Soup craving

Soon after the city errands were done, we drove toward the Chinatown area to satisfy our Pho soup craving.  While waiting for our order, I made a sketch of the scene as reflected from the wall to wall mirror.

Recycle bins

These recycle bins were right before me last night.  I had to sketch it while passing away the time.

Coffee Rush

I stopped by the Starbucks coffee shop yesterday morning - the coldest day in decades - and saw a throng of people waiting at the pickup counter area for their choice drink.  Glad I had mine earlier when it was not too crowded yet.

Draw-A-Thon

I went to the Art and Design Draw-A-Thon and fundraiser event last weekend.  There were traditional/nude models and clothed/cosplay models.  That was a fun event that lasted 9 hours.  I spent more time doing traditional but also enjoyed the clothed models.  At times I got tired looking at the same long pose so I switched it up doing the short gestures.  Doing the head study was a nice exercise.

Pho Soup Fix

I love Pho Soup so finding this Vietnamese Restaurant on Route 7 in Norwalk, CT was a good thing.  A quick meal to satisfy my hunger.   While waiting for my order, I sketched this guy at the table across mine.  Thankfully, he didn't notice me.  Bic 4 color ballpoint pen and Fabriano Ivory paper 85 gms.

 

MNR Train

Gone all day in the city today.  On the way back home, I kept busy sketching the cabin from where I was seated.

Red Chalk

Found this Red Chalk pencil to try from one of the USK symposium freebie goodies.  My unsuspecting model dog came along and lay right next to my desk.  This time, I just focused on the head.

People Gestures

At the I-95 South Bound Rest Stop, I was able to observe and quickly capture some people gestures while having a cup of Dunkin coffee and a coffee roll.  Nice to have that high bar table to myself.

Dog Sketching

Our dog isn't keen on getting looked at.  It's rare that she would allow me to observe her face on but I took the moment as such today.  Here's what I got.

Portrait sketch

I was late joining today's Westchester USK group outing at the Neuberger Museum in SUNY Purchase campus.  All I had was about 15 minutes to sketch before the group started the show and tell from 3:00-3:30pm.  I sketched a portrait painting entitled  "Kaldis at the Cedar Street Tavern, 1966" by the artist named Paul Georges.  After our group event, I maximized the time left by adding more color and silhouettes to the main subject of this oil painting  The trees on the left I sketched them from my mobile studio while attending a lengthy call earlier in the afternoon.  Bic 4 color ball point pen and Fabriano Flexbook Ivory 3.5in x 5.5in pocket sketchbook.

Mezzanine Study Area

In the Greenwich Library, there's a mezzanine study/quiet area.  The cubicles were lined up along the eastern and south side of the building.  Here I was facing south when I sketched the scene before me.  Eventually, a patron took hold of the vacant cubicle across from me and essentially blocked my view.  Oh well, it was good timing to peel off my cubicle anyway.

Model Sketching

I went back to the Silvermine Guild Arts Center last Wednesday for the 3 hour open drawing session.  Same model I sketched a few weeks back when I was last there.  This time, I started small for the quick 3 minute poses and attempted bigger sketches for the longer poses.  Slowly trying to figure out how to sketch the face, hands, feet.

CAT machine

The next yoga class wouldn't start until two hours later and I have about half an hour of daylight left to sketch something yesterday.  I found this CAT heavy machinery parked off site at an unofficial rest area stop on Merritt Parkway south bound where there used to be toll gates back in the late 1980's.  Anyway, I worked on the sketch from my car and added some green shading later at home.  One more thing, I put down the date incorrectly one day ahead of the actual date.

The Flag

This huge flag hanging on one side of a building along Riversville Road in Glenville, CT has always attracted my attention every time I pass by this road.  I found an opportunity to sketch it yesterday after casting my vote at the nearby school voting precinct.  It was raining on and off so I just turn on the wipers as necessary to clear the windshield until I finished sketching the scene.  Bic 4 color ball point pen and Fabriano Flexbook 3.5in x 5.5in Ivory paper 85 gms.

Houses on stilts

In January 2017, I took my daughter for her first visit to the Philippines.  We traveled to Palawan and spent several days there.  In Coron, we stayed at Sunrise Pension House near the pier.  Next to this place is a series of houses built on wooden stilts that I tried to capture on this sketch.  I remember the colorful clothes hanging to dry, the small boat with outrigger, the mesmerizing shadows and reflections on the water, the peaceful atmosphere, the predominant use of bamboo materials.  That was a good vacation.

The High Line

It was a very windy cold day last Saturday at The High Line, a very popular tourist destination, where the NYC Urban Sketchers gathered for the weekend outing.  Too bad, I couldn't stay for longer.  However, it was great to see urban sketcher friends from near and afar even for the short two hours I was with them.    
   
I started a rough sketch of something a few days ago that did not materialize so I repurposed that page for this High Line sketch.  

One Year Anniversary

Guess what?  I made my first blog entry on Oct. 17, 2017 so technically, the "Sketches and Some" blog is a year and several days old.  It's amazing how time flies!

When I started this blog,  I wasn't sure what to write about or how it would turn out.  It was hard and it took agonizing days to create the second entry.  In hindsight, I guess you just need to keep at it no matter what.  Good or bad.  Now, I try to post daily of more recent work, not a repeat, if I can help it.  It is a great pleasure to share my work with you.

Before heading home from the city yesterday, I sketched the sculpture of Jules-Félix Coutan "Glory of Commerce" that sits atop the Grand Central Terminal.  The view was from the corner of East 40th St. & Park Ave.   Bic 4 color ballpoint pen and Fabriano FlexBook Ivory 85 gms.

Street Scene

Almost two years ago, I took my daughter for her first visit to the Philippines.  We stayed for a few days in El Nido, Palawan.  This was the street scene outside of the hotel we stayed at.

Sketching the sketchers

A Drink & Draw event every third Thursday of the month was held at the Jazz Forum Arts in Tarrytown, NY last October 18.  Model Cristina was there but for the second 10 minute pose, I decided to sketch the sketchers instead.

Inktober 31: Last day and Halloween

Last one for the Inktober challenge!  It was Halloween yesterday so I stopped by at a cemetery and randomly selected a sculpture to sketch.  Found this small angel nearby.

Glad I stayed on prompt and kept using the ballpoint pen for most of my entries.  Last year, I mainly used the fountain pen and ink, didn't follow the prompts, and I skipped several entries.  It was exhausting but in the end, I noticed significantly improved confidence drawing directly in ink.  Maybe that will also be true for the ballpoint pen since it can be just as good as ink for general sketching.   We'll see how long it takes before the novelty wears off.  My next goal is to keep this pocket sized sketchbook exclusive to ballpoint pen sketches only.  I'm ready to use watercolor again.