All posts by Marsha McCloskey

#22 TD Zoom – so much going on! And we’re going with it.

Marsha, Jane, Danita, Bitty, Daisy, Barb So., Bev, Laura, Hugh.

      Barb So. has such a light joyous approach to her sketches this spring.

   Bev always has a way to make simple things from home be special.

        From closeups to landscapes sketched during a zoom presentation, Bitty is having a wonderful time sketching.

      Daisy did another recipe sketch for a novel, a 2 page spread to celebrate the expedition to Mars, and the traditional field kit sketch.

  Danita’s on a horticulture exploration, and we sure enjoy it!

      Hugh’s artist eye serves him well in sketches from near and far.

   Jane can always be diverted by flowers, but coffee & a Danish-yes!


Marsha’s been preoccupied with installing a new computer, but her tulips still snared her for yet another lovely loose sketch.

      Sandy’s been too busy to get to our Zoom meeting, but not to sketch.

     Rita & husband are off on an exploration, which she’s busy recording.

#21 TD Zoom Meeting – it’s SPRING!

Marsha, Jane, Danita, Bev, BarbSo, Daisy, Hugh, Sandy, Laura.

Laura uses both sides of the pages in her sketchbook, and primarily works in colored pencil. The amaryllis is stunning!

     Sandy has gotten into sketching couples she finds on her walks, and has devoted one sketchbook solely to bird couples!

      Hugh continues to explore with his use of water soluble inks, but has also made a commitment to do at least one digital sketch a week.

Daisy was rightfully proud of her sketch of the bubbling rock fountain at Hendricks Park – great job!

        Barb So sketched her dog in the hyacinths, took a class on direct to watercolor for portraits, and drew a cheerful bird in her yard. Nice!

       Bev is stretching herself – first a bridge detail, then playing with circles (what fun that turned out to be!), and a lovely camellia.

       Danita loves native plants – hence the trillium and the Oregon grape, she also  worked roses into a wreath technique from a zoom class.

      Jane’s double page spreads are quite different from each other. She seems to be spreading her wings in trying out new techniques.

      Just when you think you’ll never get water soluble ink away from Marsha, she surprises you with a watercolor then ink sketch! Wow.

#20 TD Zoom – busy, busy, busy!

Marsha, Jane, Danita, Laura, Bitty, Bev, Daisy, Hugh, Rita, Sandy.

          A cluster of rocks caught Marsha’s eye, and she had a wonderful time playing with them. Then she did a zoom meeting sketch. Fun!

     Reflections of Jane’s experience in the Sketchbook Design class can be seen in her sketching – lots more text, use of headings, & dates.

      Here are several of Danita’s pieces inspired by Sketchbook Revival – the 2 page spreads show how page one developed into an art piece!

      Laura enjoyed Sketchbook Revival, too – lovely watercolor sketches of such diverse topics and techniques. We enjoyed seeing her work.

      Bitty had wonderful work to show from our outing at Hendrick’s Park, and then a quick delightful sketch of folks eating a Tacovore.

    Bev is getting outside to sketch in Brookings. You can sure see her design background in the way she develops her pages – terrific!

      Daisy didn’t waste wait time at the vaccine clinic – sketching it of course! Then a wet-on-wet tulip, & whimsical owl from SR.

      Hugh’s really on a roll exploring his water soluble inks – fast & fun! He’s such a great role model for diving into an art exploration.

      Rita’s a Sketchbook Revival aficionado, too, finding inspirational quotes, collage with pockets, and fun with mark making. Love it.

      You can tell where Sandy goes on her walks, because she’s busy playing Urban Sketcher, with such interesting life captures. Nice!

#19 TD Zoom – Hallelujah for Sketchbook Revival!

While not all of us are participating* in Sketchbook Revival, we’re all being influenced by it and having a great time discovering.

*Laura, *Jane, Marsha, *Bev, *Daisy, Bitty, *Danita, *BarbSo.

          Laura had great fun loosening up with the single line drawings, & the pattern overlay challenges. Then the lovely sketch from Coburg.

  Jane borrowed the “sketch with twigs” idea from Sketchbook Revival for her blueberry limb, & dared to collage thanks to SR, too.

      Marsha’s been busy with family visiting for a birthday celebration, but dashed these off when we met in the park in Coburg Friday.

      Bev says she feels like a kid again, playing with ideas from Sketchbook Revival. Nice car dashboard sketch, & out the window.

   Daisy enjoyed the street crack inspiration for an abstract, and we enjoyed her next novel installment for the brownies!

     Bitty likes doing loose sketches in between her exploratory abstract sketches for her class. Nice break from writing science articles.

      Danita’s discovering how many art tools she has for the Sketchbook Revival exercises, and does she ever put them to good use!

      BarbSo is really into the SR prompts – having great fun sketching with sticks, doing blind line drawings, and doing collage. Yay!

PS – click on the Friday Sketch Group in the menu bar at the top of this page – yes, they’re meeting again, outside & masked! What a joy.

#18 TD Zoom Meeting – trying new (to us) stuff

Bev, Jane, Laura, Marsha, Lealan (here with us taking a break from home remodeling), Danita, Rita, Hugh, Daisy, BarbSo, Sandy, Bitty.

      Barb So is one of several of us participating in Sketchbook Revival. She even made her own sketchbook! Lots of skills taught here. Wow.

      Daisy did the shoe exercise, too, as well as the “one continuous line” and then took it the extra step by making further art from them.

      Danita also did the shoe (grab available tools, 1 min. each!); then the take-off on the cracks in the road; and the playful owl with D’s raven.

      Bitty’s taking a different class, here doing some mark making and then developing them into an abstract painting. Sweet fawn lily, too.

          Marsha’s getting caught up in the water soluble ink trend, starting with the church view from FedEx (see, urban sketching here, too!).

     Sandy was testing out the effects of different inks using the wooden bowl from her dad. Then she shared her new terrific apple discovery.

      Hugh likes the effect water soluble ink gives to a sketch;  if he waits for dried ink (1 hour?) before water brushing, the lines aren’t lost.

        Jane’s still reeling from the design class, still trying 2 page layout, but not so rigid about doing all the design elements. Keep breathing!

         Bev says she was doing her part in just sketching! Delightful, too. And Laura drew first then watercolored, and reversed the process.

      Rita’s sketching what she sees around her, to a delightful effect. She tried splatter, but didn’t like it, and wonders what to do with bunnies.