Spring Sketching Has Begun…Almost

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Larry Marshall

On Good Friday I met with Claudette and Yvan at the Musee de la Civilisation to sketch but we were facing a day that seemed enticingly warm. When I type that I have to chuckle. I’m an Arizona guy so for me to say that a high temperature around 40F is warm is, well, an exaggeration that comes from a brain that’s spent the last few months without sketching outdoors.

We sketched indoors and packed up around noon. I did this sketch during that session. I sort of screwed up the eyes somewhat but it was fun doing this sketch anyway. With a rock wall for a beard and hat, what’s not to like? It was done in an S&B Epsilon (5.5×8.5), with a Pilot Prera and Lexington Gray ink.

Then, Yvan and I headed downtown where one of his friends was sitting in a window, sketching people on the street who were willing to pose for ten minutes. That was fun to watch, for a while, but I got cold just standing around and I decided it was time to head home. And so I did.

When I arrived home my wife and daughter were out shopping so I decided I’d wander the neighborhood and see if I could sketch something outdoors. After all, it WAS 42F!!

I’ve walked by this building many times and have said “I’ve got to sketch that” an equal number of times. It was built in 1927 but today was the day it was going to be sketched. Besides, I wanted to try out my new Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook. I used my Pilot Prera/Lex Gray combo and, because I had my museum stuff with me, I used watercolor pencils to do the color. I was uncomfortably cold towards the end but clearly spring sketching is about to begin and I’m getting excited. Sorry that much of the light blue in the sky and in the snow got lost in the scanning process.

Stillman & Birn Zeta Sketchbooks Have Arrived

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Larry Marshall

Yippee!! Stillman & Birn’s new Zeta series sketchbooks have been released. Double-yippee – mine was plopped into my mailbox this morning.

I’ve been using Stillman & Birn sketchbooks since December 2011, when I bought my first Alpha series sketchbook. I rarely brand any product ‘best’ as, for me, product choices shouldn’t be spoken of in that way. Stillman & Birn is my one exception to that view as they are simply the best. While I still experiment with pens, inks, and even watercolors, I no longer buy any sketchbook that doesn’t have Stillman & Birn embossed on the its back.

Mostly I have used Alpha series sketchbooks. I have 4×6, 5.5×8.5, and 9×12 hardbound and 10×7 spiral bound versions of this series and several of them rest, full of sketches, on my shelves. I’ve also filled a 6×8 Beta series sketchbook, which is its heavier-paper counterpart.

This winter, however, I started using a 5.5×8.5 Epsilon series book. I’ve had a 9×12 version of this series on my desk for a long time and use it as my learning platform as I can do a lot of small sketches on a single page when trying various techniques.

If you’ve seen any of my museum sketches (eg – Samurai helmets, Nigerian masks and statues), you’ve seen the results of ink and watercolor pencils on Epsilon paper. Here’s my latest sketch in my current Epsilon 5.5×8.5 sketchbook. Epsilon paper is simply awesome for ink and wash as the paper is very smooth and double-sized which makes the watercolors remain bright. I just love the stuff.

So when S&B announced that they were going to create Epsilon-like paper in their heavier, 180lb format, I got very excited. While the 100lb paper of the Alpha and Epsilon papers are more than up to the task of accepting my watercolors, there are times when I want to play with wet-in-wet in a bigger way and the 180lb papers are just amazing for such purposes.

Here’s the first sketch I did on this paper. It was done rather quickly as “spring” in Quebec is still pretty cold so it’s not as detailed as most of my building sketches. It’s a sketch of my favorite tea store. I’ll be showing you more sketches on Zeta paper ‘real soon’ as it should start warming up in the days ahead. Thanks, Stillman & Birn for making my sketching life easier.

39th Worldwide Sketchcrawl In Quebec City

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Larry Marshall

*** Les détails sont disponibles ici, en français.

I’m excited about our upcoming participation in the 39th Worldwide Sketchcrawl. Quebec City sketchers are going to ride rather than walk during this sketchcrawl. Maybe we should call it a sketch cruise.

Our organizers, Celine Poulin and Yvan Breton, have planned an event you won’t want to miss as we’re going for a boat ride. Starting at 13:00h, Saturday April 13th, we’re going to board the ferry that traverses the St. Lawrence Seaway, between Quebec City and Levis. Once on the boat we’ll sail the ocean’s blue, going back and forth between the two cities, sketching to our heart’s content. We’ll can sketch from the indoor passenger rooms and their large viewing windows or from the decks themselves. There are bathrooms, vending machines, and seats available.

Total cost will be $3.10 for a ticket and if you’ve got a monthly bus pass, it’s free. What could be better than to have two coastlines and numerous ships and boats to sketch, as well as a steady stream of passengers.

You need to check the weather and dress accordingly. You’ll need your sketching gear and a lunch. Oh, no ability or talent is required – just some paper and a pointy device that can make marks… and a smile. We thrive on smiles. I hope you’ll join us.

Event Details

Date: 13 April (Saturday)

Location: Quebec City ferry dock

Time: 1300h

Cost: $3.10 (unlimited number of ferry crossings) – free if you have a monthly bus pass.

Les détails sont disponibles ici, en français.

If you’d like or need more information, you can contact me (French or English) at larry@larrydmarshall.com. While it’s not required that you R.S.V.P. it would be nice if you let us know that you’re coming so we can look for you.

Still More Museum Sketching

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Larry Marshall

A late snow storm and associated cold weather has kept us off the streets and in the museums. I met with my buddies Yvan and Claudette on Wednesday and we headed into the Nigeria exhibit at the Musee de la Civilisation. Claudette and Yvan set up to sketch different masks and I wandered, and wandered. For some reason I wasn’t in the mood to do a single object.

Then it occurred to me; I hadn’t sketched any of the museum interior. I looked around and chose this view, because I hadn’t yet sketched the large statue and because Yvan was somewhat visible behind it. I thought the background of display cabinets in the darkened room would balance the large statue nicely. It was done in a Stillman & Birn Epsilon (5.5×8.5) with a Noodler’s Creaper flex pen and Lexington Gray ink. I did the color with watercolor pencils but, when I got home, I went over most of it with a gray wash to highlight the display cabinets and to reflect the dark exhibit room.

Today Yvan and I went back and I did these two objects. Same S&B sketchbook, same tools. Hope you like them.

Quick Sketching On The Bus

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Larry Marshall

I suffer from motion sickness when I read on the bus. And the first couple times I tried to sketch on a bus, I had the same problem. But I’ve persisted and, it seems, I’m becoming able to do quick sketches on the bus. It’s a bumpy ride on a bus so I’m learning to study the subject as I bounce along, adding lines at the stops.

These are not great sketches, but I’m starting to have fun doing it. Here are four I’ve done recently. All were done in an inexpensive 4×6 notebook I bought from the dollar store, though it cost $2 (grin). I used a Noodler’s Creaper flex pen to do the paper scratching. A waterbrush with a few drops of fountain pen ink added was used for shading/color.