Lifelike

We visited the Met Breuer Museum last Sunday and saw the intriguing current exhibit on two floors.  The antique marble sculptures on the fourth floor piqued my interest.  The Bacchus' statue description says his measurement was about 6 heads, not the classical 7.5 heads.  Sure, I wanted to test that.  Using the Sotheby's pencil, I measured Bacchus from a respectable distance.  Indeed it was 6 heads!   At that point, I decided to sketch all three sculptures starting with Bacchus, followed by Hermes and California last.      

It was in measuring the proportions that I noticed the elbows lie almost at the waistline level.  I wasn't conscious of that before but I'll apply this new observation when I do people sketch next time.

The exhibit really captured my attention, I wouldn't mind coming back to see it for a second time.

High School Percussion Championships

I went to see my nephew's team, the Shelton Percussion Team, compete for the Percussion Championships held at the West Hill High School last Saturday evening.  Never been to one before but I thought I'd bring my sketchbook and try to sketch the scene.

Each team had maybe 3-5 minutes to display their best.  Surely, that wasn't enough time for me to be sketching them.  It was crazy.  It felt like each team's performance only took thirty seconds and I was just barely starting to draw the lines. 

At first, I was ambitious in my sketching but then the reality took over.  It was difficult to sketch this crazy scene.  Besides, I was primarily there to see my nephew perform and render support.  

Amidst all the loud noise, dynamic energy and lively atmosphere in the gymnasium, all kids were there for the experience of a lifetime.  These kids were doing their absolute best to propel their team to victory.  By the way, the Shelton Percussion team placed Fourth in the competition.

Forsythia Flowers

It was an unbelievably warm yet breezy day yesterday.  No surprise, many people were seen walking, jogging, biking, gardening, etc.  We haven't had this kind of weather since that one warm day last February 21st.

Evidently, the explosion of bright yellows of the forsythia shrubs was in full display.  I had to take out my easel and sketched a random selection with my Fude pen.  Watercolor was added later at home.

Good morning

Today's forecast calls for a sunny day.  I can see the morning glow outside the window.  The buds of green sprouting from the tree branches.

The Waiting Area

This was the Health Center cafeteria scene yesterday morning while waiting for a friend. I sketched the two background figures first before adding the person facing right.

As I was ready to discreetly sketch a "grandpa" seated across from me, he stood up and decided to leave.  He put his coat on and then "grandpa" was gone!  Too bad, he would have been the perfect foreground subject.    

"Someone will hopefully choose that table again", I remind myself. Good thing I wasn't in a hurry to leave. 

Soon a couple picked the spot where "grandpa" was and I had enough time to include him on this sketch.  That completed the scene for me (foreground, middle, and background figures).

A touch of red watercolor and light brown pencil shading later added at home.

The Boatyard

A cloudy morning turned to a sunny afternoon yesterday.  I thought it would be good to sketch at the Grass Island Marina.  Deceptively sunny, it was still chilly windy and more so near the waterfront.  

I saw the service road scene I want to sketch right across from where I parked my car.  I setup my portable sketch easel at my choice spot.  The sun was behind my back, right over to my left shoulder.  The elongated shadows of winterized boats marked the service road.    

This time, I started with a pencil and lightly marked the lines, aiming for the right proportions, before adding the watercolor wash. I forgot, this one paper wasn’t meant for watercolor!  

How do you paint that white plastic cover on the boat?  That was the dilemma.  In the end, the Micron 005 was used to define the lines. It's the one thing I'm familiar with.   

My Left Hand

Last year in August, I started practicing how to write with my left hand.  My non-dominant hand.  I may have read a blog about ambidexterity so I took up the challenge.  The one thing I like about this exercise is the way it forces me to slow down and concentrate on the task at hand.  It is good to learn how to be comfortable no matter how difficult it is to make a straight line.  It helps to create the necessary muscle memory and brain wire connections.  

I drew a second version of the figure model last night.  Note that I had to shift the paper, moving it in all different directions, to where my non-dominant hand felt comfortable laying down the lines.

Using the Japanese #6 Round sable brush gift I received last year, I added some color using a mix of Burnt Sienna, French Ultramarine and Quinacridone Rose.  

 Here are some practice notes from last summer.  The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.