Paper and Threads

We were in Washington DC over the holiday weekend visiting our grand daughter Annabelle.  When she was born, I decided to keep a separate watercolor journal just for my daily sketches during the days I was visiting her. 

This journal page shows the helicopter magnetic puzzle - the smallest Christmas present that we brought in her big, full Christmas gift bag and a window seat that houses her toys in a group of storage baskets.

Some of Annabelle's clothes that I wanted to remember - and her special infant backpack - that she put on and took off repeatedly over the weekend.

On Sunday morning we went to the Air and Space Museum at Dulles - an amazing place with an incredible number of planes, helicopters, missiles, and space vehicles.  Annabelle loves to run through the gigantic hangar, so this sketch was done from a photo that I took as we ran with her.

On Monday morning we took the Metro to the Commerce Dept - and the National Aquarium.  It is a lovely, small collection of tanks - and I was captivated by the seahorses.  Their tails were so much longer than I had imagined and were wrapped around the tank plant holding them all in position.  Annabelle wasn't nearly as interested in fish as she was in airplanes!

Posted by Shirley at 9:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

We visited our youngest grand daughter, Annabelle, this past weekend and I added more pages to the watercolor journal I dedicated to our visits with her.  Previous pages are visible by clicking on the Washington DC category.

I rarely sketch my grandchildren because it never looks like them.  Annabelle is much cuter than I made her in this drawing.  The small sketch shows her running around the Natural History Museum with us on Friday.

Saturday we had breakfast at Eastern Market and enjoyed the many flower vendors - everything was so bright and fresh.

We then went to Oktoberfest on Barrack's Row, the highlight of which was the childrens' petting zoo.  There were two very small goats there with their Mother that all of the children loved. 

The goat on the left was drawn with a Pilot Varsity Pen, but the watercolor paper in the Cachet Linen Journal was too absorbent and it was difficult to wet the ink to shade the goat.  The one on the right was painted with a neutral gray watercolor wash.

Posted by Shirley at 9:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

We just returned from a short trip to Washington, DC - part business and part pleasure.  Our youngest grandchild lives there and I have a dedicated sketchbook to use each day that we are with her.  Annabelle will be one at the end of this month - and we don't see enough of her!

Saturday afternoon we went to the new Capitol Visitor's Center to see the space.  We didn't have time to look at Exhibition Hall, but the main area is wonderful!  There are many statues, but the cast of the Statue of Freedom which sits on top of the Capitol Dome is the most important one.  Here is her head - and an eagle logo found on many of the items in the Gift Shop.

Annabelle pulls herself up on everything and is cruising an entire room very quickly.  These are quick sketches of her in her PJs.

There was alot of snow when we woke up on Monday morning.  We kept Annabelle home from Day Care to play with us while my son and daughter-in-law went to work.  She loves playing with the Noah's Ark and animals that she received as an early birthday present, so it was immortalized on this page.

We all love her really warm winter hat and she looks really cute in it.  We're sad that it probably won't fit her next winter.

Posted by Shirley at 4:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I picked up this leaf and nut from the sidewalk in Capitol Hill, Washington DC, last weekend.  These huge trees lined the street all around the park and there were multiple nuts that looked like acorns until you noticed that the caps were really spiculated - not at all like a traditional oak acorns.  On the left is the inside of an empty cap  and on the right a drawing of a cap with the nut facing up.  The cap actually has the spicules covering it entirely.

The leaves were as long and narrow as I depicted, but the veins were actually symmetric - and I didn't manage to keep them that way when I painted the leaf.  I have no idea how the leaves were placed on the branch or what the bark looked like.  None of the tree identification web sites helped me identify this tree, so I'm hoping someone in EDM can do it.  Lin? 

Posted by Shirley at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

We spent the Columbus Day weekend with our youngest grandchild in Washington DC.  When she was born I started a Cachet Linen watercolor journal for our visits to DC - the same journal that I used for my 3 London travel journals for my other grandchildren.  I try to do a visual journal page for each day of our visit,

We went to the annual Navy Day when we arrived Saturday, but Annabelle slept through it while my two oldest grandchildren, who were also visiting DC, had a fabulous time climbing on huge military vehicles.  But she now loves her Exersaucer and while we were babysitting for her spent many happy minutes playing in it.  Here is a cropped version from my position in a nearby chair. 

Sunday morning we took Annabelle for a really long walk around Capitol Hill and saw Halloween decorations whereever we walked.  One house even had pumpkin vines tied up to their wrought iron fence and many pumpkins in various stages of growth.  I captured one of the bigger pumpkins and the vine in one of my drawings.

On Monday we took Annabelle up Pennsylvania Ave to buy some new books for her and then I visited Capitol Hill Books (in a row house across from Eastern Market) for the first time, to survey their incredible collection of used books.  I found a book about the history of Chelsea - in London - which is where we stayed during our year traveling back and forth to London to visit my daughter and her family.  It was a great read for the train coming back to NYC.  What is not in my drawing are the stacks of books that completely obscure the front windows upstairs and down.  Yet inside the collection is wonderfully organized over 3 floors.  A must visit now for me for all subsequent trips to see Annabelle.

Posted by Shirley at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

My son and his wife in Washington DC have two cats - his and hers from before they were married.  So this sketch was made from a photo of Sammy meeting baby Annabelle and her stuffed Jellycat Bella shortly after she was born.   

Posted by Shirley at 7:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

I'm always happy when I can post an EDM Challenge before the next one is announced.  These exercises are great for me to do and I try to stretch my skills a little with each one. 

We were on vacation when the "Sparkle Challenge" was posted and I really wanted to try to capture the light of a gem stone.  I'm not very good painting reflections and I kept looking for a big stone.  I even took a photo of the Hope diamond when we were in DC.  But then I decided to just draw a Bulgari bracelet from an advertisement and move on.

I also took photos of cute little Capitol Hill houses with flags blowing in the breeze on our trip to DC because I knew that ! couldn't draw a moving flag.  Then, at the end of my taxi ride to Union Station following my meetings, I looked up and saw the facade of the station.  I grabbed my camera, took several photos and headed inside for my train back to New York. 

I loved the Seurat Drawings Exhibit at MoMA NY and was especially fascinated with the paper (click on the Conservation button).  This is especially interesting because I don't even sketch with Conte or charcoal.  I looked up the Michallet paper and learned that the modern day equivalent is available at NY Central Art Supplies.  I bought a sheet while I was there on Saturday just to experiment with it.  I ripped it into smaller pieces and now will play with it, using Seurat's drawings as my inspiration.  Here is #1 - done with a 1/8th sheet and a Derwent Drawing pencil. 

Posted by Shirley at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I had one more Cachet Linen Watercolor Journal from my original purchase, and decided that I would take it to Washington DC with me every time I visit Annabelle.  It is the same type of journal that I used for our multiple trips to London to visit our other grandchildren when they lived there.  The 3 London volumes are part travel sketchbook and part grandchild visual journal because lots of the drawings are of their toys, or experiences in their lives.

I printed my previous sketches of Annabelle's house, the US Capitol, and two facades of Eastern Market (before the fire) on plain paper with an ink jet printer and collaged them on the first two pages of this DC journal as an introduction.  Those drawings can be found in the Washington DC category on this blog (see category list on right hand side of the webpage).  I completed 5 pages during our first visit with her and most are already posted.  I did the following drawings this weekend.

I asked my son and daughter-in-law about their favorite newborn toys - and painted both their favorite rattles and her new crib mobile.  They think her favorite animal on the mobile, based on the kicking and cooing of a 3 month old, is the donkey, so he has a portrait by himself.

On Sunday afternoon we took Annabelle on the Metro in her stroller to the National Museum of Natural History.  At the end of our brief visit, they went to feed her and I stayed in the rotunda to draw the elephant to document her first visit there and the fun we had on our adventure.

I sketched and shaded the elephant with a Derwent light wash pencil and then blended all of it with my small Niji waterbrush. 

Posted by Shirley at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

We were visiting Annabelle, our newest granddaughter, this weekend in Washington DC.  She and her Daddy had their first pool party together the day before we arrived.  And during our visit we walked to the childrens' playground in Lincoln Park.  A quick sketch of her bathing suit (you can't see the cute ruffles on the back), her hat, and two of the toys in the park were sketched together for last week's EDM Challenge - Summertime.  More sketches from our visit to follow.

Posted by Shirley at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This large tin rooster is one of many sold at the Eastern Market  Weekend Flea Market in Washington DC.  The vendor says that they sell as soon as he gets another one from the artist in Mexico.  I saw it early in the morning when walking through several weeks ago, but it was sold by the time I went back to sketch it.  The following week my son emailed me a photo of the rooster proudly guarding a home on the lawn on 12th Street.  They have so much character - rusted tin and all!

Posted by Shirley at 8:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We took the train to Washington DC last weekend for our first visit with Annabelle.  I used 3 Cachet Linen Watercolor Journals for our multiple visits to London to visit our other grandchildren when they lived there in 2006-2007.  I had one more just waiting for a special theme - and I decided that it would be my travel sketchbook for Washington DC and my visits to see Annabelle.  When we arrived Friday evening I had just enough energy before bed to sketch a few flowers from the bouquet from her greatgrandfather and the tiniest cutest little pink socks I ever saw..

On Saturday morning I held her on my lap after I finished feeding her, and held my sketchbook up in one hand while sketching her little hands and feet.

The edges of these 7 X 10 pages don't scan very well.

We took her out for fresh air Saturday and visited Eastern Market where I always find something fun to sketch and paint.  The tin rooster I saw in the morning was already sold, but there was a ceramic one that worked just fine!  And I loved the cute lion face on a batik wallhanging made by another vendor.

On Sunday I sketched her new "lovey," a Jellycat stuffed animal called "Miaow Bella Mocha."  This was a gift from her cousin - before anyone knew her name.  Now Annabelle has her cat Bella.  It is customary in our family to take a picture every month with a specific stuffed animal to see changes in my grandchildren's size and development during the first year.  My daughter and other daughter-in-law have been so creative that these are among my favorite pictures of our grandchildren.  Bella will be used for those photos with Annabelle.

Posted by Shirley at 4:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

I had a few minutes on Tuesday after my meeting at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington DC ended and walked up Connecticut Avenue to the National Zoo to see and sketch the Giant Pandas.  More than 20 years ago, I sat with my young daughter and sketched a Panda eating bamboo - and it didn't move for 20-30 minutes.  The Panda Habitat has been recently renovated and there is a baby that was born in July 2007.  I was able to see Mom, Dad, and Baby (who appears fully grown) and they were all in perpetual motion!

Here are a few quick sketches that I did when they stopped for 30 seconds!

There are 3 cameras in use at all times to track the pandas and volunteers (working in 3 hour shifts)move the cameras around continually to keep the Pandas in view on the screen.  If you Google Panda cam you can see the 2 from the National Zoo and the 3rd that is sponsored at the zoo by Animal Planet. 

I still love watching them - and was thrilled to have the time to walk up to the Zoo.

Posted by Shirley at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

My husband and I went to DC last weekend to visit our son in their new home near Eastern Market in the East Capitol Hill section.  We went to the Market early each morning for food and on Sunday I went 30 minutes before the group so I could quickly sketch the Eastern facade (built in 1873).  I stood and then sat on the sidewalk across the street and just finished when they arrived.  Then we realized that the image used for the market on T-shirts and by local artists is the North facade.  One of the artists in front of the Market told me, "I'd never do that complicated Eastern facade."  My sketch of the north facade is coming.

On Saturday we went to the Library of Congress Book Festival on the Mall to hear Mo Willems, the author/illustrator of the pigeon series of children's books.  Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus is a real favorite in our apartment with our grandchildren and he was wonderful - even passing out paper and pencils to all of the children in the audience and then teaching them how to draw the pigeon!  We walked home up the Mall toward the Capitol, but I didn't have time to sketch the rotunda.  This sketch was done from a photo taken as we walked by.

Posted by Shirley at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

One of my sons and his wife just bought an East Capitol Hill row house and this weekend all 4 parents joined them for a marathon painting session.  Although I travel to Washington DC on business at least yearly, I wasn't familiar with these charming rowhouses and immediately wanted to do a quick sketch.  I did take a break from taping walls Saturday afternoon and here is both my sketch and a photo of me sketching while sitting on a brick ledge (ouch!) which my son took from an upstairs window.  This sketch was done in my 5 1/2 by 8 1/2" sketchbook so I don't have many  architectural details.  However, I did more sketches of individual details over the rest of the weekend - and hope to do many more sketches when they finally move in.

Posted by Shirley at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)