Grand Concourse at Grand Central

 The architecture and the assortment of people at Grand Central could keep me sketching for quite a while and it never gets old. I like sketching the view with the tunnels receding to the various tracks, subway lines, as well as the LIRR and Metro North trains. We had a good number of sketchers since it was a good location where we could sketch and stay dry. The guards had several rules including no sketching while sitting on the stairs and no sketchbooks could be on the floor while we were painting. Most of us bring along a stool to sit on and usually paint holding our sketchbooks in our laps. It works well.

Track 24 at Grand Central Terminal

 A rainy day required an indoor location so the NYC Urban Sketchers changed our outdoor location to Grand Central Station. We arrive at Grand Central Madison which is the newer end of the terminal and a very long walk to the original part of Grand Central that everyone thinks of when they hear it. Also those trains are 15 floors below ground level...yes, 15 floors!!! My first sketch of the day was done by Track 24 of Metro North. The train destined for Stamford was sitting there at the track with one of the train employees standing on the platform. What caught my attention was the posture of the workers right in front of me as he leaned against the railing with his elbow propped up. He did move a few times and additional workers joined him for a few minutes. During that time I worked on sketching the train itself. Luckily it remained in place for long enough for me to get most of the details. (I took a photo just in case.) After it pulled away and the man moved away I was able to add in some of the details for the track itself. 

I was really happy with the way this came out.

Week's Boats & On Exhibit

 Week's Boatyard is one of those places that I tend to go when I can't decide where to sketch. The last time I was there it was so crowded with boats in dry dock for the winter that you could barely drive in. I didn't get far onto the property when I spotted this boat that became my COI. Of course there were layers of boats behind it too.

Grand Central Terminal Expo is UP.

Come one! Come All! Come to see The work of the NYC Urban Sketchers mounted in an explosion in Grand Central Terminal. The pictures are exhibited on the temporary walls constructed in the main hall and some hallways. The exhibit will be up until the walls come down in the late spring/early summer. (by Raylie Dunkel)

While GCT is doing some construction the NYC Urban Sketchers were invited to submit samples of their sketches for an exhibition on the temporary walls. Each sketcher was allowed to submit up to 3 sketches for consideration.I know that this one of my sketches was accepted and is hanging there. I'm not sure about the others. This is the sketch that a fellow sketcher snapped a photo of when she was there today.

Grand Central Part II

The NYC Urban Sketchers had an afternoon session virtually sketching Grand Central Terminal. This time I used one of the links that Judy provided. I have tried sketching the trains as they sit at the tracks before but they usually pull out mid-sketch. This worked out well because nothing moved. lol

Grand Central Part I

Today the NYC Urban Sketchers sketched Grand Central Terminal. The goal was to sketch some of the architecture in the morning. Sketchers used a variety of online references for images. I used a photo I had from when my friend Ai Nukoolkit visited from Thailand in 2012. She was in Connecticut visiting people and came down to meet me to sketch for the day. Of course we met at the famous clock by the information booth in the great hall. We had an interesting morning today with the sketchers because the woman who organized the day is a docent and gives tours of Grand Central. She knew a lot about it.

Grand Central Sketches

On Saturday my friend, Susan and I were meeting the NYC Urban Sketchers, but not until 1. Since it is such a long trip to Manhattan from out here on Long Island, we almost always go in so we are in the city by 9am. We took the subway from Penn Station to Grand Central Terminal to sketch there. 

My first sketch was done in the main concourse where the famous clock is located. I've sketched from this same spot several times. It is a good spot to sit on the floor against the wall and not get into anyone's way. There is always a flurry of active people passing by since the clock is a meeting place for so many people. lol

Next we headed downstairs to the food court. We sat facing the Irving Farm Coffee Roasters, which also had a good amount of business. 

By the time we finished sketching there it was time to take the subway to our main sketching location. Watch for those sketches tomorrow.

NYC Tourism

On Saturday the NYC Urban Sketchers met at Grand Central Terminal. One of the locations I sketched was the NYC Tourism counter which had a constant stream of visitors.

Train Travel

Going into the city to sketch at Grand Central required taking the Long Island Railroad from Ronkonkoma. The trip to Penn Station takes about 1 hr 20 min, but there are usually some models on the train to sketch. This was done with ArtRage on my iPad.

Here are my next few sketches for Every Day in May.

EDM April 9 - someone I love (my mom in her younger years)

EDM April 10 - candy 

EDM Day 11 - a bucket

Sketching in Grand Central Terminal

While my friend, Wendy Barrett was still in NYC I made plans to head into the city to sketch with her again on Saturday. I had wanted to take her up to Central Park so my plan was to organizing an event for the NYC Urban Sketchers. Mother Nature didn't want to cooperate. The forecast for Saturday was for rain, so we changed locations to an indoor one...Grand Central Terminal. Wendy hadn't been there yet so it was a good choice...and dry.

The group met at the clock in the main hall. Then we headed to our respective desired locations around the huge room. Wendy and I went up one of the staircases opposite the Apple Store. There are good views no matter where you are. 

I was drawn to the tourist information window. There was a constant stream of people stopping there.

Then I found a spot downstairs where I could sketch the clock and some travelers. I tucked myself against the wall and sketched away.

Here is a photo of me and Wendy that some kind traveler took for us.

Wendy really liked the windows...they are impressive!

We regrouped with the other sketchers downstairs for lunch to share sketches and chat. We had several new people join us, and a few people apparently were sketching in the building but we didn't see them. It is always fun to see everyone's sketches of the day and anything else in their sketchbooks that they want to share.

After lunch I wanted to sketch a train on one of the tracks. I searched the departure board for a train that would be sitting there for a while, so it wouldn't leave as soon as I started. But of course it departed before I was completely done. LOL The good thing was that another train pulled in soon after which looked similar. At one point when the train on the left side of the track pulled in I was all of a sudden confronted with a swarm of people exiting the train and heading straight at me sitting on my stool. I wasn't sure if I would survive without being knocked over. Luckily they veered around me!

I think Wendy enjoyed the Grand Central experience. We made plans to do another sketching location during the week. 

Grand Central Terminal Sketch

As I said yesterday, I went into NYC to meet friends. I took the train to Penn Station and then walked across town to Grand Central Terminal where their train was arriving. Grand Central is such an iconic  location. I had about 35 minutes to sketch so I walked up one of the many sets of stairs and sketched the view looking down into the main room of the terminal where the clock sits on top of the booth in the center. There were crowds of people everywhere. I didn't sketch all of them. LOL Who could.

I did the drawing and most of the color before they arrived, and finished the rest last night after I got home.

Then we went off shopping through all the Christmas booths in Grand Central, then to a very nice lunch, and then shopping at the holiday booths in Bryant Park. It was freezing out! Once the sun went down we were able to stay outside for a while but then it got too cold and we went for coffee so we could be inside. This was my last sketch for the day. I didn't sketch on the train coming home because it was crowded and I didn't want to be that obvious in a crowded car. I like being able to sketch on the train mostly hidden by the high seats.

Vanderzalm Christmas Trees

On Sunday I had to go to Bellport to drop off a painting for a show. I figured I would find a tree lot to sketch. This was done sitting outside the Vanderzalm Nursery in Bellport. They looked like they were pretty busy, but this lady spent a lot of time checking out just one tree. lol

I'm glad I had a few extra sketches done that weren't posted yet. I didn't get to sketch outside at all yesterday or today. Yesterday I put up my Christmas tree and assorted decorations inside. That exhausted me!

Today we had some snow. Luckily it didn't really accumulate much but there were some big snowflakes coming down for a while. I didn't venture out until late in the afternoon and spent most of the morning getting paintings matted and framed for my plain air group's holiday show this weekend.
I'm still not completely ready and am supposed to be meeting friends in NYC tomorrow. I will try to sketch before I meet them. It is supposed to be very cold tomorrow so I am hoping to sketch inside Grand Central terminal and on the train into the city. Wish me luck!

Sketching in NYC

My friend, Ai, from Bangkok, Thailand was in the USA with her family visiting her in-laws for a few weeks in Alabama. Ai wanted to see NYC so she arranged to visit up here for a few days. Because of my art show I couldn't meet her over the weekend, but we did meet on Monday.

The forecast was for possible showers in the morning so we met at Grand Central Terminal.

We went downstairs near the food court and found a flower vendor to sketch.

Here is my sketch, followed by Ai's.

Here are our sketches with the actual view we had.

After lunch we decide to see if we could sketch outside. It was rather cold so we decided to do something quick. I sketched one of the 42nd St entrances to Grand Central. (You notice how we both picked such uncomplicated views. lol)

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Ai sketched the roof.

Here we are with our sketches outside Grand Central Terminal.

By this time we knew we needed to sketch from indoors, so we headed over to the NY Public Library on 42nd Street and 5th Avenue. We found a nice spot with an indoor/outdoor view.

Here is my sketch.

Here is Ai's sketch.

It was such a fun day, that we decided to meet again the next day.