Wednesday Morning at Yokes

 

Wednesday am at Yokes on Keene with Nancy and Dave.  This was a fun event as we each did our sketching, and had some great conversation while doing so.  I was quite reluctant to put the black behind these onions, but I knew it would cause them to pop.  Now I'm glad I did. 

 

6 x 12 Antique Ledger Book, ink, watercolor, photoshop

Wednesday Morning Sketching

 

Out on the regular Wednesday Urban Sketchers Tri-Cities Sketch-About. We went to a local Yokes Market and I sketched the produce and soft drink section. The problems I had brought up a big discussion about prospective and how to start and control a drawing. Great stuff and everyone got drawn in and I learned a lot; the hard way.

WEDNESDAY MORNING SKETCHING!

Just some of the lovely bottles of VODKA at Yoke's. 

I am pretty sure it doesn't taste as nice as it looks!

"Wednesday morning at Yokes"

The produce rack at the new Yoke's on Keene is drenched in the morning sunlight streaming through the big east-facing windows on the wall.  I decided I didn't want to try to capture the entire produce section as it is filled with way-too-many details; but I did want to capture the sunlight.  So, using some photoshop to darken the background, I offer up this group of tables filled with pomegranets, melons, plantains, cantaloupe, pineapple, and mangoes.  By the way, no one approached me, no one asked what I was doing, no one told me to leave. 

 

 

 

Emboldened by my new found freedom, I picked up these three pomegranates and took them to a table where I had my coffee and bagel waiting, set them up as a still-life and sketched them.  My watercolors were in my truck, so I tried to capture the values by cross-hatching ink.  Colors were added a few minutes later when I sat in outdoor café area in that wonderfully warm sun. 

  

 

 

 

6x9 Super Aquabee Sketchbook, ink, watercolors

"River Island"

I couldn't keep the serenity I experienced with the WWSkcrawl in Leslie Groves Park out of my head, so I gathered up my art supplies and drove back over the next morning. An absolutely gorgeous set-up spread before me with the island in the river with the distant background along with some people practicing their kayaking skills in the slow slackwatered foreground along the banks. (Sorry, you won't find them in my sketch.)

 

 

11x14, ink and watercolor

41st World Wide Sketchcrawl - by Lapoynte

 View down the Columbia River toward Richland WA, From Leslie Grove Park

 Two Moms drawing at the latest SketchCrawl.

Greg Ashby, one of the local Urban Sketchers.

41st World Wide Sketchcrawl - October 2013

A nice group of us met up this morning at Leslie Grove Park to meet up with 

Yichien Cooper's Art Class to sketch all together.  

I LOVED drawing all the kids intensely drawing - such FUN!

This sketchbook is really too big to fit in my scanner so the copies are not that great 

but it was great practice capturing faces, body language and camo pants!

I finished with a group shot that wasn't as successful

but have determined next time not to make the background so colorful

so the people stand out.

"City Park Images"

 

Wednesday morning sketching with Nancy, Jean, and Dave, I decided to try out my new toned tan, 9x12, Strathmore sketchbook I purchased in Spokane.   Rather than pick out one particular scene, I wanted to do a series of small, thumbnail-like, sketches and this is the result.

 

ink, 9x12, toned paper

WEDNESDAY SKETCHING!

Met up Wednesday morning with Jim, Dave and Jean and sketched at Howard Amon Park.

This is the 'thumbnail' stage looking out towards the river.   

What a beautiful day!!!

Elephant Slide, Howard Amon Park, Richland, WA

Thinking about making a coloring book based on Howard Amon Park in Richland, WA. This is my first subject. The sturgeon sculpture and slide ship is my second subject

"Pots"

I spotted these pots at Beaver Bark last Wednesday morning when Nancy and I went sketching.  I have seen them before but the sheer numbers of them sort of left me breathless and clueless about where to start.  This time, I found a good spot from which to work, opened my sketchbook, and simply drew one of the pots in the middle on the left.  From there the page just sort of filled itself in. 

I liked the multiple colors and how they were laid out in front of the distant greenhouse.

6x9 Super Aquabee Sketchbook, Noodler's Lexington Gray ink, watercolors, Faber-Castell ink pens.

WEDNESDAY MORNING SKETCHING

Met up this morning at the Artspace in Kennewick and headed out to Beaver Bark thinking it might be a little warmer inside their incredible space OR all those colorful pots outside...

I chose inside (still suffering from a hacking cough) and sat in front of trays of small plants and this beautiful bouganvilla that I obviously don't know how to spell!  These detailed drawings are always a bit daunting to start but once you put down that first leaf - the rest just fits in around it.  Can't wait to go back to pick up some gorgeous color!

"Road Trip to Meet Don Colley in Spokane"

On October 5th, Renae Williams-Favor, new member to USkTC, and I, drove up to Spokane to meet up with Urban Sketcher, Don Colley, and here, for his demonstrations at the Spokane Art Supply store.  Also there was Spokane Sketcher, Don Walls. 

We had a great time discussing the art of sketching with Don Colley and came home not only with new supplies, purchased at 20% off, some free supplies offered by Don (pens, pencils, etc.), but some new ideas about how to expand our personal techniques and skills.

After the demos, Renae, Don W. and I stopped at Riverfront Park and sketched the carousel as it nestles in front of the Spokane's downtown buildings.  The weather was sun and 72 degrees, no wind, and there was carousel music permeating the air throughout the park.  A great day, and with company, a short ride up and back.

Here's my contribution to the collection of sketches done at the park, and if you click the pic you'll be able to see the rest of the pics taken.

 

9x9 Super Aquabee Sketchbook, Lamy Safari with Noodler's Lexington Gray ink, and watercolors.

 

 

Quick, before they die...

Quick clipping roses in the yard before they get froze out!

I have looked at these for several days as I walked by them on my kitchen table.  I am surprised that my impulse was to draw them and I am happy that I don't shy away from it, that I am actually DRAWN to it!  How thankful I am to have stuck with the drawing and to be at a point where I long to draw, not that I should...

"Wednesday Sketching II"

 

My rendition of the FedEx plane that Nancy so deftly sketched in the post below this one.  Not super-pleased with this, but hey, this blog isn't about quality so much as it is about just drawing and having some fun with other like-minded folks.  Nancy and I are committed to as many Wednesday mornings into the future as we can see, and then some. 

After lunch, I drove over to the Grand Opening for the new Yoke's grocery on Keene Road in Richland.  Of the two sketches I did there, this one is my favorite.  I found a nice comfortable chair in the luncheon area (where there is a fireplace that opens both inside and to the outside patio), and sketched out these folks shopping in the produce area.

WEDNESDAY SKETCHING!

After meeting up at Roasters (across from CBC in Pasco) at 9:30 this morning, Jim and I headed over towards the airport and ended up outside a major fence in front of a FedEx plane and HERE

are the Results!

It feels great getting out there again - it's been a while!