Big Building In A Little Town

Quebec City is not an industrial town.  We have no massive factories except for our paper mill.  Rather, we have government…lots of government as we’re the capital of the province of Quebec.  And we have the oldest walled city in North America and cruise ships visit us regularly.  We do tourism.  And so we have lots of politicians and tourists.  We also have UbiSoft, the video game manufacturer so we have animators…story-tellers.  In short, no big factories to sketch.

But we are also a port and the largest building around that port is a huge grain elevator and ship loading facility along the northern side of our marina.  Lots of train cars and boats visit the place as grain is moved onto awaiting ships.  In short, it’s a big, intimidating building to sketch 🙂

I took it as something of a challenge and so became my sketch of the Bunge grain elevators. Done in a Stillman & Birn Zeta (5×8 x 2) sketchbook with a Pilot Prera and Platinum Carbon Black ink.  W&N watercolors give it a bit of color.  Click for a larger image.

2013-07-31BungeC

Portraits In The Park

Last weekend I attended an annual event that brings portrait artists together in a park area in front of the Gallerie d’Art Magella-Paradis.  This gallery, in association with the La Societé Artistique de Charlesbourg organized the event and Alain Fortier and Lucien Lanoie were the prime movers to make it happen.

René Chamberland doing his thing.

René Chamberland doing his thing.

And what a fun day it was.  By my count there were a dozen or so portrait artists who drew each other and anyone else they could get to sit for them.  René Chamberland even sketched me.  With great company, in a great place, and with a dose of great weather, the day was pretty special.

Richard is drawing a lovely lady who volunteered to pose for him.

Richard is drawing a lovely lady who volunteered to pose for him.

Luceien Lanoie ran the 20-minute sessions and helped portrait artists as he walked around the area.

Lucien Lanoie ran the 20-minute sessions and helped portrait artists as he walked around the area.

Some of the artists taking a break to get something to drink and chat a bit.

Some of the artists taking a break to get something to drink and chat a bit.

I’m an urban sketcher, not a portrait artist but that didn’t keep my pen in my pocket.  I did several sketches during the day, including these sketches of the artists doing what they do best.  These were done in a small 3×5 sketchbook using J.Herbin 1670 ink.  Is it urban sketching to sketch a portrait event?  I think it is (grin).

2013-07-28GillesSketching2013-07-28YvanSketching2013-07-29Rene

 

 

Do You Sketch The Boring Stuff?

I like to sketch boring stuff.  I guess I should be more precise and say that I like to sketch things that other people find boring, or worse, don’t even notice them at all.  Things like garbage cans, fire hydrants, telephone poles… and plain, ‘boring’ buildings.

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So when I saw this view of the end of a 3-store complex, it called to me.  I set up my stool, sat down, and got out my Stillman & Birn Zeta (5×8) sketchbook.  I used a Pilot Prera loaded with Platinum Carbon Ink to do the sketch.  I was happy with the results.2013-07-26Building_site

What do you think?  Do you sketch boring stuff?

2013-07-26Building

More Small Sketches… More Fun

I’m continuing to have fun with small 3×5 (or smaller) sketches.  Thought I’d share a few more with you.

2013-07-18MaryDooleyCThis is a small, adorable building that is the home to a dress designer.  It looks like something from a fairy tale and seemed like a great small sketch subject.  As with my previous small sketches, this one (and the others here) were done in a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook.  This particular one was done with a Pilot Prera and Platinum Carbon Black ink.

2013-07-21KamouraskaCWe took a day trip down (up?) the southern coast of the St. Lawrence River to Kamouraska.  I’d hoped to sketch some of the great buildings there but instead I did this sketch of my daughter looking out at the ocean (the Atlantic is out there somewhere if you look far enough).  I like this one a lot, probably because of the subject matter.

2013-07-23shipCI was walking across the bridges that crosses the St. Charles River just as it flows into the St. Lawrence and decided, without much thought, to sketch this scene.  I think the scene would have been better served by a larger format but the little sketchbook came out and the pen started jittering around the paper.  I’m not a fan of sketching while standing and this is further evidence that I’m not very good at it.  But they can’t all be great.  It was still fun, which is why I do this.

2013-07-23guyCLastly, and certainly least, I was taking a break on Terrace Dufferin, a large boardwalk associated with the Chateau Frontenac.  Across from me was this guy, looking out at the St. Lawrence.  I took out my cheap sketchbook thinking I’d just do a one-minute sketch of him and, big mistake, I started the sketch in portrait format, thinking I was only going to draw him and couple boards to represent the bench.  Then I sort of got carried away making squiggles to represent the railing and before I knew it I was having to draw him smaller than I planned, the bench became more integral to the sketch, and in the end I had a tiny, 2×2 vignette of a guy on a bench.  It’s sort of scratch and way too small but again, quite fun and I thought I would share it as an example of improper planning… or maybe just the right amount 🙂  This one was done with a Uniball Signo UM151 (brown-black) pen.  I really like these pens and I’m now armed with several of them.

Sometimes You Just Need A Challenge

ArtisticLicenseIf you know Brenda Swenson’s “75-day Challenge”, you know the concept of casting aside the pencil, even for organizational purposes and sketching directly with pen.  It’s said, and I believe it to be true, that doing so for a lot of sketches, will improve your ability to see and put what you see on paper.  The process moves a lot of thinking to early in the process, ensuring that when you do lay down a line it’s in the right place.

I do a lot of ink work but typically use a pencil to lightly outline main masses and relationships in a sketch.  But sometimes a guy just needs a challenge and I was feeling like one when I started looking at this railing and post.

I set up to sketch it (Stillman & Birn Zeta -5×8, Pilot Prera) and decided to do it ‘ink-only’, though I confess that I drew a pencil horizontal line at the top of the railing and a vertical line at the inside of the post.  Then I got out my pen and stared.  And then I stared some more, measuring, seeing, and occasionally putting a dot on my paper.  Then I drew the lines… and the curves.  For me it was a struggle with all the curved wrought iron to render.  And there are screw ups… there are always screw ups.  It’s my signature move.  But generally, I like the results and had a lot of fun with the process.

2013-07-24railingC