Scavenger Hunt from Life #142: Dec 20 - Dec 29

Jo Castillo

Contributing Member
Messages
4,358
Welcome to the Scavenger Hunts from Life. The Hunts were started in 2006 by Jamie Williams Grossman as a way to practice with prompts. Artists have come and gone while forming some lasting friendships. We hope you will join in and tune up your sketching skills. All levels and techniques are welcome. We hope you can have some good times here. You can travel the world seeing the sketches of items at hand by the artists.

If you’ve participated in at least one Scavenger Hunt and have time to host one we would really appreciate it. You can sign up by posting your name on the current hosting schedule in the Art From Life forum here:

https://creativespark.art/threads/scavenger-hunt-from-life-host-sign-up-list.2481/

Here are the rules for the Hunt:


  • All everyday common items on the list must be sketched from life – not imagination or photo reference.
  • Each object you draw can count for only one item on the list, no matter how many shapes/parts/colors that object contains. This was agreed on by unanimous vote among the participants.
  • You may place multiple objects together in a drawing or painting, and may count these objects as separate items, but no single object can count for more than one item.
  • All items posted must be numbered. Count them as you go. The first item you post will be #1 regardless of its place on the list. Do them in whatever order you wish, but count them in the order in which you sketch them, from 1 to 26.
  • Do as many or as few of the items as you like. You don’t have to finish the entire list to participate. The Scavenger Hunt “week” will last for 9 days, with the next hunt starting on the 9th day.
  • Please tell us your size, surface, medium, and the amount of time it took you for each sketch. We love hearing about your subjects and setups. Photos of your subjects are welcome.
  • Have fun!
*** If you have some hunt sketches completed but little time to read/comment, please post your sketches anyway. Commenting is appreciated but not required.

Scavenger Hunt from Life #142: Dec 20 - Dec 29

angel
bookshelf
chisel or other tool
dog
excellence
free space
guilty pleasure
happy place
icepack or icetray
jalepeño or spicy
kitchen decoration
lumpy
match or lighter
nautical
open
poinsettia or flower
quality
red
signage
tree
unused
vacation item
watery
X-bot or toy
yard decoration
zig-zag

Have fun and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy Season.
 
Jo, thanks for the new list.

This was actually sketched yesterday during our surprise "snowstorm." I was going to meet friends for lunch about a 45 minute ride west of me. I always leave early so I have time before we meet to either shop at the art supply store or sketch somewhere different. As I was driving the misty rain changed to snow, so I stopped at a park near where we were supposed to meet and painted this from my new "mobile studio." The car was really covered with snow by the time I finished, but the defrosters took care of all the windows and the side mirrors so I was good to go. By the time we finished lunch there was no snow to be seen. BUT, we had a coating of snow overnight.

1 - snowpack (sub for icepack) - watercolors

IMG_6876.jpeg
 
Jo: Thanks for the fun list.

Joan: What a great start of this Hunt with a beautiful snow tree scene.

I went out today to sketch the MooDeng (our world famous new baby hippo) balloon installation at the Thai central train station called Hua Lum Pong. Then later in the evening, Tone and I got invite to go to Christmas party at the 1st Presbyterian Church at Samrae. I try to sketch the church before the service started... later it was lots darker and the service started... so I stop sketching.

#1 Lumpy -- MooDeng balloon art installation at our main central train station.. Uhm I think my hippo MooDeng came out like a hyena...Oh well...lol

1000008976.jpg

1000008856.jpg


1000008861.jpg


#2 vacation related -- the inside of the same Thai classic central train station with a few old cabooses parked permanently as historical display.

1000008977.jpg

1000008845.jpg


#3 Happy place -- 1st Presbyterian Church at Samrae in Bangkok ... done with pencil + wc+ white acrylic pen

1000008975.jpg


1000008978.jpg
 
Last edited:
Jo, thanks for the new list.

This was actually sketched yesterday during our surprise "snowstorm." I was going to meet friends for lunch about a 45 minute ride west of me. I always leave early so I have time before we meet to either shop at the art supply store or sketch somewhere different. As I was driving the misty rain changed to snow, so I stopped at a park near where we were supposed to meet and painted this from my new "mobile studio." The car was really covered with snow by the time I finished, but the defrosters took care of all the windows and the side mirrors so I was good to go. By the time we finished lunch there was no snow to be seen. BUT, we had a coating of snow overnight.

1 - snowpack (sub for icepack) - watercolors

View attachment 45677
Oh no snow! Then I remembered you will be going into Winter there in the Northern Hemisphere, while we are in Summer down here. Or we are trying to have Summer, but lots of rain all over NZ at this time. The forecast for Christmas Day here, doesn't look good for bbq's or beach weather either.
 
Jo: Thanks for the fun list.

Joan: What a great start of this Hunt with a beautiful snow tree scene.

I went out today to sketch the MooDeng (our world famous new baby hippo) balloon installation at the Thai central train station called Hua Lum Pong. Then later in the evening, Tone and I got invite to go to Christmas party at the 1st Presbyterian Church at Samrae. I try to sketch the church before the service started... later it was lots darker and the service started... so I stop sketching.

#1 Lumpy -- MooDeng balloon art installation at our main central train station.. Uhm I think my hippo MooDeng came out like a hyena...Oh well...lol

View attachment 45678
View attachment 45679

View attachment 45682

#2 vacation related -- the inside of the same Thai classic central train station with a few old cabooses parked permanently as historical display.

View attachment 45680
View attachment 45681

#3 Happy place -- 1st Presbyterian Church at Samrae in Bangkok ... done with pencil + wc+ white acrylic pen

View attachment 45683

View attachment 45685
Great sketches of the 2 buildings. I particularly like the church lit up at night. Lovely photo of you too!
 
Ai, that hippo balloon definitely did not come out looking like a hyena. lol You did a great job on that and a super sketch of the inside of the central train station. Nice that they have the old time train cars around to look at. That church is lovely...looks like it needs a little of my snow for the Christmas effect. I'm assuming the party was outdoors and there was music. Sounds fun!

Vivien, I smile when I think about people in places where it is warm at this time of year. For a long time I spent many Christmas holidays with my sister and her family in San Diego. It was nice and warm! Our cold spell will keep most of us from spending much time outside.

I made the dough for raspberry pinwheel cookies last night before I went to bed, so I was ready to bake when I got up this morning. While the second tray of cookies was in the oven I sketched some of the ingredients and some of the cookies.
2 - guilty pleasure (cookies) - watercolors and ink
3 - open bag of sugar
4 - red baking mat
5 - lineage (writing on the bags)


IMG_6886.jpeg
 
Vivian and Joan: Thank you.

Joan: Your Christmas cookie baking looks so fine and fun. I can smell the yummy cookies. Well done sketch of the cookie set up and lovely wood grain background.
 
Joan, so clever for snowpack/icepack. Beautiful as well. Nice you were out and able to sketch. Fun.Your cookie sketch is great. Another good card....The cookies sound delicious.

Ai, wow on all three. The hippo is famous here, too. The balloon doen't look much like a hippo from your angle, you did well. The church is so beautiful. Love the trains in the train station. Whoot!! and Toot! Fun seeing you.

Vivien, I remember when we were in Santiago, Chile, for Christmas. We had the doors and windows open and used to put icicles on the tree and they were blowing off! So warm. All the locals were at the beach. We were having our usual spicy New Mexican food with ice cream for dessert! Good memories, hope you get some good days for your vacation.
 
so much wonderful art here and in the other posts, threads.
sorry for the absence, lack of comments and drawings, in reality several times I thought about doing it and then I put it off and connected less and did not draw, in the last months I drew little, several times I wanted to tell you why.
in practice
in September I took the test to pass to re-enroll in the three-year nursing program,
so in the summer sometimes I studied or thought about whether to make this choice and where between the 2 cities closest to me with a university, trying to understand the distance and if in case of access and exam recognition I could start from the second one so I could recover a year.

I started taking classes on September 30th but the nursing classrooms are in a separate city location, far from the university campus with the other faculties so I travel more than I thought (5 hours round trip),
there are ups and downs, some teachers are very good, some less positive episodes, a bit of disappointment that if I had chosen another city I could have attended the second year while I am repeating the first year but I should not repeat some subjects but in any case I found out towards the end of the lessons and if you still have to do 3 years it does not change much for me and for the internship I should wait until June 2026 which is the date of the second year, so I am afraid of not learning well and that if I finish having at 40/43 years old in any case the choice to study I do not know if it will be useful for working, it is all a bit strange and it is further away than I thought, lessons are much further away than I thought.
 
joe1lt, it is wonderful to see you. Wishing you the best of holidays as well. 🎄☃️⛪🎄 Boy life choices get harder and harder. I will be thinking of you and passing on positive thoughts. Getting a good education is getting harder as well. Hoping the solution comes quickly and with good life benefits for you. Hugs from Texas!
 
Ai, thanks. Not making as many cookies as in the past, but there are one of my favorites.

Jo, thank you. I'm slowly getting ready.

Joe, it is good to hear from you. It sounds like a hard decision and a lot of traveling. I as sending good wishes for you to make the best decision for your future. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope it brings you good things.

6 - angel(s) - watercolors, colored pencil, Posca markers, and ink

IMG_6888.jpeg
 
Joe1: Glad you drop us a message. Life can be full of challenges but I am sure yours are worthy endeavor. Hugs to cheer you.

Joan: What a wonderful sketch of an angel. Her face is gorgeous. Is it a part of an ornament? I love her patterns.
 
Joan, I love your angel. Colorful and pretty. I'm cooking meat for tamales and making red chile today. Smells good in here.

Hi there, Ai. Thank you.

I sketched in my chair in front of the TV. In the large Canson Mix Media sketchbook with a Prismacolor fine line marker/pen.
Number 1 angel - our tree topper, red metal
Number 2 lighter - a lighter for the grill, red and black

csshfl142angel.jpg
 
Ai, thanks. The angel is a figurine by Jim Shore. I have two angels, a Nativity, and an ornament on my tree.

Jo, I like your angel tree topper. I have a similar lighter sitting on the table in front of me, but forgot to sketch it.

I was really cold here today...about 23 degrees in the middle of the day...too cold to sit in the car to sketch. Instead I met my friend at a coffee shop we discovered a few weeks ago. This time I did a sketch looking out to the street.
7 - happy place (coffee shop) - watercolors and ink
IMG_6895.jpeg


The patrons at the table next to us had a dog who was content lounging under the chair.
8 - dog - watercolors and ink
IMG_6892.jpeg
 
Thanks, Joan. I like your coffee shop. The guy looks deep into his book!~ The doggie is cute. Jennie got coats for our grand-dogs, too. It was a nice day but I stayed in and cooked meat for tamales and chile balls and made the red chile. Tomorrow we will make the tamales and maybe some biscochitos (sugar cookies with anise flavoring and cinnamon sugar on top and as thin as we can make them so they melt in your mouth) Another time intensive project.
 
Ai. - Love MooDing and neat background.great work on the train station. Recognized the church right off. Beautiful night scene.

Vivien -👋🏽. Winter here in SW Florida no snow. People talk about a snow shower 40 years ago. 🤣

Joan - Great color on the cookie scene. Also looks yummy. Like the subtle shading on the angel. Coffe shop sketch is so full of details I would have left out 😂. Cute puppy sketch

Joe1 - 👋🏽

Jo - Awesome hatching on both sketches

#1 Angel - drew in ink in 2 techniques. Used platinum pen and ink in A5 ish size sketchbook

IMG_2936.jpeg


IMG_2937.jpeg


Keep sketching
Fletch
 
Jo, sounds like you had some busy cooking time. I finished making my cookies and pierogi, so I'm done for a while. :)

Fletch, thanks. Sometimes I think I need someone to come along and pull the pen and watercolors out of my hand to make me stop. lol I may go back in an do a wash of ultramarine on the part outside the window to push it back a little. Cute sketch of the angel on the tree. I haven't done any of my ornaments yet this year. Maybe I'll do that later today.
 
Back
Top