All posts by Marsha McCloskey

Sketching in the Rain

Sept. 28, 2021, Thistledown Farm

Lynda, Tricia, Eva, Laura, Marsha, Daisy, Pat, Peggy (Jane behind camera) hanging out in the mostly empty greenhouses for shelter from the rain.

Daisy said the horse didn’t hang out after she did have a treat, but the sketchers did!

Eva finished her Oregon Trail wagon, on the the challenge of a white pumpkin!

Jane saw a whole different view this time – the covered bridge & fields beyond.

Laura braved the drippy walk overhang to put this sketch of the barn together – nice!

Lynda discovered an additional perspective challenge in the boxes with the corner braces!

Marsha is determined to see what the watercolor crayons can do – what a wet day.

Pat was in the last greenhouse sketching the covered bridge, too. Nice scene details.

Peggy was using the fudosenke brush pen with a delicate application of detail.

Tricia had fun putting together a still life, including a bird house.

It was hard to stop sketching to join the review before we left. Great day for sketching!

More things to sketch at the farm

Sept. 21, 2021, Thistledown Farms, Junction City, OR

Here are the early birds: Marsha, Pat, Jim, Peggy, Eva (& Jane behind camera).

Marsha is using a new tool – Caron de Ache water soluble crayons – finding her way.

Pat couldn’t resist sketching the produce – so perfect for autumn.

Jim has the perfect two image page – he captured the angles as well as the color!

Peggy said, that flower was one of my mom’s favorites – she got these in great detail.

Eva got the Iines of that Oregon Trail wagon just right – newt go darker…hmmm….

For someone who claimed she just couldn’t find anything interesting to sketch…nice job!

Laura was so intent on sketching things that make this place unique – nice 2 page spread.

Sharon gets all her tools in order for her field sketch – lovely scene!

Tricia has fallen in love with this place – let’s keep coming back! OK.

Surprise! Danita’s here! Been sketching in a storage room, & how do you like them apples.

It wouldn’t be a true TD outing without doing the sketch review.

Farm to sketchbook

Sept. 14, 2021 – Thistledown Farms

BarbSo, Tricia, Pat, Peggy, Eva, Marsha; Katie, Laura, BarbSo, Tricia, Pat, Peggy, Eva, Marsha, Daisy, Jim, Sandy, Hugh. (Sharon in the field, Jane behind camera.)

Pat, Sharon, Peggy; Marsha, Katie, Laura; Jim, Hugh, Sandy.

BarbSo got a sketch of the iconic Thistledown barn & windmill, then vignettes.

Daisy’s got the standing up sketch down – nice choice of interesting flowers!

Eva is tying different strategies with her pastels & watercolor pencils – nice old wagon!

Where was Gail? See the windmill upper left? She was sketching in the barn!

Hugh does a careful grid of the colors of his tools, & it pays off – nice sketch!

Here’s Jane taking photos – she did a black & white sketch of what she saw here.

Jim had a different angle of the farm produce building to sketch – with gazebo!

Katie got a new landscape oriented sketchbook, so did a new frame format for it – nice!

Laura took a different approach to her page -” it’s like a collage, someone said!” Yes!

Marsha used Caran de’Ache crayons & water brush for her sketch of the barn & windmill.

Pat showed how she tied her last sketch together (wow!), then did a wide landscape view.

Peggy’s really getting into watercolor exploration – fun with these fig leaves!

Sandy borrowed husband Hugh’s colored pencils for this sketch – how handy!

Remember Sharon was in the field? Here’s why – she got up close to the scarecrow!

Tricia is so skilled with that Goliath watercolor brush – a quick rendition on the spot!

Gathering for the sketch review – we enjoy seeing our different foci and styles.

Who are these masked sketchers?

Sept. 7, 2021 – Oakway Center Courtyard

We just kept gaining sketchers as the morning went on – we’re so happy to be back sketching together. And now, in order of appearance (more or less):

Bill, often at the coast, is discovering the fun of water soluble fountain pen ink – nice!

Jane, camera & mask in hands, sketched a photo of basil given to her by a neighbor.

Jim, truly an urban sketcher, caught the interplay of building and lamp post lines.

We’re enjoying having Sharon back with us, & she enjoyed the courtyard flowers.

BarbSo looked over the book list Bill brought, & did a potted flower sketch, more at home.

Katie made a coffee run before getting down to watercolor business – what fun!

Marsha used Derwent Chromaflow pencils to get just the right leaf color.

Pat was fascinated with business signs – now, how to link them on the page….hmmm…

Peggy is having a blast using the vignette frames – quite a charming page altogether!

Eva is getting more adept at using pastels & colored pencils to get darks – lovely sketch.

Gail sketched Marsha & Pat – then she said she just gets started with dots & can’t stop!

Daisy, our stand-up sketcher, sketched sketchers: Peggy, Marsha, & BarbSh.

And here’s BarbSh sketching Bill & Jim – love the final touch on the page, hands on!

Last, but not least, Tricia zeroed in on the hanging baskets full of blooms.

Our reviews are mostly gather around and chat – how did you do that?

TD Zoom #41

Laura, Jane (muted because dogs), Peggy, Bev (being zoom moderator), Marsha (relaxing a bit from zoom responsibilities), Daisy (probably knitting), Rita (back home & on zoom!).

Bev, getting “peopled out”, turns to her cat & collage!

Daisy’s focused on other things, too, & back to drawing on quilt blocks (finally, she says),

Jane, for all her resistance to sketching people…sketched people!

Laura hasn’t given up on people, but broadened her focus & even did greeting cards!

Marsha continues to refine her people sketching, loving using TUL pens & water.

I think we’re going to have to do a people intervention with Peggy….having too much fun!

Rita has sketched her way down the coast & is now back home – wonderful sketches!