Paper and Threads

I sketched my favorite drawing at Christie's Impressionist and Modern Auction Preview on Monday, and on Thursday I painted the first panel of Matisse's 1001 Nights in the Matisse Cut-Out Exhibit.  He is one of my favorite artists and I love studying his lines.

Veronica Lawlor was the teacher for Week 5 in Sketchbook Skool Semester 3.  I'm not sure that I will ever be able to draw bodies in constant motion, like Veronica, but I will practice.  I sat in the Grand Central Food Court this week having coffee and sketched 6 random people - two pairs that were very busy talking to each other, and two others that were either almost stationary or asleep. 

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I am enrolled in Sketchbook Skool Semester 3 - Storytelling, and just have to fit it in to an overfilled schedule at the moment.  I watched Koosje's videos during Week 1, but couldn't even think about the fun assignments until we arrived in Paris. 

Instead of illustrating a recipe, I outlined the steps for packing for our trip, and painted my suitcase, carryon, and mini-backpack.  We rented an apartment that was up 3 flights, so we packed very lightly. 

Recipe Equivalent for Koosje's Homework Assignment #1

The apartment had a modern microwave and I just wanted to use it to boil water for my filtered coffee.  But first I had to read a manual in 3 languages, searching for the simple method of just setting a time and pushing a start button.  So this is my manual:   How to Boil Water for Coffee in a De Dietrich Microwave.

Melanie Reim was the Week 2 instructor and I was thrilled to have her class videos to watch on the day we arrived, so I could try to stay awake.  For my home work I recorded what I was seeing in front of me In Notre Dame as we waited for the organ concert to begin.  But alas - no concert and no announcement.     

Notre Dame de Paris - the Organ Recital That Wasn't 

My other "in the moment drawings" were of my husband - on the Metro, in a café, and then over onion soup for lunch.  Of course he doesn't think they look like him, but I think I'm getting closer. 

At Lunch at Brasserie L'Atlas 

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This is the final day of Sketchbook Skool Semester 2 - Seeing.  I think that I will continue to work on some of the exercises again, just to play a little more!  But I wanted to post some new sketchbook pages now.  Here is my Mug Collection on a double page spread - which I posted previously only as a work in progress.  I added more mugs - and still may add more.  But it also may be finished!

One more Selfie for Koosje's class.  I decided that I would try to do an occasional one over the next few months, even though I did my homework exercise during her class and did 6.  I try to work on portraits in general and as Koosje says, "where else could you always find a willing model?"

Last weekend I saw a Facebook entry for Drawing Club on how to paint water drops.  I couldn't resist trying, and listing the steps for when my memory fails me because I was unable to save a link.  Here are my 3 water drops! 

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This was Liz Steel's week, and I've sketched with Liz in New York City during each of her visits, so it was a real treat to be in her class.   I don't have any tea cups in my apartment, so I chose the only decorated cup we have - an Antoni Gaudi espresso cup.  Here are my preliminary exploratory drawings, followed by my cup/saucer painting.

I was at the Conservatory Water - Toy Boat Pond when I began Homework Assignment 2 - draw a building.   

Here are my preliminary thumbnail sketches of the Boat House, where they store remote-control boats for the weekly races and the rental remote-controlled boats.

And this is the Kerb Boathouse, which is adjacent to the Patio Café. 

I really enjoyed Semester 2 of Sketchbook Skool - and will go back and use many of the techniques used in homework assignments in the future.  It was possible to watch each teacher during their week, and to do homework assignments, but there is so much more to get from the videos/demonstrations.  I took notes and saved transcripts - and look forward to more sketchbook play using these exercises.

Semester 3 is being filmed - and I look forward to learning who the teachers will be! 

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Andrea Joseph, whose blog I followed for years, was our week 5 teacher in Sketchbook Skool - Semester 2.  I have always been amazed at her ballpoint drawings and that was our first demo and homework assignment.  I used a Staples black ball point pen and my sandals for the exercise. 

Equally mysterious, mainly because it was impossible to imagine someone taking the time to draw these, were her collections of buttons, keys, matches etc.  Over the years I tried to picture Andrea, this incredibly patient artist, and I was finally thrilled to meet her on multiple videos.  Drawing a collection was our second demo and homework assignment.  She doesn't use watercolor for hers, but I seem unable to leave out color.  So here is my mug collection done in my own way.  It is a work in progress - one mug per day.  The pencil outlines for my next two mugs can be seen on the 2 page spread.

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