Paper and Threads

Yesterday was our monthly Saturday Meet-up Central Park Drawing and Art Group - and we met at Columbus Circle.  It was a beautiful day but very windy.  My eye immediately went to these purple flowers.  I'll add several photos so I can get help identifying them.  The entire circle was surrounded by these long stem beauties.

We then moved into Central Park to the area around the childrens' playground and the big climbing rock.  It was much less windy and more pleasant for 30 minutes of sketching.  I chose to do a painting of the top of the GM building over the park trees. 

Finally we moved further into Central Park and climbed to the Chess and Checker House.  There were only a few people playing, I was sitting too close to this couple, so I have a semi-caricature because I couldn't really stare at them long enough to sketch anything accurately.

Posted by Shirley at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

This is a preliminary drawing that I did of an apartment building on the Upper Westside of Manhattan.  I promised a larger painting and just wanted to play with the angles and perspective in my sketch book.

I'd love some suggestions for mixing a really good dirty brick color.

Posted by Shirley at 7:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Three grandchildren came for dinner the other evening and Sydney brought me these flowers.  They look like peonies, but are actually double tulips.

Posted by Shirley at 8:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Our  Journal Study Group met yesterday and we all made 3" by 5" books using a prototype that Gwen Diehn sent to me after she spent an afternoon with us in March.  The stick goes through 3 loops, keeping the accordion spine closed.  There are 8 pages of watercolor paper to use inside.  I plan to put more of my pregnant model stamps on the pages inside and then have a surprise hidden on the spine.  I'll take photos when I'm finished.

 I just LOVE cute little books!

Posted by Shirley at 8:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Yesterday I went to see the Watercolor Society of America annual show at Salmagundi several hours before it closed.   This is the second year that I went to the exhibit and again I was overwhelmed by the talent of the group and their beautiful handling of watercolor.  My fish were inspired by fish that I saw on two of the paintings.  Following the show, I walked across 12th Street in the Village to Utrecht art to get a 9B pencil to work on David Rankin's Fast Sketching Techniques and saw this beautiful tulip growing in front of a brownstone. 

Posted by Shirley at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)