• Sketching Outside Continues (so far…)

    Norma Pfeiffer Park, Coburg, OR

    Nearly all of us under shelter – Peggy, Laura, Jim, Sandy, Hugh, Marsha.  Jane, Daisy, & Barb Sh were about, too. Chilly but not wet.

          Barb Sh was gettin up close & personal with one of the pine trees. Just look at the texture she got in the trunk & limbs!

          The shining balloons tied to a swing caught Daisy’s eye, and when she finished that she took on a colorful cluster of leaves in a bush.

          Hugh was trying to catch autumn leaf colors, too, but what’s he got? A water brush with a smudge stick? Wonderful for blending, he says.

          Jane’s love of botany came out today – she used water soluble ink, and it gave the sketch a colorful lift when she wet it with a brush.

          Jim was remembering the Saginaw Vineyard where he had an art show. Think he’s pleased with his sketch? He ought to be!

          Here’s what caught Laura’s eye across the street about the ornate house – no water on the crayons, just layers of color make it pop.

          Peggy was looking the same direction, but the starting sketch of the house disappeared all together in her fascination with the trees!

          Marsha was looking the opposite direction – park benches & autumn colors, with an up close view of the maple leaf.  Charming.

          Sandy is getting quite accomplished at people sketches – here Laura and Peggy. She used water on her watercolor pencils – painterly!

    Our masked show & tell – Marsha, Laura, Jim, Hugh, Daisy, Barb Sh.

    Peggy, Jim, Sandy, Marsha, Daisy, Laura, Barb Sh, Hugh.  Must remember to bring fingerless gloves next time we’re out!

  • Neither Wind Nor Rain Stop Us From Sketching

    Oakway Mall Courtyard, Eugene, OR

    Tucked away under the overhang: Peggy, Jim, Marsha, & Ken. Jane was doing camera work, her sketchbook lower right.

          Here’s where Jim left off last week, and here he goes with water color! It’s such a warm lively sketch, makes you want to be there!

          Jane got intrigued by the tower construction, & since she was using water-soluble ink, she just couldn’t leave well enough alone.

          Peggy’s eye was caught by the gnarly tree and surrounds, which she captured completely in ink (as is fitting for “Inktober”).

          Ken’s so resourceful – here he uses a paper towel for an ink brush sketch of one of the oak trees. It absorbs ink fast, so he moved fast!

          Marsha started sketching the masked sketchers, then really had fun putting little vignettes of context on the pages, too. Take a look!

  • At Oakway Courtyard in the Sun!

    Oakway Mall Courtyard, Eugene, OR

       Masked and spread out – Laura, Daisy, Marsha, Peggy, Jim.  Another view: Marsha, Peggy, Daisy, Sandy, Jim, Hugh, Penny, Laura.

    And yet another view of the crew, starting upper left: Daisy, Hugh, Laura, Jim, Penny, Sandy, Marsha, Peggy.

         Helga joined us later, but got in a sketch of the courtyard structure – nice perspective! So glad to have you back with us.

         Jane was there, too, focused first on free floating images. She was using water soluble Elegant Writer pen & watercolor.

         Jim caught the scene at a slightly different angle, with his usual ink precision. Watercolor is no doubt coming soon – stay tuned!

          Penny wasn’t too sure she still knew how to sketch, but gamely began and look at the finished product! Yep, she’s still got it!

        There were lots of large pots & plants to draw, and Marsha used her colored pencils to good effect capturing the turning autumn leaves.

          Peggy picked the pot & tree, too, & kept saying she was trying to get looser. Hmm, maybe try watercolor first and ink last? Still nice.

          Laura sketched a potted tree & flowers, too, first with an underdrawing, then watercolor, and then a soft brown ink pen.

          Daisy saw an entirely different tree & had fun defining it with water soluble colored pencils. Then on to the Black-eyed Susan.

          Hugh sketched both of the trees in pots, first in ink, then water soluble crayons, and then water brush. The yellow wall makes it pop!

        Sandy was the only one to do people! Laura, then the pot & tree with Daisy beyond. She also used water soluble crayons. Very sweet!

    It was nice to have the long bench for our show & tell. We’ll be back.

  • Back to the mystery of Cortesia Sanctuary

    Cortesia Sanctuary, Eugene, OR

       It’s always a challenge to know where & what to start sketching here. Peggy, Tricia, Laura, and Tricia, Daisy, Satoko get settled in.

          Danita didn’t waste any time when she came in – sketching the garden as seen through the decorative pergola walk supports!

          When Jane wasn’t running around taking pictures of all of us, she was selecting special pieces of the garden to sketch.

          Peggy, who has a background of doing detailed acrylic paintings, is using the Japanese brush to loosen up, and it’s working! Nice.

          There’s Laura! She sketched a decorative gate to the labyrinth, then added nearby plants. And who’s that just beyond her? Marsha!

          Always thinking ahead, Marsha found a secluded apple tree & took a photo of the fruit so she could sit with some of us to sketch it!

          Our hostess, Tricia, has a distinctive sketching style – loose watercolor along with poetic commentary. Always interesting.

       It’s a challenge to find Cortesia, but Daisy made it and did a charming sketch of the garden gate entry, with hints of mystery.

          Satoko took a break in her busy schedule to come sketch with us, & we love watching her watercolor sketches as they develop.

    Show & tell time! Laura, Satoko, Jane,Daisy, Tricia, Marsha, Peggy, and Danita line up behind their work on display. What did we see?

          Satoko, Laura, & Daisy lay out their work for viewing. First Tricia’s two sketches with Laura’s two; then Satoko’s lovely watercolors.

          Sketches by Jane & Daisy; Peggy & Marsha; Danita. Great time!

  • Stress-reduction Sketching

    Owen Rose Garden, Eugene, Or

    Turns out that sketching is a great way to lessen the effects of stress in these stressful times. Here’s a sample of at home sketching:

       Laura enjoyed exploring watercolor for the daily prompt challenge the group is doing, while Tricia is going for landscape spreads.

          Barbara said she discovered she was wearing a variation on three themes at home – robe, painting gear, gardening – fun way to show it!

    Then we got down to work in the Rose Garden: Laura, Jim, Barb Sh, Marsha, Peggy.

         Jane, Marsha, Daisy; Tricia. It takes effort to find us all!

          Laura tried her hand a sketching the benches and the gazebo – quite a challenge! But her final sketch turned out to be quite charming!

          Jim chose a different vantage point from the walkway (& ignored the guys doing yoga on the lawn). Nice depth perspective here!

          Marsha caught the guys doing yoga, a bicyclist & walker, and the tree just beginning to turn fall color (graphite pencil & colored pencil).

          Peggy worked on a tree, too, but this one’s deciduous. And she used Japanese brushes with watercolor for a loose effect. Great effect!

          The Japanese anemones caught Jane’s attention. They were so wispy she just did a light pencil & then watercolor & inked frames.

         Barb Sh assured their wispiness by sketching and watercoloring with her non-dominant hand. What a lovely effect she got!

          Daisy got quite botanical in style (nice!), then did a loose watercolor of them, and a sketch of fellow sketcher Jim from behind. What fun.

          Around the corner, Tricia found some autumn crocus, so she did a whole page dedicated to harbingers of autumn, including notes.

    And we closed with show &. tell sharing on a picnic table – it’s always so interesting to see what others have sketched, what techniques and tools they’ve used, how they chose to present the topic.