Walking in Burgundy: Day 2

The feeling of anticipation and excitement in starting this self-guided walk was dampened by the rainy forecast for the following three days.  We were hoping it would be nicer but a misty light rain wasn't too bad either that Monday morning.   

After our breakfast, I set out to do a quick sketch of the church I saw the night before.  I also wanted to mail a small package at the post office before our hike.  I had some time to sketch the post office building before it opened.  Dijon is a beautiful city but we were just passing through.  

The courier arrived at the hotel on schedule, picked us up, and dropped us off at the trail in Marsannay-la-Cote.  Our bags were transported to our next hotel in Gevrey-Chambertain.  Our day start with some 5 miles of self guided walk along this endless views of vineyard plantation until we reach the next destination.

A really quick sketch as the rain start coming.

Dijon is a charming city.

Sketch-waiting before the post office open.

The small town of Marsannay-la-Cote, the starting point of our journey.

Miles and miles of vineyards to see for the next four days.

 

Walking in Burgundy: Arrival at Dijon

We arrived in CDG airport a little past noontime that Sunday but our train schedule to Dijon wasn't until 4:52pm at Gare de Lyon station.  The new EES system was just recently rolled out and online reports I saw talked of long delays at the CDG airport.  Since we didn't know how much time we will be spending at the passport control, we took that later train time for good measure.  Well, it turned out that the airport queue was a non-issue.  The kiosks were non-operational so we were out of the airport in no time.

We took two train rides from the CDG airport to Gare de Lyon station, had a nice lunch in one of the restaurants, and sketched a bit of the station architecture. 

It was a busy station with plenty of travelers at all times.  We found our car and reserved seats and soon we were traveling along the country side.  The views are amazing but it was also getting late in the day.  At Dijon, we took a taxi to the hotel which wasn't too far from the train station.  After getting settled in our room, we freshened a bit and headed out for short walk nearby the hotel before coming back for a good night's rest. 

Tour: Walking in Burgundy

Anne and I signed up with Macs Adventure for a 5 day self-guided walking tour in Burgundy last May.  Other than a few days visit in Paris many years ago, I've never been seen any other places in France so this was a good opportunity to do it.  The idea of doing this hike was in line with what she and I had done before - walking the Camino de Santiago.  

I will start reliving the experience by posting sketches from the time we left the airport and the time we came back.

Here's a sketch at JFK Terminal 4 while waiting for our delayed flight to CDG, France.  I used a blue tint Ugly Book pocket size sketchbook, a compact watercolor kit, a water brush, a Posca white pen, and my trusty Zebra F701 ballpoint pen.

  

Back to posting again

Hi there!  I know...It has been a while since I made a post on this site.  Actually, the last one before this entry was a piece I left hanging in draft mode and that I only published a few minutes ago.  I don't know why I became less active with this blog in the last three months!

I'm hoping to make some retrospective entries on my last two trips to France this year.  Stay tuned...more to come.... 

A Sketch Meet at Roosevelt Island

Back in mid April, the NYC Urban Sketchers held the weekend sketch meet at Roosevelt Island.  As I was late joining the event, I didn't know where everyone was situated when I got there but a short walk from the subway station, I saw this view of an industrial power plant across the river jetty.  I like the limited use of watercolor and the ballpoint pen line suggestion to complete the scene.

The Construction near the Bowling Green Park

After the NYC Urban Sketchers event at the National Museum of American Indian two weekends ago, I spent half an hour sketching the construction work being done near the Charging Bull sculpture.  The Preppy fountain pen with a modified Fude nib was used in the sketch.  Glad to have the coloring done last night to my satisfaction.  

Weekend Sketch Meet

The weekend group of the NYC Urban Sketchers went to the National Museum of the American Indian for a day of sketching.  I came in late but was able to sketch this room that I later played with some watercolor.  It needs more work but that would be another time. 

Quick Sketches

Lately, I've been doing some quick 30 minute sketch exercises, looking up, like a fun game.  There are many subjects to choose from in the big city.  When pressed for time, I just let my pen go with the flow.  I keep checking my lines the way I see them before committing them on paper.  I always look for the proximity of the line next to it so I don't get lost in the process.  This actually helps me a lot.  Below are some examples.

The Cattle Grazing

We happen upon a herd of cattle grazing near the Blue Hill at Stone Barns last weekend.  I know they move the cows around the property from time to time.  It was a nice opportunity to sketch the cows even for some few minutes. Finished later at home. Upon adding color to the sketch, I think this will be a good painting material  

My Steady Hand

The other day my idea of sketching a commuter got overshadowed with how I was working on my sketch setup:  left hand holding the cover and right hand gliding on the paper for a quick sketch.  Well, I thought this setup needed to be sketched!

Sketch 100 People in One Week Challenge

A dear friend asked me today if I will participate in the annual event that will start on Monday, March 9. Not sure what my reply was but I've already participated in it more than once before. To be honest, it always feels intense especially when the desired outcome (100 people sketches) isn't met.  I think I skipped it last year for that very reason and most likely it will be the same this time.  No new pressure to add to my already hectic schedule.  At today's NYC Urban Sketchers meet-up at Chelsea Market, I did some people sketches for fun and practice.  If you are reading this, know that I tried my best to get a good likeness of you in this sketch.  It's always nice to see you in our weekend sketch outing and thanks for being my muse.

The Lady on the Train to NYC

I think she was half-awake most of the time that morning.  It seem to me that she was more asleep by the time when I got to sketch her face.  Her snow boots first captured my interest then worked my way up from that starting point.  Here I'm trying to learn to punch up certain areas with line weight and density. I think that helps add to the composition.  

After the Blizzard of 2026

The combination of a blizzard and Nor'easter started coming on Sunday evening.  By Monday morning, we received at least 15" of wet, heavy snow on the ground.  Most of the snow fell overnight with some strong winds, too.  Glad I can work from home.  After clearing the snow off my car, I went back into the apartment building and checked the mail room.  Through the window, I saw a young boy sledding down to his waiting mother just below the slope at the corporate offices across the road from us.  I had to sketch the scene!  They also happen to live in the same apartment building as ours.

  

The Met Exhibit

On Valentine's Day,  Anne and I went to the Met Museum to see the Paintings of Helen Schjerfbeck after our lunch date at Saperavi UES.  Her paintings are so inspiring!  When Anne told me she saw some other artists making a study, I had to get my sketchbook and try it out for myself.  I chose this "Portrait of a Man, 1880"

Sketching at MoMa PS 1

Last Saturday, the NYC Urban Sketchers went sketching at MoMa PS 1 museum in Astoria, Queens.  It was my second time to visit there in two years.  The boiler room I wanted to sketch this time was closed off to the public due to weather related issues.  There were other exhibits but it didn't capture my interest.  I like the first sketch I did in the coffee shop when I first got there.

Jenny making a sketch of Len.  I sketched them both,

The Bridge way in Grand Central Terminal

I’m always on the lookout for something new to sketch inside this very iconic building that is the Grand Central Terminal. This was one of those instances.  It was an accidental sighting once I looked up over my left shoulder.  Originally, I wanted to do a sketch of the Oyster Bar as seen from the walkway window on the lower level concourse. It’s the big window to the right in this picture.  I saw three silhouettes on the bridge that was just right to include in the sketch.

The Essex Market Sketch meet

The NYC Urban Sketchers event last weekend was held in Essex Market but I still remember last year's event hosted by Tina and Josh.  I came in late to the event last Saturday so I just focused on getting something done before the throw down.  I was trying to figure out the composition from where I was seated and decided the pizza place would be it.  Finished adding the colors at home.

Subway commuter sketches

I started the sketch on the left side with a figure of a man waiting for the 7 train to Queens but you hardly see it anymore because I overlaid it with the sketch of a lady.   The man on the right was most likely a musician.  I'm guessing it was a guitar hard case propped up between his legs.  I had a good look at him given the more defined features.  Soon, he stepped off the train.  Now, I was looking at the bigger sketch size of him than the man I sketched earlier.  To "fix" this sketch, I drew the lady's outline over the old sketch but her placement came out a bit off compared to him.  It's okay.  It's just a sketch practice anyway. 

Weekend Sketch meet at Tanger Mall

The NYC urban sketchers showed up at the Tanger Mall in Flushing, Queens last Saturday and had fun sketching the many interesting and diverse subjects inside the mall.  I didn't mind the long hour and forty minutes commute to this location using the public transportation. I found the neighborhood to be quite interesting and lively.  Although it was a very cold day, that didn't deter a good number of sketchers to be there.  The two sketchers, Zeya and Jay were directly in front of me so they became my quick sketch study.

A sketch of Zeya and Jay using the Brass Kaweco FP.

Ten Years of Urban Sketching

I rediscovered the joy of drawing in 2015 out of a necessity when I was captivated by the beauty of the altar piece in the Basilica at El Escorial in Spain.  Later that year, I found the NYC Urban Sketchers and joined their first outing in 2016 at the Hispanic Society of America.  On January 3, 2016, I attended my very first workshop with Hugo Costa in Jersey City and after we did the hands-on demo application part of the workshop, I asked Hugo to sign my sketchbook.  Yes, that's his note on the upper right corner of this sketch.

Fast forward to January 10, 2026 where I joined another NYC USk sketch meet at Industry City in Brooklyn.  It turned cold and rainy that day but urban sketchers will always find something to sketch no matter the weather condition.  Together with my other friends - Joanne, Suzala, and Melanie, we all sketched in one little corner of a dining space at the Japanese Village.   Guess who I also saw there?  Hugo Costa! Hugo later joined our table before we proceeded to the show and tell part of the day.

The ramen dining area and what I saw that morning.