Dandelions

Ildikó Kerasay did a lesson for Sketchbook Revival called. "Dandelion, herb or weed." She gave a lot of information on the properties of the HERB, dandelion. We were able to sketch the parts of the dandelion either from the references she was using or find our own. It took me a while to find some dandelions and sketch their parts. I was surprised that they were actually difficult to remove from the ground...small but mighty.

Fantastic Gardens

 

On  another of our drizzly days I was looking for a place where I could park and see something that felt like spring. According to the sign that was hanging over the flowers, Fantastic Gardens in Patchogue has a Sunday market inside and outside some of the greenhouses. I will have to check it out, but for now I was happy with the assortment of flowers on the tables.

West Sayville Dock

Part of the West Sayville Dock extends out into the bay past the marine repair businesses. Cars and fishermen are often found down at the end of the dock. You can see Fire Island off in the distance. 

Roosevelt Island Colors

Last weekend the NYC Urban Sketchers met on Roosevelt Island which is located in the East River between Manhattan and Queens. The plan was to sketch the cherry trees there. After having a few days of very mild temperatures, things changed. It was windy and cold on Roosevelt Island. Luckily I was prepared for the cold, but the wind was a problem. I did my first sketch trying to sit where the wind was locked a bit, but not really enough.

You can reach Roosevelt Island several ways. The one that is the most fun is by the tram from Manhattan. There is also a ferry and a small bridge that connects the island to Queens. I wanted to sketch the tram but it didn't stay close enough for long enouh.

For my second sketch I decided to join some of the other sketchers in a courtyard area where most of the wind was blocked. The earlier sketchers were lucky enough to get a large table were a big group of us were able to sit and sketch...and we were pretty much sheltered from the wind.

Show and tell was back over by the tram where I met up with a few other sketchers who were there early. I sketched two of them in a tiny sketchbook I had with me.

It was a full day of sketching.

Procreate at the Beach

 I get rusty when I haven't used Procreate in a while. The Creative Spark Scavenger Hunt item was "calming" and since the beach is my refuge when I want to feel calm that's where I headed. Luckily there is a small local town beach in Sayville that I go to a lot. The weather was warm so I happily sat on a bench while I created.

Seashells

 I still haven't done too many of the art lessons for Sketchbook Revival this year, but I have watched quite a few of the lessons. I follow Koosje Koene on Facebook and Instagram so I definitely had to do something to go with her lesson. Basically you pick an item and draw it repeatedly from different views. She uses black for shadows to make them more dramatic. I decided to use a shell for my subject and I'm really happy with the way the page came out.

Planting Fields Arboretum

A friend has been watching the trees here on Long Island and also at the NY Botanical Gardens in the Bronx to see when the cherry trees would be at their peak. She checked the website for the NY Botanical Gardens (which are beautiful) and the admission price is now up to $39 per adult. We decided to skip that location and stay more local.

The forecast was for 80° on Wednesday so Susan contacted a few of the local artists that are all part of the NYC Urban Sketchers. We decided to head to the Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay for the day. The trees were beautiful...full and amazing.

From the same area of the park I turned toward two more cherry trees with a bit of a building behind them. Here is subject #2.

One of our friends was in another area of the park and there were 6 women in traditional Korean outfits dancing near the cherry trees. She was lucky enough to be able to include them in her painting.

When we finished painting we sat and just enjoyed the rest of the day. It was a nice way to relax and catch up with each other before heading back to our respective homes.

Left to right: Myself, Susan, Suzala and Leslie under one of the beautiful trees.