We can’t catch a break with the weather it seems but Yvan and I sat under an awning in open-air atrium at the museum and sketched very large potted plants. This area becomes a restaurant when weather permits and these huge pots will be moved around to decorate the area. I was struck by the fact that while these huge planters were very similar to one another, none of them were exactly alike.
Stillman & Birn Alpha (8×5), Platinum 3776, Platinum Carbon Black
Well, the last time I was on the Plains of Abraham (in Jardin Jeanne d’Arc) I froze because I dressed for summer and Mother Nature was still thinking early spring. So, I returned on Friday, in long pants and wearing a jacket. And I’m glad I did because it was very pleasant to sit in a grassy area and draw this scene.
Stillman & Birn Alpha (5×8), Platinum 3776
The structure is an interesting one. It is a military observation/gun emplacement built by the British to defend against a potential attack from the United States. What’s interesting about it is that you’re looking at the “thin” side of the building. The walls on this side are typical stone while on the side facing south the walls are very thick to withstand cannon fire, and maybe even a Trump speech (grin).
We’re in an intermittent rainy period so it’s been hard for us to plan our weekly get togethers but I recommended that we gather at a large park associated with the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City. This place is beautiful and in the middle of it is a large statue of Jeanne d’Arc, after whom the park is named. Weather reports said it would be sunny in the morning and that the rain would only come later in the afternoon.
Stillman & BIrn Alpha (8×5), Platinum 3776, Platinum Carbon Black
So some of us did show up and we were greeted with cool (16-degree) temps and significant winds that made it feel quite cool. All the smart people (ie – everyone but me) wore long pants and jackets. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt.
Undaunted, I sat behind a bunch of tulips and started drawing. The flowers were blowing around and I’m sure my body temperature was dropping. Nevertheless, I did draw three tulips before I had to choose between hypothermia and getting up and walking around.
Stillman & Birn Alpha, Platinum 3776
I visited everyone else, saw what they were drawing and then walked up and down the garden a couple times, half looking for something to draw and half just trying to stay warm. Eventually I decided to do a quick sketch of one of the drinking fountains. I love them but I need more time and temperature to do them justice in a sketch.
I kept moving but at this point my shorts/tshirt garb and frozen physiology had become foolhardy. I certainly couldn’t concentrate on drawing so I was close to calling it quits. One more lesson learned, maybe.
But I saw Hubert sketching and I related to his scrunched down form, head poking out from between the turned-up collars of his vest. It just seemed tell the story of my day and I had to quickly sketch him as well.
Stillman & Birn Alpha, Platinum 3776
Sometimes you just want to draw on colored paper. Maybe it comes from the days when we were kids and had piles of “construction paper” in all colors of the rainbow. Whatever its roots, sketchers like to shun the white and walk a bit on the wild side, if only once in a while.
A company called Bright Ideas has a solution and it’s called the Bright Ideas Journal. This is a 5×7 book with 408 pages. I suppose you could get away with very light applications of watercolor but the paper isn’t heavy enough for the serious watercolorist. As a substrate for pencil and/or ink drawings, however, this journal is pretty sweet.
It’s thick (about 1-inch) compared to most sketchbooks because of its 408 pages of paper in ten different colors but a big plus is that this book lays flat, very flat because of the open spine binding. Some may grumble because each page has the name of its section printed in the lower right corner. What purpose this could possibly serve is lost on me but I don’t find it objectionable for my ‘small sketches’ needs.
I haven’t had much chance to experiment with it but the paper takes ink very well, with no feathering, no bleedthrough and ghosting only if you hold up the sheet to the light. I think I’m going to have a lot of fun with this book and I thank the Bright Ideas folks for their bright idea. I ran down to the local park and did this quick test sketch so I’d have at least one ‘test’ that isn’t a bunch of scribbles.
I promised I’d post the rest of my sketches from Yvan’s garden and here they are. We did have a lot of fun that day.
These were in a window box and difficult to draw because they were in the shade. Stillman & Birn Alpha (8×5), Platinum 3776
This small birdfeeder brought delight in the form of black capped chickadees, gold finches, and sparrows. Stillman & Birn Alpha (8×5), Platinum 3776
I don’t even know what this is but it was fun to draw. Stillman & Birn Alpha (8×5), Platinum 3776