Artwork update

Since the sketchbook show took up most of our time, sketching has been limited. Here are a few random pieces from the past few weeks.

Sketchbook show success!

The sketchbook show came and went. The opening was a blast and a lot of people had positive reviews about our work and sketchbooks. Below are a few images from that night! 

We also hosted a workshop that was sponsored by Stillman & Birn! Genine and I talked about our work, our process and techniques. We shared tools, as well as a few "chilly" sketching moments outdoors. 

Marine Center--Ponce Inlet

What a better way to spend an afternoon in Florida during the August humidity than indoors! We headed over to the Marine Science Center for an afternoon of underwater creatures and injured turtles. This place is an adorable space with a lot of aquatic creatures awaiting the return to the wild. Not only were there some gigantic loggerhead turtles but there was an awesome octopus and a creepy eel! 

[LAMY Safari, medium nib, w/Rohrer & Klingner Document ink, D+S watercolors in a Stillman & Birn Beta sketchbook-softcover]

Sonnenberg gardens

During the Fingerlakes Plein Air Festival there is one day where the Sonnenberg Gardens are open to the public and free. Being the cheap-o guy that I am I hurried up there for some sketching! [namiki falcon and a Lamy Safari with DeArtementis Document ink, D+S watercolors in a Stillman & Birn Gamma sketchbook-landscape] 

Barnes and Noble meetup (edit)

Here are a few sketches from our most recent (and long over due) sketch meet up. 

[sailor bent nib pen and D+S watercolors in a Stillman & Birn gamma sketchbook-landscape--and a cookie]

ROC to ORD (CHI)

At the end of March I got to participate in my first ever National Art Teacher Conference. It was a very overwhelming experience. There were art teachers everywhere, 2,000 sessions to pick from, and the city of Chicago to explore. I sketched as much as I could, but recovering from bronchitis I rested as much as I could. 

At one point we attacked Blick Art Supply and a few art teacher friends bought some sketching supplies so when we went out we could all sketch! It was a nice way to infect people with the sketching bug. 

captive audience on the plane

2 minutes waiting to board in ORD

one man dinner party

sketching the other art teachers! 

a cool pile of shiny service wear 

more art teachers

the place that invented "dive bar"

more captive plane models

and more captive travelers. 

Boathouses

If you have read any of my posts before you will have seen that I have attempted to draw the boathouses on Canandaigua Lake many times: 

http://reddout.blogspot.com/2015/04/canandaigua-boathouse.html
http://reddout.blogspot.com/2014/12/painting-woes.html
http://reddout.blogspot.com/2015/05/canandaigua-boathouses-part-73.html
http://reddout.blogspot.com/2015/08/plein-air.html

While searching for some ideas in my classroom I came across an artist that drew these little fictitious scenes of buildings. The buildings were small, detailed and painted in watercolors. So I thought what a cool technique, I want to try that but I just need a subject...

[my girlfriend's (*edit* fiancee's) micron pens and D+S watercolors on either Stillman & Birn Delta loose sheets or Strathmore watercolor paper]

One man sketchcrawl

60 degrees and sunny in February! That calls for a sketch crawl! 

[namiki falcon with DeArtementis Document ink, D+S watercolors in a Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook-landscape]

[ball point pen, in a toned tan Strathmore sketchbook]

Student working

Sometimes my students need a role model on what a working artist looks like. They will often chat, and chat some more and chat some more and forget to do work. So I will sketch and work beside them to give a silent example. That means my other students who are working make great models. The past few days the sun has been shining and reflecting off of the snow making fantastic shadows. I didn't capture the shadow very well here, but trying is half the battle. 

[Pilot Brush pen and Copic CG1 marker in a Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook-landscape]

Watching dishes dry.

While waiting for the chicken to cook in batches I sketched the drying dishes. Much better time waster than surfing Facebook.

Figure Drawing

For some reason when I transferred schools in my college career, a lot of my art credits magically took care of certain requirements and I never had the chance to take a figure drawing class. So a sketching friend recommended the Steve Carpenter Art Center. They have an open figure-drawing night every monday. You pay 4$ an hour and plop down and draw. 

I bought an insanely large Stillman & Birn sketchbook (11x14) so I could record my progress as I went about the winter. I've included a pencil in my photos so you can see just how mammoth this thing is! 

For my first time out I didn't know what tools to use so like any artist, I just brought them all. I stuck with:

-a Blackwing pencil

-Pentel brush pen with black ink

-waterbrush filled with J. Herbin pearle noire black ink and diluted with water

-INKTENSE watercolor pencils

(since my students bounce to my site here and there, I will be limiting the posts of my figure drawing class. I will attempt to "edit" as best as I can)

last pose of the night

one pose and then a 2nd one I had a bad view so I sketched the other artists. 

my first dip! (edited)

Rockin' coffee shop meetup

We had a meet up a local coffee shop that hosts an open mic night every wednesday. Let's just say the acts were "interesting". They ranged from Ukrainian death metal, to biker rock ballad to whimsical 2 piece bands with a violin. I will post some videos of the action below. 

But now for the art. It was VERY poorly lit and I couldn't see ANY colors I was laying down. I went for value as best as I could and guessed at color. I was getting frustrated, but when I saw the sketches in the parking lot light, they didn't look too bad! 

[Sailor bent nib with J. Herbin pearl noire ink, Hero 1077 bent nib with J. Herbin olive ink, namiki falcon with DeArtementis Document ink, D+S watercolors in a S+B Epsilon Series sketchbook]

Meetin' and Creepin'

The first few days of school are chock full of meetings and more meetings. I cannot sit there and pay attention without doing something. Doodling got me through HS Chemistry and sketching during my meetings gets me though my adult life. 

[Uni Pin pens, D+S watercolors in a S+B Epsilon Series sketchbook]