Posts

Showing posts from May, 2013

Attempting a car

Image
1940 Studebaker Commander (one of only four according to the owners.)   I rarely do these.  I usually leave it to the prodigious , talented professionals . Tombow markers and Staedtler Pigment Liner in Stillman & Birn Gamma series sketchbook.

Life Drawing at Redline Denver

Image

Mostly done

Image
..but still semi-in-progress sketch from a coffee joint.  Tombow markers, Staedtler pigment liner in Stilman & Birn Alpha series sketchbook.

Figures

Image
Well, one figure really, Sedona, drawn and painted. Gouache

Art Students League of Denver

Image
A few weeks ago, I went to my first Art Students League life drawing session.  I've been looking for a long pose session in town, and apparently only the ASL has one. Despite the creaky floors and the crowds, I've managed a few sketches over two sessions. In any event, here are last time's and today's outcomes, respectively. Conte and pencil on toned Strathmore paper 6B woodless pencil in Stillman and Birn Beta series sketchbook Gouache in Stillman and Birn Beta series sketchbook

The Colorado State Capitol

Image
I've been biding my time since we moved to Colorado.  The beautiful, golden-domed capitol building has been undergoing renovation for some time.  What that means for me is the dome has been partially covered by scaffolding the entire time we've lived here, which is less than ideal for sketching. Until a few weeks ago.  That's when they covered the entire  dome in scaffolding.  Enclosed scaffolding.  Nary a glimpse at the dome within.  I finally figured I might as well get it over with so that, when everything's done (assuming we still live in Denver) I can do a companion sketch with the dome as well.  Fingers crossed. Done in my new Stillman and Birn large Alpha sketchbook.

Washingon Ave and 12th Street, Golden, CO

Image
Sketched while Linda was at a baby shower in nearby Arvada.  Got a bit of a sunburn.

Panoramic at Dazbog Coffee

Image
Yesterday I sketched this pano in Dazbog Coffee on 12th and Speer.  It was pretty quiet so I had an opportunity to work without creeping too many people out.  The frienly barista there, Ara (I think that was her name) loved the sketch and showed the employees at the adjoining tanning salon (the hallway of which can be seen on the far right.)  At the end of the hallway, if you look closely, you might notice a mirror with a tiny little sketcher in it.  That's right, this pano is my "Las Meninas," or perhaps "Arnolfini Wedding portrait."  Or something. Technical aside: I used a bigger pen on this one, a Staedtler .5, and I think I like the chunkier feel.

Some more Stillman and Birn Sketches

Image
Still loving my Gamma series Stillman and Birn sketchbook.  A few more: Another sketch in the Denver Public Library: Dining room chair (in the living room).  A late-night session. Sketched from  the Library, the Denver Skyline. This was a watercolor sketch, but I wasn't too fond of the way it came out, so I put it in grayscale in Photoshop. At the Laughing Latte in LoHi A bonus Moleskine sketch of the Dan Ostermiller's larger-than-life Scottish Angus Cow and Calf  in front of the Denver Art Museum.

Mo' markers

Image
More marker sketches from my Stillman & Birn sketchbook.  Can't get enough of either right now. Denver Public Library This building just demands to be drawn, what with looking like one of those cities you make from blocks as a child.  It's a Michael Graves, but it's not so much kitschy to me as it is just elegantly simple, but still with great details. Starbucks inside the REI flagship store in LoDo. Yeah, I didn't even go into the REI.  The building was built in 1901 and overlooks Confluence Park.  A cool space.

Figures

Image
From Redline

A few more marker sketches

Image
It's interesting to do these marker sketches, because I feel I can spend more time laying them out and less time hatching, as the markers take care of the value pretty quickly.  I've been using a Stillman & Birn sketchbook for the first time with these, and so far it's great with wet media like Tombow markers. Water tower in Federal Heights, Denver This was sketched from inside the car.  It's near a hospital, and apparently this street serves as overflow employee parking, as there were people in scrubs getting in and out of these cars all day.  When I arrived, the sun was out and casting the nice shadow on the base of the tower you see here.  As I began laying in values with the markers, it clouded up and rained, and just about all of the shadows disappeared.  Fortunately I had penciled in the location of the shadow early on, or this would be a pretty dull sketch. Wooden derrick in the rotunda of the Western History and Genealogy dept, Denver Public Library

One of these things is not like the other

Image
There's two ways to interpret that title.  One of these sketches is not a coffee shop.  And one of these sketches was done with markers.  Um, that's it. Ziggi's Coffee, Westminster, CO: Reference room in the Denver Public Library: Another Starbucks for the pile: Bonus video: Linda took a short vid of me sketching in the library.

A few life drawings from D.U.

Image
Good model last Saturday, as usual.  Strong features.

Panorama-rama (and lots of coffee)

Image
From 2 Starbucks and an Einstein Bros, I give you three panoramas on three (almost) consecutive mornings: Pano #1, Starbucks: #2, Einstein Bros: #3, different Starbucks: The first two are kind of straightforward panos with vertical verticals.  The third I was also experimenting with a vanishing point below the horizon.

At the Dentist (fun title, right?)

Image
I'm sorry to those of you who clicked away after reading this.  For those that stayed, it's just waiting rooms y'all. Linda had a toothache and we went to the dentist, and I drew his office: He referred her to a specialist for a root canal (yikes) so I drew that office the next day. I was spotted by one of the folks there and before I knew it my book was being passed around to the whole staff.  Linda was the one who really needed the attention though. BONUS Moleskine sketch: Went to get my Denver Public Library card at the Woodbury Branch yesterday, and drew this whilst there: