Scavenger Hunt from Life #137: Nov 11 - Nov 19

[Joan T]

Jo, thanks. Cold here this morning...39 when I walked at 7AM. It is supposed to be warmer tomorrow. I hope so because we are sketching outdoors. Love all your toys clustered together. So cute!

Robin, thank you. Notice I sketched the person but not the chair. lol

Grapes, my sketch group was supposed to have a model last night, but things got confused at she went to a different location. The guy who leads our group posed for us and he was trying to do interesting poses. He could only hold the chair up for a short period of time, but would bring it down and then raise it up again. He wouldn't give up on the pose. Luckily the timer went off. lol

6 - obstacle (all those stairs to get up to your house) - watercolors and ink

7 - free space - watercolors

 

[Jo Castillo]

Grapes, thanks,

Joan, obstacles for sure. Great perspective and sketch.
the free space landscape is lovely. We have been having such nice weather. Need rain, though. I think you all are pretty dry, too.

 

[Jo Castillo]

I sketched out on the porch. We were listening to “Uncommon Valor” a book about soldiers, mainly World War II by Martha McAllum. She is such a supporter of veterans and started to write about a cousin that was on Iwajima and went on to write about others. Great research and feelings in the book. Sort of written like a novel with the soldiers thoughts found in letters and interviews but real history. Anyway…. Number 3 mechanical - pencil and Number 4 kitten - a pottery whistle from Peru I think as we have nothing cat like even in my toys. It was better before I outlined it. Ha. In the large sketchbook with Ohuhu pens.

 

[AiArts]

I am exhausted from many extra things at work...have not done any little arts for days... finally... drumroll...

#1 freespace ...a cluster of banana trees with a blossom in a nearby orchard food shop...wc+pencil

 

[Joan T]

Jo, thanks. Yes, we need rain. We haven't had anything other than a light sprinkling since mid-August. There are burn warnings all over. I like your mechanical pencil. Your pottery cat whistle reminds me of the turtle one I have.

Ai, sorry to hear you've been so busy that you haven't had time to do art. Glad you found a bit of time to sketch the banana trees with the blossom. Nice!

The NYC Urban Sketchers met on a very windy, rather cold day yesterday. Unless we have surprisingly warm weather again it may be our last outdoor gathering for the year...but I've hear that before. lol I dressed in warm layers so I was comfortable, but a lot of the sketchers ended up looking for places where they could sketch inside.
8 - roof of the Queens courthouse in Long Island City - direct watercolor

9 - gum - watercolors and ink (This very unattractive sculpture titled "Sunbather" apparently was a bit hit back in the 60s, but we all thought it was probably the ugliest sculpture we've ever seen on the streets of NY. lol We joked that it looked either like pink bubble gum, or pink insulation that was squeezed out of a tube, or a demented version of the Pink Panther. Only a few of the 30 sketchers bothered to sketch it.It literally sits in a grassy medium in the middle of the street.)

 

[AiArts]

Joan , Grapes: Thanks.

Joan: Wonderful courthouse with greenery plus the charming sketch of the not-so-good-looking but gum like sculpture. If it had real soul, it must have been happy to be sketched by you.

 

[AiArts]

#2 self portrait...done by direct Chinese ink...

 

[jmfletch]

Grapes - For some reason I never associate oils with working small. No idea if your painting looks like you but it is a beautiful portrait and truly baffled you can create such a portrait in oils in under 5 inches!

Joan - Definitely an unusual pose. Love the shading.

Jo - Great ink work on card full of stuffies.

Not sure I will work on a Hunt sketch today. Hoping to work on Christmas card as the clock is ticking!

Keep sketching
Fletch

 

[Joan T]

Ai, thanks for your comments. The sculpture makes me laugh because it is so unusual. Nice job on the self-portrait. You are smiling in yours. I'm always frowning from concentrating so hard.

Fletch, thanks. You are making me nervous with your ticking clock. lol

A double page spread done in my Stillmann & Burn Nova Trio spiral sketchbook with Posca markers done today at a farmstead.
12 - tractor (sub for wagon)
13 - sign (but not a zodiac sign)
14 - veggies (sub for pineapple)

 

[AiArts]

Joan: Thanks... Beautiful page spread with colorful veggies and tractor.

Ned: Thanks.

Fletch: Thanks.... Have fun with Xmas card, I have not started with mine yet.

 

[NedL]

This hunt has been going right on by! I guess they all do.

Robin -- I enjoyed looking at your self portrait. I got as far as finding a mirror. Today I put "Drawing from the right side of the brain" in my knapsack so that I'l have it around and can re-read the part about portraits.... It's going to be raining here this week so maybe I'll find time to look at it one day while waiting for a break in the rain.

Grapes -- well, I think your self portrait is amazing.

Joan -- that guy holding up the chair might be getting tired! Nice contrast on the stairs and I like the blue-green color under the eaves. The direct WC courthouse is great. I looked at it for a long time this morning. The sculpture is pretty strange.. I'm glad I don't have to see that around here The posca marker drawings also have wonderful contrast and color... the shine on the rutabaga is excellent.

Jo -- Cute birthday card! Nice! Good job on the pen and the neat cat whistle. Peru is on my list of places to visit. I think I'll like the food there.

Ai -- sorry you've been swamped. I don't miss that at all. The banana tree is great and your self portrait made me smile.

 

[NedL]

#3 Nautical -- navigation light for ships and boats returning to harbor at night... foggy drizzling but still had a walk on the beach after sketching this...

a photo:

harbour

 

[AiArts]

Ned: Thanks...your cool nautical sketch is nice and educative.

Joan: nice obstruccle piece. I will try to train for it.

Jo: love the card you made...so cute.

 

[AiArts]

#3 obstacle -- part of my unfinished sketchbooks...I have too many to complete. ...done with ink sketch on my pre-grounded wc pages.

 

[Jo Castillo]

Ai, the banana tree with blossom is beautiful. Happy you found a moment or two to sketch. Your self portrait is fun and full of life and character! Your obstacle sketch made me smile. It is so hard to finish sketchbooks when there are so many to buy and try! Nice lines and perspective.

Joan, the courthouse roof is unusual and the sketch is lovely. The bubble gum sculpture made me smile. Crazy artists!! Oh I love the combo at the farmstead. The colors sing and I like the arrangements and subjects. I like brusselsprouts. Good sign and lettering . Great job on all.

Fletch, thanks. Hope you get your card done. I haven’t worked on my Christmas yet. Yikes.

Ned, thanks for sketching in the foggy drizzle. I thought Joan would be first with nautical! Lovely sketch.

We had kiddos out yesterday and today and with the chores and doing Gene’s physical therapy, speech and occupational therapy, not much time left. Oh well, it is what it is. Hopefully I’ll sketch tomorrow when he has actual therapy with the therapist. Ha. He is improving, especially in speech. He is strong so the walking with the walker is not too hard, it is getting it all in the right order. Lots of muscle memory to recover. We all see the improvement.

 

[AiArts]

I just went to a book sale...have not read it yet...

#4 cover ...done with markers+wc

 

[Joan T]

Ai, thanks! I don't think of all those empty sketchbooks as an obstacle...they're more like a challenge. lol Nice cover on the book. I haven't read a Stephen King book in a long time. Is that one good?

Ned, I think Mark regretted that pose with the chair up in the air. He didn't try another one like that. lol Hope you read something interesting on doing portraits. That's an interesting nautical device...sort of small. Nice sketch of it.

 

[AiArts]

Joan: Thank you.... haha ... I had so many of unfinished sketchbooks ones shown in above sketch just 5% of it.. and I still keep buying new sketchbooks .... and now they stay in every corner of the house esp. as well as all corners of my art room... then they become my obstacle of my attempt to declutter my home. I perceive them as my mental block somehow. If I complete one, I will have a big plastic box dedicated to keep the finished ones in our garage... I have not read that book yet nor does his so many novels but I have watched his movie "Shawshank Redemption" for hundred times or more. So I got this book from the 2nd hand booksale.

 

[AiArts]

Done the next set with pencil+ wc ...Sorry I drew them not in scale at all hehe...

#5 roof (of our birdhouse)
#6 sub. pineapple with a lemon and a tangerine
#7 quilt
#8 luxury -- our heirloom Wedgwood teapot
#9 sub. honky tong with a bobble head of Elvis

 

[Jo Castillo]

Ai, great book cover. I find Steven King a bit spooky. Ha. I love the still life sketch. Clever using Elvis for Honky-tonk.