Sketching an MGB

A tradition in my wife’s family is a late night party on December 25th.  This is relevant to today’s post because an inevitable result of this get together is that my wife and daughter sleep in the next day – which is today.

I got up this morning, sat around reading for a while and then decided to take advantage of the situation because the continual holiday scurry has been limiting my sketching time.  The near constant rain and high winds haven’t helped much either.

I started looking through some of my photos and came across a photo I’d taken at the end of a sketching day in Berthier, Quebec.  We were leaving the park and, in the parking lot, there was a gorgeous MGB (I think) so I took a photo of it with the thought that I’d like to sketch it.  That’s what I did this morning and it sure felt good to do a more formal sketch, even if it was from a photo.  I’ve probably done a dozen smallish quick-sketches over the past few days but while snacks are great, sometimes you need a meal.

This was done in a Stillman & Birn Delta sketchbook (6×8) and, for a change, I used a Uniball Vision Fine pen rather than my more typical fountain pen.  It’s always fun to change it up once in a while.  Watercolors are Daniel Smith and, once again, I’ve told myself that I need to learn something about wielding a brush.  I’ll do that ‘real soon.’

yellow MGB

Stillman & Birn Delta (6×8), Uniball Vision Fine pen.

Coffee Shop Sketching With Friends

Sometimes it’s fun to meet with friends and at this time of year it’s fairly common for me to have coffee with a friend to wish them a Merry Christmas and to chat.  But there’s something special about doing that with sketcher friends and that’s just what we did Monday.  Fernande, Claudette and I met at a large coffee shop, thinking it would give us more sketching opportunities than some of the smaller shops.

I think our plan would have been sound at other times of the year but this is the Christmas season and the shop was packed to the gills with people, decorations, stuff for sale and, well, it too crowded for relaxed sketching.  Still, we had lots of fun chatting about sketchbooks, brush pens and life in general.  And we sketched.  Fernande and Claudette were more productive than I was; they always are.  I get wrapped up in whatever sketch I’m doing and spend too much time on it, I fear.  My way of saving paper, I guess.

Here is my Christmas sketch for 2014 – I’ve never been much for drawing Christmas ornaments for some reason, but a huge poinsettia and balloons?  Yeah…that’s more my style.  Merry Christmas everyone.

Stillman & Birn Delta (6x8), Namiki Falcon, De Atramentis Document Black

Stillman & Birn Delta (6×8), Namiki Falcon, De Atramentis Document Black

Polar Bear Sketching As Winter Approaches

It’s becoming difficult to sketch outdoors in Quebec City.  It’s comfortable to walk as long as one wears proper attire but to sit and sketch for any period of time is beyond my capacity to endure.

So now the scramble to find indoor subject matter begins.  Claudette and I met at the Université Laval library and their small natural history exhibit.  It’s a small display and we’re running out of sketching possibilities but I decided to draw the head of a polar bear who, I suspect, had ducked into the library just to get out of the cold.  Sketchers aren’t the only ones that find Quebec winters harsh.

I had fun doing this in my Stillman & Birn Delta sketchbook, though it’s only a 6×8 and I would have like a larger format for this sketch.  Have I mentioned how much I like Faber-Castell Albrecht-Durer watercolor pencils?  They’re the only ones I’ve found where a waterbrush can completely eliminate the pencil lines.  Anyways, I hope you like Mr Polar Bear, though he might be a she.

polar bear

Stillman & Birn Delta sketchbook, Pilot Falcon w/Platinum Carbon Black ink

Sketching Mobile Homes

2014-10-20shell1In the display at our local library is a cabinet full of mobile homes.  As I like drawing architecture it seemed fitting that I draw some houses used by animals that aren’t human so I chose these two.

I drew them in a Stillman & Birn Delta sketchbook using my Pilot/Namiki Falcon and Platinum Carbon Black ink.  Color comes from Faber-Castell Albrecht-Durer watercolor pencils.

2014-10-20shell2

Picnic Sketching At Berthier, Quebec

Last weekend, at the end of September, we had a couple of gorgeous, July-like days.  Temps were near 80F, the sun was shining and just a hint of breeze.  Ever since I spent the day with a group of sketchers at the marina/park at Berthier, Quebec, I’ve wanted to take my wife there for a picnic.  She enjoys sitting by the St. Lawrence and Berthier is the ideal place.

When we arrived we did the tour of the place and then sat down on a bench at the beginning of the quay and both of us got out our sketchbooks.  Yep…that’s right.  My wife has decided to do some location sketching.  Larry was thrilled!!!!

Berthier, Quebec

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

We breathed the fresh air, enjoyed the sunshine, and we sketched.  It was so much fun.  Then it was time for lunch.  We talked about sketching as we ate.  Have I mentioned that Larry was thrilled?  What a day… what a day.