April Showers Keeps Urban Sketchers Indoors

Every spring, towards the end of March, we get a big snow storm.  People here call it the St. Patrick’s Day storm.  It comes just as we start to think that spring has sprung so it’s always a let-down.  What follows, without fail is a couple weeks of rain, which is good because it melts the snow, gets road salt dust out of the air, and generally does a spring cleaning of the city.

It’s sure hard to take, however, when you’re an urban sketcher who has been cooped up for the last five months.  In desperation I picked up some veggies while we were shopping, including an heirloom tomato that I thought could be a nice subject for a still life painting.  Ha… me trying to paint.  What a joke.  Anyways, this is what came of that idea.  I’m still pretty lost when it comes to paint and fuzzy sticks but I had fun doing this one.  Hope it stops raining soon.

Fabriano Artistico CP (7×11), Daniel Smith watercolors

It’s Time For The Pumpkins To Roll

I’m not sure whether to love or hate pumpkins.  You gotta love their rich, warm color and they do signal things like Thanksgiving and Halloween.  But they also announce the coming of winter and, if I haven’t mentioned it before, I hate winter.  No street sketching for at least five months.

But I always draw at least one pumpkin every year.  This one was done in my kitchen, a squash thrown in to compliment it.  Hope you like it.

pumpkin and squash

Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook, Pilot Falcon, Platinum Carbon ink, watercolors