Sketchbook Skool "Beginning"

Last Friday the 15th was the first day of "skool" and it was Danny Gregory's turn to be the teacher.  It was a nice class with him sharing his story and offering ideas and encouragement to get sketching.  There seem to be quite few people in the class.  Mostly female as usual but a few guys, too.  I managed to do 3 sketches but I spent a considerable amount of time customizing a cover of a new 9x12 Strathmore Visual Journal.  I like the paper for mixed-media the best.  These were two urban sketches I managed to do this week.  These were done in a 7x7 Stillman Birn Beta sketchbook.  The paper is more like hot press watercolor paper and paint lifts off pretty easily.  Since enrolling I've discovered at least 3 other artist friends have taken this online class in the past and liked it which was reassuring. I am hoping to learn more about how to make an interesting composition on the page.  5 more weeks and 5 more teachers to go.  It's a pleasant winter activity.

Chocolaterian Cafe

Chocolaterian Cafe on Atwood Ave

Draw: Madison will be sketching here from 1 - 3 pm on Sunday January 10th.  In the past there has always been ample seating and lots of goodies to snack on.  Their hot chocolate is perfect for this time of year. 

Online Sketching Class Starts January 15th

I've been thinking for some time that it might be fun to do one of the online sketching courses offered by Sketch Book Skool.  http://www.sketchbookskool.com/.  Previously I had thought one could sign up any old time but it appears from their website that the next "semester" starts on January 15th and enrollment begins at 12pm EST on January 1st.  I'm planning on signing up for the "Beginning" class which seems geared to any level of experience and I especially like the work and blogs of a couple of the instructors for that one, Tommy Kane in particular.  Since winter has finally arrived, I felt this might give me some artistic inspiration and challenges without having to brave the elements until spring.  

SKETCHING ON BREAK, Linda

I'm on break now and trying to sketch everyday.  This is Ann Bolyn, while watching "The Tudors."

Sketching with Fountain Pens: Liz Steele and Goulet Pens

Sketch by Liz Steele and some of her favorite pens for sketching

Urban Sketchers correspondent, Liz Steele (Sydney, Australia) is currently doing a series on sketching with fountain pens on her blog: www.lizsteel.com/.  Her enthusiasm for sketching with pens is infectious ( I ended up buying 2 more Lamy Safari's and some new inks.)  She is not selling anything except her online sketching class called:  "Foundations" which I am guessing would be excellent for people new to urban sketching and also for those with some experience. Her series on pens started earlier this month and still has a few parts to go.  She really put alot of time into this and it is a wealth of free information. She recommends some specific pens in particular for the beginning pen sketcher.

Another place with a ton of free information on fountain pens for drawing and writing is Goulet Pens:  http://www.gouletpens.com/.  Brian, the owner, has done some great videos explaining just about anything you would want to know about fountain pens.  He keeps the videos short and it is easy to find the answer to just about any question.  Liz mentions Goulet Pens but is not in any sort of partnership with them.  Their website is easy to use and you can get a good idea of what the colors of the inks are.  They will send you small samples of the inks for a reasonable price.  I thought all their prices were reasonable and competitive.  My order from them was packaged extra carefully so nothing would break or leak in transit.  They do have some sort of partnership with Noodler's Inks but carry many other brands.  So far I have only ever used Noodler's inks but just got some "hand made" German ones from De Atramentis.  These are supposed to be "wetter" and not clog pens but I have never had a problem with Noodler's inks clogging any of my Lamy pens.

My personal favorites for sketching are Lamy Safari pens and Noodler's Lextington Grey.  It is a very dark grey and just a bit more subtle than black.  I have pretty bad arthritis in my hands but these pens are lightweight and for me the grip is very comfortable; I can write or sketch for quite awhile with a Lamy before my hand needs a break.  And they are very good value for the money.  You could pay alot more and not get a better pen.

                                                 Happy Holidays to Draw Madison!!!!!!

Ella's Deli

The interior is populated with animated characters handmade by the owner, employees and local artists. 45 years of whimsy. During the warmer months...

a 1927 Parker Carousel features outdoor rides. Four of us sketched & enjoyed every minute of it...

By Gretchen

By Louise

By Linda

By Elsie

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Pastel sketch on pastel paper by Linda

freehand design  -  pen and ink with light watercolor wash by Louise

INKTOBER, LINDA'S SKETCH

I have been very busy with a class I'm taking, but took sometime to do the InkTober sketch.

This is my neighbor's back porch.

Inktober at Pheasant Branch Prairie - Middleton

The prairie has been beautiful the past couple weeks with white and purple asters in bloom and cranes flying over.   I sketched mostly with the Pentel and Kuratake brush pens and added some color with watersoluble crayons.  It's  a challenge for me to stick with black and white and leave the color out of it.

InkTober Drawing Challenge 2015

I came across the InkTober drawing challenge in a recent email from the Artist's network.  It was apparently started in 2009 by artist Jake Parker.  You can find out all about it at: http://mrjakeparker.com/InkTober 

October is such a great month to be out sketching so I decided to commit to one drawing a week and will post it on Draw:Madison and if I get more ambitious do a Flicker page.  Several sketching tools are suggested on Jake's site among them the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen (below) a favorite tool of mine and other Draw:Madison sketchers.  Hope to see some more ink drawings on our blog next month.  Happy InkTober to all Madison sketchers!!

UW MADISON Eagle Height Gardens.

Perfect day for plein air sketching and painting. Louisa, Elsie, William, Linda, Gretchen & Louise took part in Draw Madison.

DURANGO, AUGUST 2015, LINDA

I attended a drop-in portrait session.  Others were painting.  I had no painting supplies with me, so I drew.   11 x 14:

A sketch of aspens, La Plata County, Colorado.  7 x 10:

Allen Centennial Gardens/UW Madison Campus

 

Summer view beyond the bridge/by Elsie

 Queen Anne house overlooking the gardens/by Louise 

 

View overlooking Japanese style gardens /by Pat

 

Paoli Community Park/by Pat

 

Henry Vilas Zoo/by Gretchen

Cherokee Marsh Park 

by  Gretchen

Sketch break at UW Memorial Union by Louise.

Nathan Fowkes Materials List

Nathan Fowkes is a professional artist and illustrator who, for fun,  paints great small landscape paintings en plein air.  His materials all fit in a fanny pack and I find it amazing what he does with such limited materials.  He doesn't use much water with his paintings and often mixes watercolor paints with white gouache for really nice opaque effects.  He likes painting on acid free brown paper and his paintings really glow on it. You can see his work on his blog: nathanfowkes-sketch.blogspot.com/ .  He really is a master at capturing dramatic lighting effects esp at sunset.  He also has some great black, grey and white value studies on the blog including the very few materials he uses to do those. His plein air kit would be great for urban sketching, too.

Linda's Sketch, Olbrich Gardens, May 31, 2015


The Thai Pavilion looked so lovely, but was challenging to draw.  I thought I might go back to Olbrich to finish the roof tiles, as they presented a perspective problem, due to the different facing surfaces of the roofs.  However, the weather continues to be pollen-laden and windy, not good for my allergies.