Café Yumm, Eugene, OR

    In the entry lobby: Bev, Helga, Barb So, Laura. In the back room: Bitty, Jim S, Michelle, Barb Sh, Jim H, Marsha, Serge.  Game on!

Oh, but first, a mini-reunion of sketchers who went to Italy together this year – fun reminiscing – Jim S, Lona, Michelle, Jane, Katie.

        Sketching & socializing – who says you can’t do both?  Here are Jim S, Michelle, Barb Sh; Barb Sh, Hugh; Lona & Michelle.

          Serge & Hugh; Sandy with book on color Marsha brought to share; Sandy & Lona. We benefit so much from what each person brings.

       Hugh & Sandy collaborate with Katie on her sketch; Serge explains his study steps preliminary to doing a painting to Sandy & Michelle.

Now, on to what people were actually sketching…

      Bev chose a great pre-stamped page in her sketchbook which added to a very festive air about her. Some color, then on to colored paper.

      Helga is still practicing thumbnail sketches, which she finds very helpful in determining perspective. Next to apply it to bigger ones…

     Barb So prepared her page with rectangular boxes for mini-features. What a delight to see what she chose to capture around her.

      Laura started simple, then thought she’d sketch the snowflake ornaments hanging from the ceiling – easy, right? No, difficult!

      Hugh began with water brushing color for the sky, and worked to down to the ground. It’s the scene clear across the street from us.

      Bitty zeroed in on the rocks in the courtyard, applying her wet-on-wet watercolor technique to very good effect! Nicely done.

       Can you tell Jane’s in love with line? Fun to see that courtyard develop, such a different approach from Bitty’s close-up.

      Jim S (Jane’s son) joined us from Portland, and enjoyed taking a break from architecture to do some sketching – nice shadows!

       Barb Sh is continuing to do experiments in sketching to get different effects – the latest is one on toned paper, and she made it pop!

      Katie got the “armature” of the branch down in pencil first, then on to watercolor for the berries, and now the branch itself. Nice.

      Marsha was so quiet no one knew she was sketching them! She’s getting very proficient at doing quick portraits. Great to see.

      Here is Serge showing his four stage preliminary sketch work done prior to a larger watercolor painting. Lovely work already!

     Sandy took advantage of people nearby who were preoccupied so that they made great models – interesting to see on toned paper, too.

      Jim H said he thought he was done with vineyards for awhile, so branched out with a column from Greece & door from Madagascar!

Café Yumm, Eugene, OR

We wanted someplace warm and this was it! Around the table: Bev, Sandy & Hugh, Jim, Katie, Peggy, Laura behind Helga, Danita, Serge, Marsha, Bitty, & Barb Sh.  Don’t you like the new long table? We do.

      Bev was quick to start sketching the tree in the courtyard out the window. Then she even had time to start on the decorations.

      Sandy said her first model left before she was finished, so she had to make him up! Serge, however, was in for the sketching stay – great.

      Hugh was teased about his blank faced person, so he had to show us his finished sketch from last week – pretty spectacular!

      Jim was remembering good times with friends at the vineyard, and this sketch will be an anniversary present for them. It’s so special.

      Peggy had a good time playing with the intertwining trunks and branches, as well as the shadows. Nice sketch, Peggy!

      What’s Katie up to? Finishing her daily trip summaries, then some sketches she started from her trip to Italy. Love that monster.

      Laura sketched the tree from a different perspective, then went on to capture some of the signs outside the building, too.

      Helga was seriously into little thumbnail sketches – hard to let go of all the tiny details yet capture the important aspects. Good job.

      Daisy had fun showing Bitty the sketch she did (mostly in the dark) during an event the other night, then she did snowflake decorations.

      Bitty did a simple contour drawing of the tree in the courtyard with water-soluble ink, then she added water & watercolors – zow.

   Lynda showed us her cone house sketch – they’re found in Croatia and many other places. She also had a photo of a curious mushroom.

      Lealan was just back from California with a sketch she did there, then managed to sketch what she was eating & drinking right here.

      The tall potted plant in the corner caught Danita’s eye, and did she ever have fun with those overlapping leaves – delightful sketch!

      Serge does such a good job at sketching from his phone, and gets the all the pertinent scene details, including shadows. Well done.

     Marsha is honing her portrait sketch skills –  see her two models, from right to left, Bev & Sandy. She’s such an inspiration in her work.

      Jane was working on a photo from home – the coffee maker lid got warped by an under counter light, hence the frog doorstop on top!

      Barb Sh was quite expressive telling us about the statue of Il Gubbio in Venice and stories that have evolved about him (see her writing).

Tradewinds Cafe, Eugene, OR

Despite the heater going, it was still chilly outside the cafe – Danita, Peggy, Bill, Jim, Hugh, Bitty, Barb Sh, Katie, Lynda, Serge.

     Danita got right after the view out the window – nice!

    Helga and Daisy snuck in, too – Daisy’s doing the trees outside.

       Here’s how Peggy builds her tree, & puts it in context.

   Lealan loves those Tombow markers – have to see next time for the finished work.

   Jane went temporarily auto-crazy, then on to building design.

      Marsha was busy doing portraits of nearby models. Sweet.

      Bill brought a photo as a sketch inspiration – note the guitarist, too.

      Jim is still mining travel mags for sketching ideas – great colors.

      Bitty found a place in the front window to watercolor sketch trees.

     Barb So did a sketch of a photo Jane posted; here she’s with Barb Sh.

   Barb Sh is finishing up her sketchbook from her trip to Italy – nice!

         Katie’s doing sketching from Italy memories & photos, too.

      Lynda took on the challenge of irregular steps up a hill – 2 versions!

      Serge was doing his signature precision watercolor sketch – lovely!

   Here are Lynda & Serge at work, and here’s Sandy’s work of them &

       Hugh! At the next table, working on cross-hatching.

Maude Kerns Art Center, Eugene, OR

We had such great fun sketching at the Members Art Show! Shown here: Sandy, Bev, Jim, Peggy, Ken, Hugh, Carol, Lona, Erik, Marsha, Serge. Elsewhere but also present: Jane, Daisy, Barb So, Michelle.

         Sandy was so intrigued with a wire sculpture that she did it from several angles. The color she added was in the original piece, too.

     Peggy picked the same sculpture to sketch, perfect for pen & ink. Then she lightly sketched in the art hung beyond it for context.

      Bev was looking at different walls, putting sketches on a page with pre-stamped cats (viewing the art!), then on to toned paper.

         Jim was taking the big view of the gallery entry – look how he brought light in through the window to his right for depth.

      Sitting next to Jim, Jane zeroed in on an interesting piece of sculpture, although she said the shadows interested her most!

      Carol & Barb So had fun looking at Jane’s Italy sketchbook and Daisy’s Italy sketch quilt hung beside it.  Then Carol sketched, too.

      Daisy also sketched the wire sculpture, then took in a whole wall from the Club Mud exhibit in the next room – ah, shadows for depth.

          Hugh focused on a metal sculpture, then put it in context with where it was displayed – fascinating sketch of a fascinating sculpture.

      Lona keeps saying she wants to have a lighter hand, and here she was able to get a balance of her usual vivid color with light context!

     Marsha relied on a tried & true trick – sketching sketchers across from her! Great job capturing the essence of Erik & Lona.

      Serge is a whiz at doing quick thumbnail sketches of architecture  (from no particular place, but from his head) – nice values studies.

      Erik’s in his head, too – at the beach! What a nice scene this is going to be, making us all wish we were there, too.

      Ken joined us for some sketching at the show – sketching us sketching! Marsha, Serge, Lona, Erik, Hugh, Peggy, Jane, Jim, & Bev.

      Meanwhile, Michelle was appreciating Daisy’s quilt, and Hugh and Lona stopped by to chat with Ken. What a great art gallery day!

Tradewinds Cafe @ Jiffy, Eugene, OR

     Nice to be in a sheltered heated place “outside!”

Bev, Marsha, Peggy, & artifacts of Jane at the first table.

      Bev started it with a tree outside.

          Marsha added another musician, then drew the tree, too.

       For Peggy, it was all about the tree.

      Jane sketched a little bit of everything.

Bill, Jim, & Katie were at the next table.

      Bill gets a lot of mileage out of his watercolor pencils – nice style.

     Jim sketched what was in front of him, then OMG the crab!

      Katie’s dog was fairly unobtrusive – great model for her, though!

Erik, Hugh, Laura, & Helga do some chatting before sketching.

   Erik is such a master at using wax crayons, even though they’re hard.

   Rather than direct application, Hugh uses a water brush with them.

       Laura loves the new Urban Sketchers book, loves people & the dog.

    Helga brought her view with her – wish we were there, myself.

    Lynda liked a cluster of mushrooms, and had great fun with them.

      Serge is into adding watercolor to architecture – great effect!

       Barb Sh & Lealan munching, then here’s her sketch of Laura!

    Barb Sh finished her Italy trip cover page; the adventure goes on.

      Jude & Daisy prove that you don’t have to know what it is to sketch.

   And look who stopped by! We always appreciate tips from Ken.