Scavenger Hunt from Life #83-Sep 7 - Sep 15

[AiArts]

Jo: Thanks...Hope to see your sketch of that special shop soon.

Joe: Thanks... I will refill the used up paints later but now I'm using paints that came with it. Nice pencil sketch.


#7 blue dummy -- found in a government office hallway...near a bank kios...as the dummy has the same color as the bank.

 

[AiArts]

#8 tool -- Thai musical instruments: Thai long neck drum, and Thai xylophone....done in wc and ink...

 

[Joan T]

Jo, some of us spend so much time in doctor's offices the least they could do was make them interesting to sketch. lol I like your storefront sketches. Glad you used your artistic license to do the store names.

Ai, I like how you reused the brown bag for the mango & rice sketch. Nice collection of seashell sketches. That is an odd shaped watercolor palette. I like that! How fun to have the blue dummy sitting up on top of the wall. I love the Thai musical instruments. You did the curves so well.

Fletch, thanks. Jerry keeps asking me why I sketch things going out of the frame. I think it is fun that way. Nice job on your lead holder! What was holding your lead while you were sketching it? lol

Vivien, good to see you!

I went out to sketch yesterday and it started to rain. I saw the big storm clouds and decided I needed to sketch them somewhere that was more open, so I headed over to a small beach on the north shore that was fairly close. By the time I parked it was pouring so I sketched this view from my mobile studio through the front window.

3 - out a window - direct watercolor

4 - from the bathroom - sketch & wash pencil dry

5 & 6 - my hand holding something sweet (a donut peach) - direct watercolor

7 - something spicy - direct watercolor & white ink (After I finished adding the ink I realized I put the word Gulden's in the wrong spot.)

8 - in a closet - ink

 

[AiArts]

Joan: Thank you so much. Beautiful sketches. Love the water view, and the vegetation texture. Beautiful spice bottle. Elegant pencil lines of the closet items. Nice lines for hair curler too. Super job in drawing hand holding the fruit.

 

[Jo Castillo]

Hi Fletch, (hard to get used to) Thanks. Your drawings are so precise. Nice shadows and lines.

Hi Vivien, nice to see you. Hugs.

Ai, ah, blue dummy for me! Makes me giggle. I love the musical instruments. A real challenge to sketch them in person. They seem still but when you look back they have moved. Great job.

Joan, thanks, I need to get out more. Lovely scene in the rain. Wish we had some. There is a little in the area today so maybe we will get a trace. Curling iron, hmm, haven't seen one of those in a while, nice lines and shading. Great peach in the hand, I find peaches hard, you did super. On your spicy, you are following me in artistic license with the labels/signs. ha. I would like that mustard! Nice lines for the closet stuff.

Hi there, Ai.

 

[jmfletch]

Ai - Looking at your cool painting of blue sculpture all I think of is the group from the 80s Blue Men. Nit sure what ever happened to them. I am with Jo! It’s tough enough drawing people posing. Nice job.

Joan - Love the storm clouds. Nice graphite work Hand and peach sketch I think demonstrates your color mixing skills. Nice line work on closet. Was this multi-media day?

Vivian, jo, Pine Cone.

Joan, think this pic might answer your question on what was holding the lead. When I sat multiple grades I have a range from 5H TO 8B to work with. Holders are are a long term collection. Some are definite antiques as I inherited some from my father. I remember him using them back in the early 50s and they were not new then either. Some were gifts, some came with lead purchases. I have a smaller case with just 2H, H, HB and 2B which is like my travel kit.

Keep sketching
Fletch

 

[AiArts]

Jo: Thank you for your kind words.

Fletch: Is it ok if I still call you "Joe"?, as you change your pen name to Fletch. I love your pencil cases, and the story of how each holder came to you now. Amazing tools of your trade. They are inspiring to me, make me want to hurry to declutter and organize my art corner at home better.

 

[AiArts]

From the same government office building with the blue dummy in a hallway, I also saw this curvy Thai style sculpture shape that I wanna share with my beloved art friends....

#5c -- ellipse ... well sort of a curve sculpture ... done with ink pen

 

[jmfletch]

Fletch: Is it ok if I still call you "Joe"?, as you change your pen name to Fletch.

as old line goes “Call me anything but late for dinner.” Switched to Fletch because we were getting a bit overrun why joe’s/Jo’s. With pencils you have to organize and label as they all look pretty much the same unlike pastes, color pencils or paints that typically give clues to color in packaging. Hard to tell a 2B from 2H by looks.

The sculpture and your rendering of it are cool. You refer to it as a ”Thai style“ sculpture.
Looked up “Thai style‘ and found Kranok pattern. Looking that up got a definition of eff3ctively multiple triangle with one corner of each pointing in same direction but searching for Kranok pattern images got a wide array of beautiful graceful designs. Takes a bit to see the triangle pattern in many.

 

[Jo Castillo]

Ai, wow! The Thai style sculpture is so graceful. Well done on your sketch of same. Lovely.

Fletch, thanks for checking it all out and sharing the info.

 

[Joan T]

Ai, thank you. Love that curving sculpture...great find!

Jo, we have been having quite a bit of rain lately in bursts. Wish I could send some to. you. It is nice to be able to get out and sketch so I do it when I can and as often as I can.

Fletch, thanks. I love seeing your collection of lead holders and how you organize them to differentiate them. It is great that some of them are such special memories. I should do something like that with some of my pens. I have a number of micron pens and unless I take them out and look at the end caps I can't tell the color or the size...and the writing on them is so tiny I can't read them anyway. lol

 

[AiArts]

I proctor my class again today...

#9 sub. View out my window with view out my exam room...

 

[Jo Castillo]

Ai, thank you. Love that curving sculpture...great find!

Jo, we have been having quite a bit of rain lately in bursts. Wish I could send some to. you. It is nice to be able to get out and sketch so I do it when I can and as often as I can.

Fletch, thanks. I love seeing your collection of lead holders and how you organize them to differentiate them. It is great that some of them are such special memories. I should do something like that with some of my pens. I have a number of micron pens and unless I take them out and look at the end caps I can't tell the color or the size...and the writing on them is so tiny I can't read them anyway. lol

Yes, please send rain!

Ai, love the proctor sketches. Makes me smile. You are working hard, take care.

 

[jmfletch]

Ai - Nice pen work drawing students. They all look so intense.

#3 something blue - Pocket flashlight although not sure who would carry it in their pocket. Initially drew this in graphite but did not seem right for “something blue“ so pulled out the old prismacolors and made it blue.

Keep sketching
Fletch

 

[Pine Cone]

JoC — Thank you! I'm doing rain dances for you I love the idea of your paint and dine experiences - very cool Do you get to keep your results? Do they ever hang them there? That's a generous discount, and wonderful that they have some supplies available to buy. Best of all, I love your cheery "blob" - wild beauty! What a great imagination you have I also love your doc office sketch. Despite the boredom we all feel in those places, it looks like an interesting office, with good angles to explore.

Your sketches of your town made me smile - your town is quite a character filled place, yes??? And colorful, and good sense of humor Love how you sketched both of the storefronts, and fun to see the pics too


Vivien — Thanks and


Ai — Thank you! Your sketch of the cup is so delicate and flowing - love it! And seeing the sketches you did on the product wrapping paper amazes me. You always make the most of your time, and whatever is at hand, to create simple happiness and beauty love all of it, the food and the unique palette, and the shells are my favorites with their lovely curves and details.

That blue scupture is absolutely amazing, both your sketch and the actual statue - I've never seen anything like it and WOW - bold and inspired, and offering what to me is a peace sign. And the second scupture is another exceptional piece, and you portrayed it with great strength and beauty - wonderful work, and thank you for letting us share in the distinctive, colorful culture of your country

Same goes for your vibrant sketches and photos of the musicians, and your students doing their exams. Super perspective on the line of students as it curves away from us - and all the harder with living people - fantastic sketch!!!


Joan — Thank you! I agree with Fletch about your watercolor breaking the frame. I made me feel happy - I don't know why..... maybe because breaking the frame here and there made it seem like there is always more to life, and to any situation, than we can know or see, and maybe I felt a little bit of hope for a moment as I looked at that lovely picture with all its stories and possibilities and happiness.....

This next sketch, with its superb clouds, is a marvel - life continues in a riot of color and rooted ground and flowing water, even as the dark clouds approach and begin their work.....

Lovely sketch of the tool, hand, jar, and closet, and the golden colors of the peach are magical


Fletch — Thank you! I'm like Ai and JoC - to me you've been Joe for so many, many years, that will be the name in my head forever when I see your work, and read your words.

Wonderful work on the 2mm lead holder (and its shadow). Thanks for that pic of all your lead holders. Can feel the love you have for them, and the care you take to keep them together and happy. Very meaningful.

Lovely pocket flashlight - the rich shade of blue is amazing. Lots of people carry those. I used to as well. Lost now, but yeah, always a good idea

Now that I'm sorta back and wanting to try new things, and want to improve weak areas, I want to try and do more shadows. I was thinking the other day I should collect some of your sketches to try and learn how to make a shadow of an object. Would that be okay with you? Your work is very instructive.

 

[jmfletch]

Pine Cone feel free to use anything I post if you find it useful.

Joe aka Fletch

 

[AiArts]

Thanks Joan, Jo, Joe, and PineCone for your encouragement.

 

[NedL]

dup.

 

[NedL]

wow! I feel like I looked away for about a minute and there's so much here!
I have a couple sketches but the sketchbook is out in my car... hopefully I can post something tomorrow.

Ai -- I really like the "splatter-ish" trees! Turned that scene into something really interesting, very cool! The cup has nice smooth lines in it. I like the shells ( did they taste good? We eat abalone, and rock scallops, and clams and mussels ... but not shells like those ). Like the "blue person" too! The Thai musicians are great, love the colors. Like the students especially the 1st one.

PineCone -- nice to see you here and I hope things improve soonest. Like the feather. Cool tee shirt design really like the bright colors.

Late for Dinner -- um, I mean Fletch, um good job on the Bears mug, I always think it's kind of amazing when you draw in pencil or ink and can tell that it is glass. And the lead holder. And glad you brought out the colored pencils for "blue"! Nice shading on that.

Joan -- like the beach scene but what caught my eye the most about it is not just that it came through the bottom border but it popped out 3-D like it's coming right out of the paper. I think you caught the big storm clouds over what would otherwise be a peaceful scene -- gives it an ominous feel. My daughter is in NY and sent me some wild videos of a lightning storm just the other day.

Jo -- like the bright colors and to me it seems a step in the abstract direction from most of what you do. I've been getting a bunch of work done on my car and sitting around waiting a lot the past few days ( and tomorrow too... ) I need to start using the time for sketching like you do! Like the "hair house" and the giant Texas flag roof make me laugh... very Texan! I have a funny story about the first time I visited Texas ( for another day ).

 

[Joan T]

Ai, I love it when you sketch your students during exams. What a great captive group of models!

Fletch, nice blue flashlight. I know they aren't the lightest things so I can't imagine keeping one in my pocket. lol

Pine Cone, thanks so much for your sweet words. Your comments to all of us make me smile when I read them.

Ned, thanks. I'm usually inside hiding when the ominous storm clouds are around. I'm glad I was able to catch that storm since I was already out.

I've been busy with projects lately. This is a 8 x 10 commission that I've been working on over several days. I've gone back to the same spot a few times at the same time of day so I can almost have the same lighting. The client wants it as a Christmas gift for her daughter who worked with one of their relatives who works there to build a boat. I finished it yesterday and it fits a few items. The spot may look familiar. I've painted and sketched the view and other views on the property many times.

9 - shop front (sub for store front) - watercolors
10 - boats for travel