Lunch at Bryant Park

The Bryant Park is three blocks away from where I work so I took a lunch break there one day this week.  I saw a group having a nice break in one corner so I sketched them.  I don't think they noticed me at all and even if they did, it was just a sketch of them anyway.

A Pizza Store sketch

I started the work week without a packed lunch so it gave me a chance to go out of the office, buy some food, and eat lunch outside.  I chose to eat lunch at the converted walk space along Broadway and West 37th Street.  From where I was, I saw a Pizza place that attracted my attention as I ate my lunch.  There was a nice reflection of the street scene against the shop glass window.  I  thought it would be a good sketch practice.  It was and I finished the hatching later at home.

A Vespa Scooter

While Anne was busy checking out the stationery store, niconeco zakkaya, on East 10th Street, I was busy sketching a parked scooter within my field of view.  I was in a bench in front of a hair salon two doors down the stationery store.  The scene was busy but I kept the sketch minimally by limiting the details that come with the subject.  And I think it worked fine!

After the workshop

After my workshop event at Bryant Park last weekend, Anne and I met up and decided to explore a little bit of the shops in the Lower East Side.  We visited a stationery store and a coffee shop.  I had the chance to sketch inside the Le Phin Coffee Shop and shared the finished work with the grateful owner/proprietor.  When asked if they could write their names on the page, they said "it would be an honor".  What a nice feeling to share something that brings joy!

  

The Old Tree by Pamela Rosenkranz

The NYC Urban Sketchers met today at the High Line to sketch the Old Tree installation by Pamela Rosenkranz.  Today's visit was just right for this installation will be replaced with a new one in the fall .  The news says a huge Pigeon sculpture will take its place.  Today's turnout was good though and everyone seem to have had a good time.  

Lower Right: Susan and Joan

Summer Friday Blues

Our Summer Fridays hasn't been kind to me the last couple of weeks (supposedly off-work at 2:00 pm provided all work is done).  Today, I left work later than I would like but on the way to Grand Central Terminal, I got the idea to shake off the blues by sketching something, anything.  I settled on a scene at the corner of 5th Avenue and West 38th Street.  Surprisingly, it worked and I felt better as I added some more shading to the sketch on the train ride home.  I thought the small touch of color on the flag made it more interesting.

The Rubin Museum of Art

When I learned about the NYC USk going to the Rubin Museum of Art last weekend, I had to go, for it may very well be the last of our group outing there (a first for me) before the museum closes it doors in October and goes globally virtual only.  A docent and an urban sketcher friend, Judy Garza, gave us a special private group tour which was really nice.  

Two sketchers among the many who were gathered at this sculpture by Tsherin Sherpa.

In another gallery on the same floor, I found this sculpture, "Durga Killing the Buffalo Demon", of Nepalese origin.  I have never sketched so many hands at one time but I just did a suggestion of hands more than actually doing all in fine details.

The last sketch I did was of Ganesha at the main floor as three urban sketcher friends were sketching the same subject.  It was a fun and productive day for me.  Unfortunately, I had to leave the show & tell portion much earlier than usual as I had other engagements to fulfill that day in the city.

The Bryant Park Fountain

It's one of the most recognizable spot at the beautiful Bryant Park.  I wanted to capture a little of the fountain and some scenes beyond.  This was the view looking north of the park.  What I would like to do next is to get some color on this using Procreate.

 

A Summer Friday Sketch

This sketch was done early last month when we were two weeks in into the office Summer Fridays program.  I recall that was a muggy afternoon but I persevered in capturing the scene at Broadway and 40th Street.  This sketch was done on a double spread B5 size MUJI notebook.  I took photos of it but didn't get a satisfactory results.

Up until this evening, the Canon scanner software I've been using with my Mac was the Image Capture application, which I wasn't too happy about with the output. Enter the Canon IJ Scan Utility Lite which I discovered from an IG post by someone I follow and who does really amazing artwork.  He got the same scanner like mine and now I know I will get better scan results of my artwork with this new software than if I were to photograph it.  It can even stitch together two pictures into one.  It's a win-win situation!  Yay!