New Year's Eve Day

On this very last day of the year, Anne and I visited the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy in Yonkers, NY.  We were amazed at the beautiful sights and scenery at this location.  Fortunately, the weather was pleasant and not too cold for outdoor sketching.  At the Vista Overlook, I sketched the Ruin Garden and the mighty Hudson River and the Palisades bluffs in the background.  Then we walked over to the Temple of Love.  I was looking straight at it when I did the sketch.  Finally, when it got a bit colder due to the wind, we left for some good Ramen lunch in Hartsdale, NY and an afternoon coffee at Coffee Labs in Tarrytown, NY where I did a sketch of the crowd before me.  The ballpoint pen sketch need a bit more work or some color which I will do on another occasion.

The Blue Ceramic Platter

There's a blue ceramic platter on our dining table we use to hold anything food related.  We usually store the bananas and avocados on it.  This morning, I was looking for something to sketch and this platter attracted my attention.  Two pieces of each were resting on it: bananas, tomatoes, shallots and the individually wrapped mini-Panettone bread. 

The Steam Vent

On the way home Thursday evening, I was looking for something to sketch and noticed the steam coming out of the pipe on Madison Avenue, between 38th and 39th Streets.  I picked a spot on the sidewalk where I could sketch it.  Minutes into my sketching, a passerby asked if I was sketching and if he could see my work.  He noticed the scribbles on my page.  His name was Edmund.  He does watercolor and described his process a little bit.  Shortly, he walked to unlock his bike from the bike rack and we said goodbye.  The following day, I went back to the same spot and took a picture of my sketch.  Better to see it in daylight before adding watercolor to it.  I wanted to depict the steam coming out of the pipe.

 

A Vase of Flowers

It's Sunday.  Between all the house chores and the digital entertainment I busied myself with, finding time to do an activity like walking and sketching became more meaningful.  Had a nice catch-up call with my daughter during my walk late in the afternoon.  After I got home, I was restless to do a sketch.  I saw the vase of flowers on top of the bookshelf along with a candle and a pine cone next to it.  This choice won over the pair of boots I wore during my walk.  I went ahead sketching the vase of flowers using the TWSBI VAC700R EF nib with Platinum Carbon Ink.  Good to practice with that pen I haven't used for quite some time.  

 

At the Philippine Consulate in NYC

The NYC Urban Sketchers were invited to sketch inside the Philippine Embassy on 5th Avenue, New York City on Saturday (12/16/2023) thru an invitation from the Deputy Consul General, Adrian Elmer S. Cruz.  This came about after his artistically inclined daughter joined her first sketching event with the NYC USK sketch meet at the Rockefeller Center the previous week.  

Never mind that I have a previous commitment for the day but I had to show up at this sketch meet even for a couple of hours.  Met a personnel who have family ties with another employee at the consulate in Madrid, Spain.  You see, my late father was an employee there for many years and so the connection.  It's amazing, what a small world it is!  I also had a photo opportunity with the Deputy Consul General, Mr. Cruz, before heading back to Grand Central Terminal to catch my train home.

The Urban Sketchers at work. 

With Deputy Consul General, Mr. Cruz

The Philippine Embassy Main Lobby

  

The Pay Loader Machinery

I got my car back from the repair shop after a long 2 weeks wait.  Clutch repair fixed!  However, my car wouldn't start due to the weak battery.  They had to jump start the car and told me to run it for about 15 minutes so the battery wouldn't discharge.  I did that and took the opportunity to sketch a parked heavy machinery at a nearby corporate plaza parking lot while letting the car idle a little bit.

 

The NYPL Christmas Tree

The Christmas Tree at the NYPL Main Library lobby on 5th Avenue is a beauty.  I parked myself toward the left side stairway of the lobby to sketch the scene.  Back in 2019, I did a sketch of the Christmas Tree from the opposite side stairway.

The Bryant Park Christmas Tree

A few weeks ago, before the grand lighting ceremony, I stopped by to check out and sketch the decorated tree on the way home.  I finally found the time to add some color to it last weekend.

 

A Commuter Sketch

It seem to me that doing the initial observation of a commuter scene and locking on an idea what to sketch helps to translate that into a workable and faster sketch time.  The shading process is what takes longer once I have a sketch to work with.  I guess that's the drawback with working with a ballpoint pen.

On this sketch, I know the train conductor will move fast down the aisle checking for passenger tickets but will most likely repeat the same gesture until he reaches the end of the car.  So I quickly noted his body position, referencing it against the rows of seats, before adding the rest of the passengers to the scene.  They don't move as much anyway.  

A Lunch Date with a Friend

The day finally happened on November 19 when had a lunch date with our friend, Grace.  We had been planning this for quite sometime as our belated birthday celebration for her.  She requested we try the Old Post Tavern in Fairfield, CT.  The food was great and it didn't disappoint!  I managed to do a sketch of Grace and Anne while they were conversing.  Once we got home, I punched up the lines a little bit.

Waiting for a ride

My 16 year old car with a standard transmission broke down a week ago.   It was a clutch failure.  Luckily, I wasn't driving on the road but it happened at a most inconvenient time.  Made it to my doctor's appointment in a hurry via a taxi service and did the same on the return trip back to the storage facility where it happened.  The car insurance office sent a tow service but it took a long 3.5 hours wait.  Well, I didn't mind the wait as I kept busy with my sketching at the clinic, the storage facility where it broke down, and the gas repair shop where my car was deposited for repairs.

The Draw-A-Thon 2023

This was my fourth time doing the draw-a-thon fund raising event at the High School of Art and Design.  Luckily, I have kept and used the same sketchbook since I first tried it in 2018 and in 2019 and 2022.  The focus of my sketch this year was the artists instead of the models.  I thought it was more fun to capture the crowd scene.  I left earlier than usual this time.

The End of a Music Performance

Got off work earlier than usual on this eve of Thanksgiving Day so I decided to do a sketch along 7th Avenue for a change before heading home. I saw a performing violinist in a closed off area reserved for pedestrians only.  She played beautifully but I arrived too late and soon she was packing away her things.  I abandoned the idea to include her in my sketch.  Initially, I thought I could sketch her gesture from memory but it was a stretch. Instead, I went ahead sketching anything that I saw before me.

The Nyack-on-the-Hudson Street Fair

We visited this fair last year and again this year.  The difference was we drove to Nyack this time instead of parking our car at the Tarrytown Landing area and walking the 3.5 mile span of the Mario Cuomo Bridge.  Lots of walking to see the little shops!  I let Anne do her thing while I contently remain in one spot and sketch a scene.

Navarre, The Town Council of Roncal

Back in 2016, after discovering the NYC Urban Sketchers, I joined their weekend sketch outing at the Hispanic Society Museum and Library. The museum closed and underwent a five year renovation and was recently opened to the public once again. It was just fitting to join the NYC USk there today to mark my 8 years of having fun with like-minded individuals. I recall sketching the "Sevilla, Holy Week Penitents" in 2016. Today, I sketched another of Sorolla's murals, "Navarre, The Town Council of Roncal". I used a brown colored pre-marked page with random black marks and made a study of the painting using Posca markers and PITT Artist Brush pens. It was a fun filled day though a bit chilly. Another great outing with my sketching friends in the city.

The Vibraphone Player

The high pitched tone of the vibraphone was sure to fill the air.  The xylophone player was hitting the bars with no abandon.  I was sure of mixed reactions to his music play list.  A couple walking by me was heard saying, "Oh, it's annoying!" while I saw some groups in the distance taking time to listen to the player.  I just minded my own business of sketching the scene, including another urban sketcher ahead of me.

A view from the Brooklyn Bridge Park

Sunday last weekend, a much beautiful weather than the day before it was all that was needed to be sketching with familiar friends and new found ones.  This iconic view we all tackled but it was difficult where to start. I chose the people first and the rest just seem to follow. 

The Workshop Event

The rainy day forecast on September 23 didn't improve so I continued the workshop right outside of the West Balcony of the Grand Central Terminal.  We were outside but sheltered from the rain.  There were six participants including one person who helped monitored the event.  This was such a fun experience that all the difficulties and challenges I encountered to see it through became a moot point.  I did enjoy describing my work process and sharing it with the people in the workshop.  It's something unconventional but the results can be fun and visually appealing.  I wouldn't mind doing another workshop like this in the near future.

I used a pre-marked sheet from a collaboration with another urban sketcher, Janet Gerson, who sent me the digital version during the early days of pandemic in 2020.  That was during the time when we were doing the Zoom digital urban sketch meet-ups.  I saved a printed copy for when the right time comes. The workshop was just the right moment to use it.  It took me two other quick drawing sessions for a second look at the same spot before I was able to call it a finished drawing.  There's a short video of the workshop at the end of this entry.

The finished work.

A Workshop Dry-Run

Finally, I was able to do a workshop "dry-run" with my daughter, Marie, and her partner, Franklin, last weekend just in time before they travel back west to Colorado.  I found one of my pre-marked pages and used it for this scene.  I like that some of the marks already align with the scene I was looking at.  The group of ladies came into the picture as they decide where to go next.  Initally, at that spot, I already sketched an outline of a young guy sitting on the pylon against the backdrop "A" frame of the building in construction.  Then I noticed the NYC taxi (late addition) which came out great in yellow to add to the scene. 

The NYC USK outing at Green-Wood Cemetery

There was a scheduled re-enactment or celebration of the Revolutionary War  - The Battle of Brooklyn - that was held at the Green-Wood Cemetery the last weekend in August.  It was a beautiful day for everyone to enjoy.  I sketched this scene as they, both re-enactors of the period as well as support team personnel, tried to anchor guy lines for the tent.  

After our lunch break, I found another section of the cemetery where the view toward Manhattan was just inspiring.  This was away from the entrance gate where the celebration was happening.  Incidentally, I still have with me some pre-marked sheets including this one that was partially laid out with a scene from last year's summer celebration at Queens Botanical Garden.  I thought I could re-use this page for something and I think it turned out just fine.  Am very happy with how the colors just blended in the scene.

The Watkins Welding Shop

A support bar for one of our metal-frame chairs broke off last week so I took it to a local welding shop in White Plains on Saturday morning.  I showed up at the address and talked to the owner.  Initially, he asked me to come back next week to pick it up but he knew it would be a quick spot weld repair so he fixed it in no time.  I took the opportunity to sketch-wait at his machine shop.  Some 10 minutes later and it was done so I had to finish my sketch, too.  Showed him the sketch and asked if ok to take a picture of him in his shop.  He said ok. 

A Midtown Street Scene

Earlier in the week, I scouted an area where I'm planning to do a workshop next month.  Mainly, I was looking for subjects and several views that could be of interest.  After all, it's about doing something fun!

The Garment District Iconic Sculpture

Last Friday, I took the time to sketch this iconic sculpture on 7th Avenue.   I was already in the area anyway post-work-get-together event.  This sculpture has been on my "to sketch" subject list.  Glad to see it has been fulfilled.

 

A view from the 24th Floor

Two weeks ago, I met up with my visiting relatives from Nashville, TN and joined them for their weekend stay in the city.  The view from the 24th floor hotel room was so nice and appealing, I had to sketch it on one of my pre-marked pages in my sketchbook.

A view North of 36th and Madison Ave

I've wanted to sketch this scene for sometime and the opportunity to do it came last week.  I like the One Vanderbilt Tower in the background and the terrace like structure of the middlel buildings.  The  terra cotta rooftop and the one way street sign caught my attention.  I thought it would fit into this pre-marked page and effectively transform this scene into an interesting sketch.

A view from the South Cove Park

A Sunday sketch outing with the NYC USk group.  We met at the South Cove Park in Lower Manhattan.  It has a nice view of the Hudson River and the One World Trade Center tower.  Here is my attempt to play with a pre-marked page and making the scene fit into it.

A view near 45th Street and Vanderbilt Ave

I ended up sketching this view three blocks north of the Grand Central Terminal instead of joining the group at the MET Museum outing yesterday.  The weather was cool and sunny so it was just the perfect weather to be outside.  Made the random marks on my sketchbook and carefully integrated the scene before me.