Sketching Quebec’s Aquarium

Posted on August 9, 2014 by Larry Marshall

I was supposed to meet sketching buddy Fernande at the Nouvelle-France festival but she wrote to say that it was supposed to rain and that maybe it would be better to go to the aquarium. I said ok, that I’d meet her there but that I bet it wouldn’t rain.

It rained. I was wrong – again. At least I’m consistent. When I arrived it was raining and Fernande had not yet arrived. I went to the main aquarium building sat in the corner of the foyer and sketched an outdoor scene through the window. One of the really great things about our aquarium is that there is a lot to sketch outdoors when weather permits and an equal amount of stuff to sketch indoors if it rains, even if you don’t think it will.

Stillman & Birn Beta (6x8), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black

Stillman & Birn Beta (6×8), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black

Once Fernande arrived we started wandering indoors, looking for sketching opportunities. Unfortunately, we chose the same day to visit as a convoy of school buses full of kids. The place was packed, prohibiting us from being able to sketch without being trampled. After a while we decided that eating lunch was the solution. And so we did.

Moleskine watercolor notebook (3x5), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black

Moleskine watercolor notebook (3×5), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black

In this case the virtue of patience was rewarded. The school buses packed up, the crowds thinned out, and we found something to sketch.

By this time, though, I was getting tired so I chose a small subject – a seahorse.

We’re heading back Monday for another session.

A Slow-Sketcher Approach To Bird Sketching

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Larry Marshall

If molasses could sketch, it would do so at the same rate as I do. This is a problem mostly when I try to sketch crowds of people, highway traffic, bee hives, and… BIRDS!

I love birds but gosh they won’t sit still. Audubon had a solution. It was called a shotgun, but I’m an urban sketcher and, even if I were so inclined, me thinks the authorities might frown on that method. So what can a molasses sketcher do? Ah HA, says I. A solution I have found. Here’s what you do:

1) Get a 12″ x 12″ piece of 3/4″ pine. Home Depot is a good source.

2) Using a scroll saw, cut out the profile of the bird you want to draw.

3) Paint it in suitable colors. I recommend Sibley’s Field Guide to Birds for color reference.

4) Drill a 1/2″ hole in the bottom edge of the cutout.

5) Shove a 1/2″ dowel into the hole.

6) Go to your garden and shove the 1/2″ dowel into the ground.

7) Get a nice cold drink, a lawn chair with a glass-holder, and sit down in front of your bird.

8) Draw your bird as slowly as you like. Life is sweet.

Monologue A6 sketchbook (4x6), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black

Monologue A6 sketchbook (4×6), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black

Group Sketching Without The Group

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Larry Marshall

Can you have a group sketching event without a group? I wonder. This was attempted, it seems, last Saturday in Quebec City. According to the published schedule of Collectif des ateliers libres en arts visuals de Québec, a local portrait group, we were all supposed to meet on Terrace Dufferin at 10AM. I was there. Yvan was there. But nobody else showed up, not even the guy who was supposed to coordinate the event.

So, our group was small, but our will was mighty. It was a very hot day, one of the few we’ve had thus far but Yvan and I found some shade, sketched and enjoyed each other’s company.

I need practice drawing stuff where I have to look up and so I did a sketch of the old postal building that sits at the end of Terrace Dufferin, with a bit of an information kiosk in the foreground. It’s an odd view and only part of the building but it turned my crank so I put it to paper. All in all, we had fun, though this is tourist season and we sort of got overrun.

Stillman & Birn Alpha (9x6), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black

Stillman & Birn Alpha (9×6), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black

One of the really fun things about being a street sketcher is the audience, particularly the kids. Kids are curious about anyone who draws. They relate to it. Kids are also afraid to engage with adults so they have to be invited, with smiles and words. I smile. I say hi. And before you know it, we’re engaged in conversation and they are a breath of fresh air. Unlike adults, they don’t tell you you’re sooo talented. They don’t tell you about how they’d like to do art but they don’t have the time/patience/ability. Instead, they tell you that they draw too. They ask you if you like it. They want to know how the paint thing (waterbrush) works. Maybe I like them because I think about art on this level. I don’t know. I share with you a photo of me interacting with some kids on this day. I didn’t know Yvan had taken this photo but I’m grateful that he did.

photo: Yvan Breton

Sketcher Gets Rained In

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Larry Marshall

On Thursday, I headed out for a sketch walk and it was kinda cool. There hasn’t been much summer in July for us. I was sort of wishing I’d grabbed a jacket but I figured the walking would warm me up. Then it started to rain and I decided otherwise.

Monologue (4x6), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black

Monologue (4×6), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black

Following a short run while wishing I had my raingear, I ended up in a small coffee/tea place on 1st Avenue. I was the only one in the place. It was not the most arto-genic place I’ve been in but it was dry so I ordered a coffee and took a seat near a window, which didn’t provide a very inspiring view either. Sigh.

Monologue (4×6), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black

I drew this teapot that was sitting in the window. I drank some coffee and followed up with a poor sketch of this funny-looking lamp. When the coffee was gone and the rain had let up, I decided to head home. There’s always tomorrow.

More Backdoor Sketching

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Larry Marshall

I’m spending more and more time looking at the backs of buildings. If I’m not careful someone will call the cops on me. But there are some areas where these views open onto main streets and so opportunities to be driven nuts drawing porch railings and stairs do exist in Quebec City. Here’s one example.

Stillman & Birn Alpha (9×6), Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon Black