Sketching Opportunity

You really never know when a sketching opportunity will present itself...and you should always be prepared. Today was my birthday and I decided to go out to the Tanger Outlet Mall in Riverhead and do some shopping for myself. Then I planned to find a spot to sketch. I walked through much of the the outlet complex which is really big and I was on line in the Loft Outlet waiting to pay for something when the fire alarms went off. They made all of us evacuate the store and many people were clustered outside including all the sales people. I decided to use the opportunity to sketch while we waited. I had a good ink pen for sketching in my purse but my sketchbook was in the car at the other end of the mall. I did find my book of outlet coupons so I sketched on the back few pages which had coupons for hotels and assorted things in the area which I knew I wouldn't use. I did the ink sketches on location but added the watercolor when I got home. Without the color it was just to hard to make out the figures over all the print on the page.

These two women were sales personnel from the store. Luckily it was a warm day and they really didn't need coats.

The woman on the left worked in the store but the woman on the right was a customer.

There were a lot of emergency vehicle in the parking lot by the affected stores. I sketched those too. It took about 45 minutes before they finally let everyone back inside. (No, that isn't fire behind the firetruck. It was trees and once I put the color on I couldn't get it to lighten. lol)

Sketching at the Art Market

Today I participated in an Art Market at the Phoenix Gallery in Bellport. We had some people come in but there were a few quite times, so I pulled out my sketchbook and sketched the people around me.

Here is Jen who had the table across from me. She was selling Christmas items. You'll notice she was sketching too.

I quickly caught Gina behind some of her framed art.

Mike was sitting on the side talking to us. His other leg was behind the table so I couldn't see to draw it.

Madison

I went to portrait night on Tuesday and Madison was our model.

Dessert & the Parade

Last night I made a pecan pie for Thanksgiving and just had to sketch it. Pecan pie is one of my favorites and I'm glad we went to my sister-in-law's house so there are no leftovers here. lol

This morning I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. For this group I used my Tombow marker to sketch what I was seeing on the TV.

This is one of the spots that the camera kept returning to during the parade. Most of the entertainment was performed in front of this location.

Happy Thanksgiving

This is the time of year to count our blessings and think about those who are such a special part of our lives. I am so thankful for my wonderful husband, my very extended family, my friends and for all of you who I consider my special internet friends. 

Wishing all of you a loving, peaceful, safe holiday!

May you be surrounded by those you love and who love you in return.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Dr. Sketchy Event

After our day of sketching at the Fulton Street Terminal 6 of us decided to go and sketch at a Dr. Sketchy event down on Orchard Street. What is a Dr. Sketchy event you may ask. Well here is what is on their website.

"Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art school is the world's premier alt.drawing movement. Artists draw glamorous underground performers in an atmosphere of boozy conviviality. Found in 2005 in a dive bar in Brooklyn, Dr. Sketchy's has now spread to over 10 cities around the world."

Several of the women in our group had attended these events in the past few months, and they gave us a little info about what to expect art wise and model wise before we went. Artists sit on couches, ottomans, chairs, tables, and the floor while the models pose on stage.  The event lasts from 4 - 7 pm. On Saturday the theme was "Men Who Would Be Women and Women Who Would Be Men." The three models were dressed in costumes ala the early 1920's. One woman was dressed as "Sammy Tramp" although she was much too classy for a tramp. The other woman was dressed in rather ordinary clothes from that era. "Johnny Panic", a guy who had this svelte body was dressed in a long sequined red halter gown, long black gloves with red fringe, and heels. She/he looked striking. lol Some of the poses got a little risqué but it was all in fun. Was everyone drinking? Not really. I didn't have time. We were too busy trying to capture the poses which first started with 1, 2, 3, and then 5 minute poses. Here are my quick sketches. I was drawing with a Tombow marker which has a narrow tip on one end and a sort of brush tip at the other. The ink bleeds when you touch it with water, which is how I shaded the later sketches.

Johnny Panic had feather fans.

The poses got a little longer.

And as they got longer I could take time to shade a bit.

These were the 15 minute poses. Usually all 3 models were posing together but there was no way I could do 3 people in the time we had...or fit them on my paper.

Then the pose times got shorter again...back to 5, 3, and 1 minute poses.

If you look carefully you will see that the guy dressed as a woman has no dress on in the last sketch. He did a bit of a strip-tease at the end of the long poses right down to a g-string. lol Here are the rest of my sketches.

The crowd at the event included a lot of young sketchers in their 20s-30s. We were probably the only "seniors" in the group, but we didn't mind. Our plan is to go back again. The Dr. Sketchy events are held about once a month so we will be watching for them.

Needless to say my fingers were exhausted after sketching from before 9 am until 7 pm. lol

A Trip to the Fulton Transit Center

Since it takes me so long to get into the city from out here in Suffolk County, I usually get to sketch a few commuters on the ride in on the Long Island Railroad. 

Here are the victims/commuters that I drew yesterday.

The NYC Urban Sketchers were meeting at the Fulton Transit Center in lower Manhattan which just opened a few weeks ago. It is a very futuristic building and the architecture isn't easy to sketch.

When I arrived at the Fulton Transit Center I was early so I decided to venture out into the cold to do a view from outside. I finished this but I was really cold! It felt so good to walk back into the warm building when I was done.

I headed inside and tried to do the view looking up to the top of the dome. I used a Tombow marker for the first time and didn't realize that it bleeds until I started adding watercolors. It made the sketch look a little different than I wanted.

I could see the hotdog vendor from my next spot which was sitting over the wonderful heating vent. (It was such a cosy spot.) So this time I sketched a bit of the inside and the outside too. It was nice that one of the security people was hanging around.

Mark, Mark, and Mary were busy sketching. 

I always enjoy sketching some of the other sketchers.

After lunch Pat, Jeff and I headed underground to the subway. Each time a train came through the cast of characters across on the other platform changed. I kept adding new people as each train left and new people arrived. We sketched until we were too cold. There is no heat down in the subway and it was rather drafty. I had already put on my scarf and fingerless gloves so I decided it was time to head upstairs and get warm again.

Here are the sketches that the three of us did in one photo.

(Left to right...Pat's iPad sketch, my watercolor, and Jeff's watercolor.)

After sharing our sketches a group of us headed over to the "Dr. Sketchy" event on Orchard St.

I will tell you about that tomorrow...be sure to come back.

End of the Path

I thought I would be done with the autumn colors but every once in a while I still pass a spot with a bit of color like this. This is one of the paths going into the Grange in Sayville.

Just Sketchin'

The other day after a good, hearty oatmeal breakfast

I went with my husband to the local library. While he was looking for what he needed, I did some sketches of the people there. For some reason I only sketched men...hummm...

like the guy reading the newspaper,

and someone on his computer,

the guy sitting at the table across from me,

another man reading,

a guy working on his tablet,

 another guy working on his computer,

and a third guy working on his computer.