of lines, Marsha got some great line action in those twisted limbs of the bare trees outside. A warm winter scene – huh!

      Danita did a visual recording of her scone & napkin, then did a landscape while the paint dried for another final layer. Nice job!

      Daisy sketched her pastry, too, but as a fabric artist…her eye was drawn to…the display of hanging handmade bags! Well done.

      Bev was looking inside and out – here are Jim H & Bitty sketched sketching, then the scenes outside the schoolhouse windows.

      Laura saw something a little closer outside which fascinated her – trees just before leafing out, catkins hanging like decorations.

      Jim finished the color of a previous sketch (it just glows!), then he was back to a vineyard. I really like how the ink makes it pop.

      Bitty sketches with a Pilot Pen which bleeds a bit when she applies watercolor. What a great effect! Two more sketches, one of the cat.

      It was nice to have Jean back with us, and to see her inviting drawing of the interior of the school house as it is now set up. We like it here.

       Peggy comes back to the scraggly old tree every time, with the crop fields behind it, and the Cascade Range beyond. Lovely watercolor.

       Hugh was using his small landscape sketchbook, going across the gutter to stretch his window & get all the people. But what’s this…

      color blast! He’s using acrylic ink fillable markers by Dawler-Rowney; fun to make his own shades, too (orange, purple).  WOW.

Sketching at the Schoolhouse

Alvadore School @ Camas Country Mill Bakery, Junction City, OR

   The old Alvadore Schoolhouse is quite an attraction for many people (even Danita’s husband), especially with Jim H’s watercolor show!

   Peggy, Lynda, Danita’s spouse, Katie, Sandy; Danita, Daisy, Laura, Marsha,  Barb So., Serge, Jim, & Hugh. Paintings on wall by Jim H!

      Barb So did a sketch of a tree outside on her pre-stamped page, then added a cat from her photos, and finally a sticker from the bakery!

      Bev began with the window,  then the scene beyond, and then the sheep in the field across from the old schoolhouse. Delightful!

      Bitty’s sketch was a sketch within a sketch – a lovely watercolor of the scene outside, then a sketch of a sketcher & wall paintings, too.

      Daisy’s been well trained – sketch before eating! Well, do most of the sketch before eating, anyway. It sure does look yummy!

      Danita did a sketch of the table decoration complete with salt & pepper shakers, then a cluster of old tools she brought from home.

      Hugh is very fond of using water soluble wax crayons, often applying them with a water brush, but here direct to paper for quite an effect.

      Jane finds using framed vignettes to be a help in getting focused amid distracting elements – like other sketchers! This was fun.

      Jim had a taker for a sketchbook page, but she didn’t know if she wanted it colored or not – so he scanned a copy to paint for choice!

      Katie appreciates including thoughtful quotes in her sketchbook, and here uses a pre-stamped pattern page for subtle lines.

      Now what’s Laura up to….oh, the table arrangement! And didn’t her used of colored pencils make her sketch effective!

       Lona stopped by to see what Hugh & Jim were doing before taking on her own sketch challenge – pumpkins in a degrading line.

      Lynda had a simple flower sketch to show, but she usually tackles complicated views, like this vine covered post, or rock wall – wow!

      Marsha has developed a colored pencil strategy that allows her to work quickly and to fill her pages with warm detail. Nicely done.

      Peggy liked the scene outside so much she turned to a second watercolor sketchbook. She was still working on the sunflowers.

      Sandy dipped into her travel photos for this sketch and did a great job with the many layered rock stacks, moon peeking out behind.

      This is not Serge’s usual architectural scene, but terrific gestural portrait studies. He used two shades of Pitt pens for the shading.

Prepping a new sketchbook for a new year

Jane’s place, Eugene, OR

   This is what the set up looked like before everyone got there.

   The dogs were there to greet everyone (note the protective cover on the carpet for the sketchers), and here came the snacks!

   Ken was at the airbrush station – here’s Barb So trying her hand at it. The stencil table was just beyond Ken was eagerly utilized.

      Let’s see…apply the ink pad directly, use a brush to stipple the ink through the stencil, a spray bottle, or use Copic markers airbrush…

         Ken prompts Lynda through her first airbrush experience, then helps Jim mask his sketch for it – Sandy & Bill stop by to observe.

   Meanwhile, folks at the rubber stamp station were going wild!

      Think they’re having fun? The unmounted stamps were new for some, who learned how to peel them off the page & use the blocks.

      Stamps were chosen with an eye to how sketches would be incorporated later. Bill enjoyed showing Hugh how his turned out.

      Bev took a moment to just sketch! Jim tried the airbrush on his architecture sketch. Danita sketched, & used a spray with stencil.

The dogs may have felt a bit neglected, but the rest of us had a good time!

Sketching at the art gallery

Emerald Art Center, Springfield, OR

   We went to see member Katie Stocks’ art show, and found another Top Drawers member (Bev Taylor) had art up, too! Nice shows!

 We had to look at the show first – Serge, Bev, Bitty, Penny, Barb So, Jim (already sketching!), Marsha, Carol, Laura & Peggy.

By the time Ken (our guru & mentor) & Cathy showed up, we were all busy at sketching. They enjoyed seeing Katie’s show, too.

     Cathy viewing Katie’s work; Ken chatting with Laura & Peggy; Ken and Cathy getting to view work Serge has been doing lately.

     So what was Jim working on so intently? Ohmygosh! He took on the entire entry wall of the place, angles and all! Nicely done, too.

     Penny shares some of her inspiration photos with Bev. Look at that distinguished bird! Then she quickly got into doing portraits on site.

        Bev really excels at sketching the people around her, but she also sketched one of the fascinating (& challenging!) sculptures there.

     Hugh said he couldn’t resist the photo he took of a neighbor’s sculpture when “Audrey” ate the Elf! Then back to refine a sketch.

        Marsha did a terrific gestural study of two sketchers in the midst of the art gallery. Love her elegant use of colored pencils.

      Marsha & Carol were sitting together, but Carol’s attention was caught by the architecture of the building. Wonderful windows.

     Peggy started with the window, too, but included a passing truck, and then went on to add hints at the paintings on display.

        Laura took advantage of the captive audience of sketchers to try her hand at people sketching. Adding color makes a difference, too.

  Jane started slowly, but built up her montage of sights at the gallery, including one of Katie’s paintings! Fun mini display here.

A friendly sketching group