Another 10 minutes to spare in between before catching the 6:39 PM train on the Lower Level at Track 102A. Countless times I've passed by this arched window, part of the Oyster Bar and Restaurant food preparation area, by the passage way. A diner caught my attention, framed by the narrow window pane. Some solid metal window structure to add and there we have a sketch!
Earlier this evening, after work, I had 10 minutes to spare before catching my train. I stood outside the Oyster Bar & Restaurant by the door entrance inside the Grand Central Terminal. I sketched what was visible from my spot and finished working on it on the train. Glad I finished it before reaching my destination.
I brought in my car for a quick oil change job at the next door gas station and repair shop. They were very nice to accommodate me without a prior appointment. They had booked several jobs for the day but due to the snowy weather on Tuesday, only one have shown up when I got there. I asked if I could just wait until they finish the job, not to rush them. I just wanted to peek into the vision window and get a nice sketch of the repair bay area. The red-painted tire machine caught my attention so I started the sketch from there. That upper right corner was the rear under pinning of my car. Once Benny got into the scene, I had to add him in as he worked on the other car. The office manager checked me out, curious at what I was doing. Soon, Alex finished working on my car. Before I left the shop, I showed the sketch to Alex and Benny. They both liked it.
Last weekend's sketch-meet was at the American Museum of Natural History. It's one of the interesting museums to visit in the city. At first, I parked myself in the North American Mammals Exhibit but it was too dark to work there on my blue tint pre-marked page. Soon, I found my way to the Ocean Life Exhibit where I tried sketching the Blue Whale hanging from the ceiling until it was lunch break with the group at the food hall. Later, I came back to the same spot in the hall and continued working on the sketch with a Posca white brush pen that was running out of ink. I kept pumping the pen for more ink flow to the brush but it was slow and semi-dry. However, I managed to lay down some ink on where it matters most on the paper. One pump too many and it dripped a blob on the paper. Luckily, it landed at where I wanted it to happen. That became the alcove on the far right side. A happy accident!
I was away on a short trip two weeks ago and I know that one tire up front has a leak and would be needing air after I came back. Well, it was flat so put the emergency spare tire on and drove the car to Midas Tire Center in Port Chester last Saturday. I told them I need a replacement valve. Upon inspection, they found another tire with a faulty valve and also suggested replacing the rotors and brakes, too. Such was the problem with keeping older cars. It had to be done anyway so for the two hours they worked on my car, I found time to sketch-wait the repair job.
Last week, on two occasions, I sketched from the same spot in the Grand Central Terminal, Lower Concourse. On Monday evening, I tried to finish the sketch. Here's what came out of it.
When you descend the ramp toward the Lower Concourse of the Grand Central Terminal, a small dining area is to your left. I saw a chance to sketch the dining scene a few days ago starting with the man with the headphones on. The sketch was done quickly and later improved upon. Two evenings later, I saw another opportunity to add to the first sketch. A couple had secured the next table and I was ready to sketch them. I had to approximate their positioning relative to the first sketch I made. I think it turned out ok. My plan is to keep coming back to the same spot and adding more people to this scene.
I have a very exciting news to share. On April 12, 2024, I will lead a class, Sketching People in the City, at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL), 455 Fifth Avenue, NYC as part of their Free Programs offering called "Friday Night Sketch Club". In this class, I will share the things I've learned in sketching people. When I was a beginner sketcher, I always try to avoid introducing any human figure in my sketch. Why is that? you ask. Well, drawing the human figure was just difficult for me...until I made it my goal of drawing a respectable human figure someday. It took many hours of sketch practice and commitment to observing people on a daily basis. Now, it is less intimidating to actually introduce a human figure in my sketch practice. Here's the posted program announcement on the SNFL Bulletin Board I saw earlier this evening.
