2016 Nouvelle France Sketch Fest

Posted on August 19, 2016 by Larry Marshall

The Croquistes de Quebec held their August sketchcrawl in conjunction with Quebec’s Nouvelle France event, a time when people dress in 18th Century garb, some act like pirates, minstrels, swordsmen, etc. and everyone has fun. This year was no exception.

I apologize for the blog going dark for a while but it seems that the busier I get sketching, the less time I have to write about it. I’m going to try to make a push to get caught up but this sketchcrawl event took place on August 4th so you can see how far behind I am.

My goal that day was to talk as much as possible, eat a lot, and do a bunch of quick sketches. No long sit-down sessions for me this day. They can be placed in two piles. The first are the people in costume and here are few examples of those:

Stillman & Birn Alpha (5.5x8.5, DeAtramentis Document Black

Stillman & Birn Alpha (5.5×8.5, DeAtramentis Document Black

I didn’t limit myself to people, though. I did some quick vignettes of scenes surrounding the venue. Sorry that I haven’t written more but if a picture is worth a thousand words maybe the sketches make up for it. I’ll leave you to peruse these sketches cuz I’ve got a bunch of scanning to do 🙂

S&B Alpha (5.5×8.5)

A Whale Of A Time In Tadoussac

Posted on August 13, 2016 by Larry Marshall

Tadoussac is a major whale-watching spot in North America. It sits at the confluence of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (salt water) and a major river fiord (Saguenay River) that is both deep and rich in nutrients as it flows into the Gulf. This interesting dynamic results in a place where large whales come into the Gulf just to amuse tourists paying to go out on boats to see them (I think that’s right), while smaller whales wander around in the mouth of the Sagueny, feeding.

This generates lots of tourist trade, boat traffic and a whole bunch of people sitting on rocks on the edge of the Saguenay, yelling “Ooooooo” in unison every time a whale decides to take a breathe. This is great fun and very relaxing, except for my butt which doesn’t think much of sitting on rocks for long periods.

But I was there, with my family and as we watched for whales (saw pilot and beluga whales), I started making tiny sketches of the stuff I could see around me. This was the end result. I do a lot of tiny sketches but I rarely post them but in this case I did them all on one page and it does document the area…well, sort of.

Stillman & Birn Beta (8x10), Esterbrook J9550, DeAtramentis Document Black

Stillman & Birn Beta (8×10), Esterbrook J9550, DeAtramentis Document Black

After some whale watching we went back to the car to get stuff for a picnic and sat in a grassy area and chowed down, enjoying the sea breeze. When we finished we headed back down the main street.

I posted a couple days ago a sketch of a Tadoussac street lamp that I sketched while I waited for wife and daughter near a public toilet, but I was not finished with my sketching day. I’d seen a house that I thought particularly sketcha-genic so I proposed that we get an ice cream cone and sit on the boardwalk, watching the tour boats come and go. We got the ice cream and I found a place for us to sit that just happened to let me sit on the end of the bench and see that house. I managed to do this sketch of it while my family patiently waited. They seemed amused by the interest shown in my scribbling by those passing by.

Stillman & Birn Beta (5x8), Esterbrook J9550, DeAtramentis Document Black

Stillman & Birn Beta (5×8), Esterbrook J9550, DeAtramentis Document Black

We had a great day as tourists and I had a fun time as a sketcher. It couldn’t have been better.

My Love Affair With Street Lamps

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Larry Marshall

Long ago, Pete Scully introduced me to the notion that the mundane in our lives could be great sketching subjects with his series of fire hydrant sketches. I started drawing every fire hydrant and garbage can in sight. When you start looking at these things as art objects, they become art objects and that Pete’s important lesson to the rest of us.

I feel the same way about street lamps. I draw them all the time. They serve as practice; they serve as fun. They also serve as the basis for sketches that give me joy. Here’s one I did recently in Tadoussac where my family spent the day last week. I’ll talk more about sketching Tadoussac in a future post but for now, imagine a place with these all over the place.

Stillman & Birn Beta (6x9), Esterbrook J9550, diluted DeAtramentis Document Black

Stillman & Birn Beta (6×9), Esterbrook J9550, diluted DeAtramentis Document Black

Taking A Break By Drawing A Bridge

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Larry Marshall

I was out walking the other day and realized that I’d forgotten my stool. This limits where I can sit to sketch so I started looking for the magic sketcher’s triad. A shady spot, a subject to sketch, and something to sit on. Eventually I found a bench under a tree and the end of a bridge I could sketch. This was the result.

Stillman & Birn Alpha (5x8), Esterbrook J9550, diluted DeAtramentis Document Black

Stillman & Birn Alpha (5×8), Esterbrook J9550, diluted DeAtramentis Document Black

Sketching In Limoilou

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Larry Marshall

Our group wanted to sketch some more in the allies of Limoilou. I’ve written about our previous sketching sessions there. This part of the city was built mostly during the period where alleyways were used for garbage collection, electric wires, and other services.

But while the rest of the group headed off to the alleys, I decided to draw a chapel on 3rd Avenue. I’ve wanted to sketch it for a long time and think most about the idea when there are no leaves on the trees as this affords a better view of the building. But trees are nice too and this is what it looks like in July.

Stillman & Birn Alpha (5×8), Esterbrook J9550, diluted DeAtramentis Document Black

When I finished I wandered around the alleys looking for the group. I found them and they were all finishing up drawing an alley scene. I only had a few minutes but I documented this gaggle of sketchers.