Paper and Threads

I sat in the back row yesterday, in a corner of the auditorium, listening to the medical school Dean give a lecture.  I was able to sketch several audience members during the lecture without being detected (or at least not confronted).  I'm determined to keep sketching people but rarely find an opportunity.  I'm not a Starbuck's fan, don't commute on trains, subways, or buses, and usually attend very small meetings.  I increased the contrast on this scan to bring out the pencil sketches - accounting for the brown smudges over the page.  It is not a sepia watercolor wash!

Posted by Shirley at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

In our kitchen we use a glass cannister of Kosher salt and a pepper mill to season food - and really don't have specific S and P shakers that we use during daily meals.  However, my daughter gave me a set of miniature salt and pepper shakers that we put out on the dining room table when we have a group dinner - especially on holidays.  Roz told someone in the EDM group that she has calligraphic gold gouache in her watercolor palette and I thought this was a great excuse to buy a tube of glittery gold for myself.  My local art store only had Winsor-Newton, not the Daniel Smith color that Roz has.  You can't see it on the scan, but these tops really glitter as you move the page around.  The darker color is the gold.  The lighter color is Winsor lemon that I added for the light reflection.  I love the effect of the sparkles!!    

Posted by Shirley at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

One of my Art Goals for 2007 is to become more comfortable sketching human figures - especially hands.  This week I pulled out some reference photos of ballet dancers and magazine advertisements showing hands and just played with them.  The hands on the first dancer are so bad that I resketched them at the bottom of the page,

I'm such a novice with watercolors, that I am simultaneously trying to work with skin tones and shading so these sketches in my large watercolor Moleskine serve two purposes.  My husband and I watch the Lehrer News Hour each night after I come home from work and that hour was a perfect time for one of these journal pages.  I could listen, but not really watch the speakers.  And then I had the rest of the evening to hand quilt a wedding quilt that is overdue (My oldest son was married in July 2004)!  Too many baby quilts for my grandchildren kept getting in the way and I still have a wedding quilt for my other son who married in Oct 2005 on my list to be quilted.

The background on the pages looks muddier than in real life.  I suspect that my scanner is picking up pencil that was used and poorly erased.  I am one of the EDM group that does a quick preliminary sketch in pencil.  Otherwise I don't think I would be able to make these learning experiences.

Posted by Shirley at 8:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I wonder if I will be the only EDM member without exercise equipment to sketch for this challenge?  When considering what I really do to stay healthy, I could only focus on really good weight control and daily walking.  Obesity is such a major problem in America.  When research data is displayed at national meetings that I attend, and the average weights of the study subjects are reported (regardless of the type of medical study), there is always a chuckle from the audience when comparing the numbers from the US in comparison to the study populations from other countries.  The only way that I have been able to maintain an ideal BMI as I age is to weigh myself every morning and rein in my food selections and portion sizes.  By walking, I really don't mean that I am Julie or Penny (or other EDM members) who walk a fixed distance every day.  By living in a city, however, I now walk almost everywhere that I want to go.  My car is parked 3 blocks from our apartment and when I get to work I park several blocks from my building.  All daily errands are done by walking in my neighborhood and carrying home the packages.  Our car remains in the garage, except for work days and we walk long distances in the city on weekends.  It is almost exactly one mile with stroller(s) between our apt and that of our grandchildren.  This is a huge difference from our previous life in Texas, where the culture is garage door openers and car trips even one block to the covenience store for a newspaper.  During those years I took 2 ballet classes each week in the evening after my husband came home from work and our children went to bed.  Although I do take occasional ballet classes here in Manhattan, I can't fit everything that I want to do into my usual work week.  I now buy walking shoes that move comfortably from work to play and wear out one pair of these shoes every several months.       

Posted by Shirley at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I sketched a photo of Sydney and Henry in Hyde Park - intending to do a "city park landscape" painting.  But I never got around to finishing it when we were in London, and today decided to add a watercolor wash to both of my grandchildren and then call it done.  I have a series of similar pictures of the two of them.  Sydney, who just turned 2, says to Henry "hand!" when we are walking with both of them and sweet boy that he is, he takes her hand and walks with her. 

Posted by Shirley at 6:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

I feel as if we now live in a world of power strips and plugs that are huge and heavy to recharge our electronic devices.   And when we go to London we need equally large UK plug adaptors in which to plug these huge recharger plugs to allow us to recharge everything while we are visiting.  I too wish we lived in a simpler world - where all of our modern conveniences were interchangeable.  At my daughter's home in London there are separate DVD players for those DVDs bought in the UK and those from the US. 

Posted by Shirley at 9:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

One of my goals for 2007 is to draw more human faces and figures.  I sketched the Holbein drawing of Anne Cressacre again and this time added a watercolor wash.  In addition, I started what I hope will be a series of dancers taken from photos in dance magazines and programs from our New York City dance companies.  I think it will be fun to struggle through these exercises - I certainly need many days just drawing hands!

Posted by Shirley at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

We are now home from our Holiday visit to London and I have two more journal pages to upload - completing my second London Travel Journal.  This is a portion of a clock at Michael Hoppen Photography on Jubilee Place in Chelsea.  I visit the gallery each trip to see their new exhibits and always take more photos of the clock.  However, I never could really see the hands of the clock because they were overlapped at 3:15.   During this visit Michael Hoppen himself got a yardstick and leaned over the open stairwell to change the time so I could sketch the clock hands.

On New Year's Day we wandered through the crowds assembling for the parade on Whitehall in Westminster and went to visit the War Cabinet Rooms and the new Churchill Museum.  I sketched this on the last page of my journal after we came back to New York from photos that I took of the entrance and of the sentry (mannequin) who is quarding the War Cabinet Room.  The scans could be better, but it was difficult getting the final 2 pages of the journal to stay flat.

I wasn't sure that I was going to enjoy the Cachet Linen Watercolor Journal, but I now have completed two.  I am able to paint on both sides of each page so I have approximately 50 pages in each book.  When my daughter told us they were moving to London for one year, I had no idea that I would be able to maintain a travel sketchbook and have so much fun doing it.  I love looking back through the pages and remembering each day of our visit.  Some of the pages reflect activities in the lives of my grandchildren and each of them spends time looking through the journal for their favorite page - Pooh bath toys for Sydney and 5 cars from the Disney movie CARS for Henry in this volume. 

We have 2 more visits planned before they come back to New York, so I think that I'm hoping to finish a 3rd journal.   I'm so glad that I ordered multiple copies because I haven't seen these in any art store and only on one website.

Posted by Shirley at 5:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I buy soap less than once each year because the soap provided in hotels is so yummy.  And the minute you open one bar, they replace it with a new one making it hard to resist taking the replacement home.  Lemon trees are plentiful on the Amalfi Coast and everything comes in lemon-flavor.  I bought several packages of these small soaps to bring home, but was disappointed that they really don't smell like I expected.  The Peabody Hotels have live ducks that "march" into the lobby and swim in the fountain several times each day - making the duck the logo for the hotel.  I couldn't resist these cute white soap ducks after watching the ducks for several days in the Peabody Orlando.  I have no idea which hotel provided Gilchrist and Soames soap, but I haven't yet opened the  cleansing bar or exfoliating soap. 

Posted by Shirley at 9:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I'm about to enter the British Museum to see the exhibit "The Past From Above" - 100 aerial photos of the major archeologic sites of the world.  In addition to the photos they had artifacts from the British Museum to supplement some of the images.  This photo of me shows my brown leather backpack with sketchbook and map in the back and small digital camera in a black leather pouch on the front.  This has been a successful way for me to be a grandmother and tourist while sketching quickly and taking lots of reference photos.

I was very attracted to these 3 pieces of Moche pottery that were together in a case next to an aerial photo from Peru.  I sent my husband off for 30 minutes to work on a New York Times crossword puzzle from his pocket and sketched as quickly as I could.  I was in such a hurry that I actually sketched it upside down in the journal.  The watercolor was added at home using a reference photo that I took in front of the case.  We returned from London yesterday so this journal page was scanned, not photographed.  It was another great visit and I brought home many reference photos that I hope to use for sketches in my recycled Elizabeth I book.

Posted by Shirley at 9:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Last Thursday I met Katherine Tyrrell and several of the Society of Graphic Fine Art members for a sketch day at the Victoria and Albert Museum.  I was delighted that they chose the Islamic Art Room - we saw it briefly when it reopened this Fall and I always meant to return to sketch some of the designs.  I spent the morning analyzing a Turkish tile design followed by a Turkish bottle.  We had canvas stools and I had my backpack with sketching tools, waterbrushes, and the Daler-Rowney cylinder of watercolor paints.  I was delighted to be so comfortable sketching/painting and zoned out.

I chose this Turkish tile design because it forced me to slow down and figure out the design which was symmetrical across the diagonal of the square.  In the past I photographed magnificent mosaic tiles from the floor of the old Paris Opera House and appliqued quilt squares from the designs. 

This 16th C Turkish bottle was the most beautiful shades of blue.  I loved the stylized flowers and also envisioned the design in fabric.

Katherine prepared a sheet of Arches Watercolor paper with a grid design before she came to the museum.  She then copied designs from a series of beautiful plates and was halfway done when I left.  Her work is wonderful and is now posted (Jan 5th entry) at:

http://makingamark.blogspot.com/

My notes re: adding hot links in my blog are back in New York - so I'm just adding the link to Katherine's blog here because today's entry is from her visit to the Holbein exhibit, followed by the sketches from the V & A.  I love reading all of Katherine's blog entries, and not only enjoy her journal sketches, but learn something about art everyday because of the research she does for each entry.

Posted by Shirley at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

We played tourist in London this week and visited the exhibit at Tower Bridge followed by a delicious Italian lunch in the Butler's Wharf building.  This morning there was a question about the Daler-Rowney travel watercolor set on the EDM message board, and I remembered that I had this rare photo of me - sketching a piece of Tower Bridge from the warm restaurant.  Since I carry the camera, there are full vacations without any documentation that I traveled with my husband!

I take a small leather pencil case with mechanical pencil, 2 Zig millenium ink pens, a Bic Clik eraser, a folded paper towel, the watercolor set, two size Niji waterbrushes, my travel journal (not very small), wallet, comb, kleenex, Moleskine cahier with map and bus route - all in a very small (ladie's purse size) leather backpack.  Here is the journal page that I was creating:

Posted by Shirley at 2:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

I downloaded the Holbein drawing on the left from the on-line exhibit catalogue and sketched the drawing on the right in #2B pencil.  How can I prevent it from smudging?

Posted by Shirley at 5:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

WARNING TO FELLOW EDM SUPERBLOG SUBSCRIBERS: This is a long blog entry written primarily for my own self-reflection and planning.  I can't believe that anyone else will be interested enough to stay with me to 2007 Goal #8 .... 

Members of the Everyday Matters Group are being very reflective and sharing their ideas about their journey through art in 2006 and their personal goals for 2007.  I'm really enjoying reading each of their blog entries and simultaneously thinking about my own.

Throughout my life, I have had the need to regularly create something with my own hands and the majority of my creations were focused on textiles and needlework.  I drew reasonably well as a child and could always copy photos to make patterns for my textile work.  But I described myself as a "copier."  I also love books and was especially attracted to travel sketchbooks - thinking that I could never take the time, nor have the skills, to keep one myself.  Although I love art of all styles and time periods, I gravitate to artist's drawings - usually preparatory for their big oils - and any work they did in watercolor. 

I have had a wonderful career as an academic physician employed by medical schools first in Texas and then in New York City - and raised 3 fantastic kids.  My husband and I are entering our 40th anniversary year and I'm now only working 3 days per week and regularly helping care for one or another of our baby grandchildren.  This was a perfect time for me to set new goals and expand my own interests and skills. 

This new phase of my life started on Mother's Day 2003 with the gift card purchase of Gwen Diehn's book The Decorated Page, and continued slowly while I worked on textile projects for the weddings of both of my sons in 2004 and 2005.  Then during late summer 2005 I found many illustrated blogs and the EDM group.  This single event really changed my own goals by providing me with a community from whom to learn and be inspired.  From September through December 2005 I sketched EDM challenges from the past in black ink in a spiral sketchbook and kept up with the new weekly challenges.  I then set goals for 2006 - and listened carefully when EDM members said that the only way to improve was to sketch daily and experiment. 

Accomplishments for 2006: 

1.  I completed a daily sketch - pen with watercolor wash - every day except 2.  But on many other days I did two pages in my sketchbooks.  This was the single most important accomplishment because it really did improve my eye-hand coordination, but more than that took me beyond the fear of a blank page.  Some evenings I was so tired after long days at work that I could only sketch and paint a rubber band or binder clip, but forcing myself to take 15 minutes to fill a page was critical to the process.  I wrote about "Journal Angst" for the first EDM challenge of 2006 and now have settled on a large watercolor Moleskine for my daily paintings and several Cachet Linen series watercolor journals for my London journals. 

2.  I developed a blog on January 4, 2006 and uploaded an EDM Challenge and at least one other series of sketches each week.  This regular activity helped me stay focused and as a wonderful surprise I made many new friends through sharing my life, my work, and my artistic struggles.

3.  I worked on a single color for some of my sketches each month - January through June.  I have cool and warm primary Winsor-Newton artist grade tube paints and I needed to learn how to mix secondary and complementary colors. It was fun to collect objects around our apartment and to try to recreate their colors in my paintings.    I think that I learned so much about my own palette and have added only several additional colors during the year for a total of 11.

4.  I am now completing my second full London sketchbook during our 4th visit to our daughter and her family since she moved to London in May 2006.  I found out that I really can travel around a city and find a few minutes to sketch "live."  I usually take enough photos to paint the sketch when I get back to her house each day.  I have a great Daler-Rowney travel watercolor set and 2 Niji waterbrushes which I bring with me, but find that I usually don't want to paint until later.  The combination of a sketch and several photos is perfect for my current style of sketching while traveling.

5.  I bought some book-binding tools, followed Jan Alsop's excellent instructions, and recycled a book on Queen Elizabeth I that I bought for one pound on Charing Cross Road.  I can't wait to try the 3 types of watercolor paper that I mixed in the new signatures.  I will use this for London sketches of some variety - still to be determined.

6. I painted one "larger-than-sketchbook size" piece - a sketch of my son's new house in DC  - as a gift.  I then sketched and painted a Christmas wreath and candle per his request so he could layer the images and create their Christmas card on Photoshop.  One of their friends, who by chance we met at the Imperial War Museum this week, wrote them that it was their favorite Christmas card this year, but not to twll any of their friends with children!

7.  I made watercolor paintings on cards and postcards to mail to my grandchildren.  They love mail and really love giving me orders. It gives me great pleasure to see them play with my paintings of their favorite book, video, TV characters. 

8.  I read several wonderful books on keeping travel sketchbooks - each with pen and ink and watercolor.  Each of these books were instructional art books in addition to examples of one or more artists' own travel sketchbooks.

Goals for 2007:

1. Continue to sketch/paint everyday in my large Moleskine watercolor sketchbook.

2. Complete each EDM weekly challenge and try to expand my skills by what I choose to paint for the challenge.

3. Make plans for how I will use my new Eliz. I recycled book.  I'm currently considering using it for more London sketches -  from photos that I have taken during our visits.  I have another Cachet journal for London Volume 3 and decided that I want to continue to use the same journal type for all of my London travel. 

4.  Recycle another book since I have more paper from my previous purchase.  This time I will look for an old New York book that I can use for special days out and about my own city.

5.  Spend more time sketching human faces and figures.  I'm not sure yet whether I want to take any life drawing classes because I love the challenge of learning on my own.  I collected some copies of Holbein's portraits and Rodin's figure drawings from our museum visits this week.  And I now own two Hockney drawing/portrait books.  I will recreate some of these pieces from the 16th C, 19th C, and 20th C for fun and then immerse myself in my city and draw people to try to develop my own style. 

6.  Read some of the new art books on my shelf - starting with Betty Edward's book on color.

7.  Make a "larger-than-journal size" watercolor of the house my daughter and son-in-law rented this year in London so we have a personal visual memory of this wonderful year when they return to New York mid-year.

8.  Be a visitor in my own city and keep a Manhattan "travel" journal.  I now have scattered journal pages throughout my daily sketchbooks. 

Posted by Shirley at 8:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)