Inktober 2022 - Day 25 - Frank Meliville Park

 Today my plein air group met at Frank Melville Park in East Setauket. We were hoping for a lot of autumn colors but the colors weren't at peak yet. I did a view of the bridge with the foliage behind it. I was concerned that it would start raining, so I did a 5 x 7 sized painting.

There are/were a few wonderful old trees in the park. I was planning on sketching the biggest of them which had such wonderful branches and a lot of names carved into it, but was disappointed to see that it was gone. This one which is about half the size isn't quite so impressive. It looks like a section of it is now missing. I guess these trees were affected by the storms we've had the last few years. I hadn't looked for them the last time I was there. For Inktober I used my Elegant Writer pen, my Lamy with Noodler's brown ink, and a Lamy with permanent black ink.

Inktober 2020 Day 19 - Dune View

 Today was a beautiful, mild day so I decided to head to the ocean. I never got there all summer due to my husband's health because it takes a bit longer than going to the bay beach nearby. So this was my first visit to Smith Point Beach in a long while. I sat in the sunshine overlooking the dunes. I think it helped restore a little of my soul. This was done with my Elegant Writer pen.

Inktober Day 8 - Tree by the Lake

My Inktober Day 8 sketch was done by Mill Pond in Yaphank. There are a few really interesting-looking trees by the water. This one had a picnic table under it. I used my Elegant Writer for most of the runny lines and touches of the brown (sepia) ink in my arsenal of ink pens.

Cafe Patron

After lunch at the hospital I did this quick sketch of a woman at the next table. Done with my elegant writer pen.

Inktober Day 12 - Port Jeff Views

My friend, Suzala and I met in Port Jeff today to paint, but before I did any painting I made sure to get my Inktober Day 12 sketch done. It was a cold day and we walked all the way out to the end of a dock near the ferry terminal. It gave us this view and the building we sat in front of blocked the wind for us so it wasn't too cold...but we were both wearing several layers of clothes.

I used my Elegant Writer pen and my Lamy filled with permanent ink for this one. My white gel pen came in handy too.

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Of course my fingers were itching to do the scene in color so I did a small painting that was about 4 x 5.

Inktober Day 11 - Ticket Booth

 I was heading home yesterday after visiting my friends upstate and then in Massachusetts and hadn't done an Inktober sketch yet. I only had a short time to stop somewhere. My plan was to stop at the Milleridge Inn Restaurant and see if any of the chickens were loose in the parking lot...but they weren't cooperating. They were too busy eating. I did notice that the buildings and area behind the restaurant were being decorated for some kind of fall festival. There were workmen putting up decorations so I sat in my mobile studio facing one of the ticket booths they had already set up. I used my Elegant Writer pen and some diluted ink to shade this.

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Inktober Day 7 - Bellport Scarecrow

For the last few years I have enjoyed being able to sketch some of the scarecrows hanging on the trees and lamp posts in Bellport. When I passed through the town yesterday they were being put up, so today I headed back there for my Inktober Day 7 sketch. Each scarecrow is decorated differently and a contest is held to see which is the popular favorite. Today I sketched Scarecrow #3, "The Ghost of Bob Ross." I used my Elegant Writer Pen, my Lamy Safari pen, an orange micron pen, and some colored fountain pens from Zebra. I am sure I will get to sketch a few more this month.

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Inktober Day 5 - At Domino Park

Today the NYC Urban Sketchers met at Domino Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was built on the grounds of the former Domino Sugar Refinery. Some of the buildings and structures were renovated and incorporated into the design of the park.

Of course I had to do one sketch for Inktober, so I focused on these tanks that once contained syrup. In the background is the actual building that housed the Domino Sugar Factory. It is being restored and converted into apartments/condos. I used my Elegant Writer pen, my Lamy filled with permanent platinum carbon black ink, and an orange micron pen.

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#momentsketchers

At the end of the promenade under the Brooklyn Bridge there was a view of a restaurant, the skyline, and an area with some utility trucks and equipment. How could I resist those yellow trucks?

For my third sketch I focused on what I think are cranes and conveyors that must have been used to load and unload the sugar or the raw materials off boats that came up the river. In the back is a tank used in the refining process.

Inktober Day 4 - Gourds

My evening sketch group has started meeting inside now that it is getting dark so early. Our theme for the night was gourds, squash, pumpkins, etc. I did some of the gourds for my Inktober Day 4 sketch but also had to paint them in color too. How could I resist that orange? Here are both pieces.

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Inktober Day 2 at the Peconic Herb Farm

Yesterday my plein air group, PALS, met at the Peconic Herb Farm to paint. I did a view of one of the flower arrangements outside one of the greenhouses. It isn't quite finished yet, but it is close. 

I was happy we were there because for a long time I have wanted to sketch/paint this window filled with glass bottles that is inside one of the small buildings. I used my Elegant Writer Pen to sketch this for Inktober Day 2.

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Inktober 2018 - Day 11 & The Clydesdales

Yesterday I did my Day 11 sketch for Inktober from my car parked down at Off Key Tikki in Patchogue. It is on the Patchogue River and bills itself as a waterfront resort. It is a bar/restaurant decorated to have a tropical feel. I've never been inside or on their dock so I can't vouch for their food or drinks. Most of this was done with my Elegant Writer pen.

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Then later in the afternoon I returned to Patchogue for a special event. The Budweiser Clydesdales were coming to Patchogue. They were celebrating the opening of the new Blue Point Brewery which is part of the same parent company as Budweiser. We were also told that they were celebrating the anniversary of the end of Prohibition but I don't know for sure if that is true.

 Our Patchogue Sketch Club decided to go and try to sketch. My friend, Gina and I knew they would be starting at the grounds of the new location of the Blue Point Brewery. The event was slated to run from 5-7 so we went around 4:00 to see them get the horses ready. Of course the area was barricaded but we were able to stand along the fencing. The horses were inside huge, special Budweiser Clydesdale trailers. Each horse was led out one at a time, groomed, and readied to be hitched to the wagon that was near us. There were 8 horses and they were huge. I did a few sketches and arranged them all on one page.

Here are closeups of the different sketches.

The horses trotted along Main Street stopping to deliver a case of Budweiser to different bars and restaurants along the route. There were tens of thousands of people in the crowd lining the street. It seems like I am always in crowds lately.lol

For this last sketch I followed the truck as it went along. Each time it stopped I sketched a little more of the scene. It was a fun event! I did keep walking along and found a few of our other members of the sketch group. Most opted to watch and not sketch, but a few did sketch something...not easy to do because they kept moving. Once they passed where all the restaurants are they were turned around in a Carvel parking lot and then made their way back to the starting point.

Beach Day & Inktober 2018 - Day 4

I love having beach days at this time of year and extending the feel of summer into the fall. I headed over to Smith Point Beach. We were lucky with warm temperatures, beautiful skies, and pounding surf...some of my favorite things!

For my Day 4 Inktober 2018 sketch I headed to Week's Yacht Yard (or Boat Yard). I love sketching there because there are boats, cars, buildings, and sometimes people. I used a bit of my Elegant Writer pen to get the bluish shading, my Lamy pen, and a brush pen.

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PGSB Part I

I am once again participating in Paint the Great South Bay (PSGB), a week long plein air event held locally. I believe I have taken part in three of them.  From this past Saturday to this coming Saturday we can paint anywhere in the designated area. Included in the organized events (which are optional) are nocturnal painting nights, a visit to the beach in the evening, a quick-draw event, and painting from a rooftop building. Artists must have their papers/canvases stamped before they can paint. This year they did a competition for the design of the PGSB rubber stamp and mine was selected. I won free admission to the event as well as a free renewal to the Patchogue Arts Council for the year.

Here is the stamp I designed printed on the flier for the event.

On Saturday I headed over to the Sayville Farmers Market. I wasn't sure what the weather would be like since it was spritzing on and off, so I parked my car where I would have a good view of a booth and then wedged my beach umbrella between the door and the seats of the car. It offered a little protection just in case. Of course people came along and checked out what I was doing, even the man who organizes the market. He asked me to send him a copy of the finished painting so that he could post it on the Sayville Farmers Market website, and to also send the details about the reception which will be this Sunday. Here are some photos of my setup and progress.

Our first organized event was on Saturday evening. I met with some of the other artists prior to picking a location. We were told that there would be a photographer and a writer who would be doing an article about the event for our largest newspaper in the area, Newsday. The weather forecast was not good so I decided to get started quickly and paint near somewhere where I could take shelter if it started raining. I went into the Terry Street Garden which was near the Patchogue Arts Gallery. The photographer came over and took photos of me working. I think she took photos of 2/3 of us before it started to rain.

This is how far I go on the painting before the rain started. I packed up quickly and ran for cover by the gallery nearby. It rained for hours! My friend, Gina was so wet that she had to call her husband to bring her some dry clothes. It probably started raining about 7 and the writer wasn't coming until 8. Most of the artists (except for 3 of us) left once there was a slight lull in the rain. Gina, Segundo and I hung around until the writer came to do the interviews. The article should be in Newsday either today or tomorrow.

I didn't paint on Sunday because I had the monotype workshop. On Monday I debated as to whether or not I wanted to go back and work on the same painting or find a new location. I decided to return...once again the sky didn't look promising, but luckily it didn't rain. I decided to enhance the urn with some inkwork using my Elegant Writer pen. 

As the painting progressed I used more of the ink in the painting.

The finished version of the painting is below.

One Week 100 People Challenge 2018 - Sketches from Panera

So far the nor'easter is bringing us mostly rain and sleet...enough to make a bit of a mess. Luckily it stopped doing any precipitation for my walking buddies and myself to get in 5 miles this morning. 

Since it was just drizzling here around 11:00 I headed out to Panera Bread in Bohemia to do some sketching for the 100 People Challenge. The problem with Panera Bread is that you mostly see the backs of the people on line, so I was searching for anyone who was turned slightly or facing me for some reason. I started with the woman on the top right, sketching her with my Elegant Writer pen, but I didn't like the way it was working in a small sketch. It muddies up the color. So then I switched to my Lamy Safari with the brown ink, which was also a problem because of the ink bleeding. My last choice was a waterproof Uniball gel pen. It has an extra-micro point which was a little delicate for the drawings. Once I added the watercolors I went back in with more ink. I did fill two pages in my sketchbook and have now completed 93 people!!! I debated if I should do 7 more people to finish, but I know me, if I did 7 I would force myself to complete the entire page, and I was getting bored with the location. I ended up leaving and will finish tomorrow. #OneWeek100People2018

As far as the storm, we are now having snow (big flakes) that are sticking everywhere, so we may end up with an accumulation yet.