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Friday, May 26, 2017

Back to humble pencil


It's been a while since I used pencil to do the line works in my sketches. Since I had a roll of watercolor paper which I cut in a landscape format, 16 x 8 in. and steam ironed it to flat it, I chose to use this paper today to test it. Arches cold press 140 lb is one of my top favorite watercolor papers, but the texture makes using my usual pen and ink a little difficult, so I used pencil. Although the texture of the paper is not so smooth for pencil either, I think pencil is better that pen and ink for this paper.  I went to a library in Joliet and I realized (actually remembered) how the lines of pencil can disappear once you apply watercolor and the line work that define the shapes is gone, so this fact forced me to paint more contrast values in order to define the shapes that I prefer in my sketches. I had fun painting the books in the bookcase. Also I'd like to add that the fact that I used steam and heat from an iron to flat the paper didn't seem to affect the performance of paper or watercolor paint. I like this landscape format, it shows more information of a place. I was inspired by Stephanie Bower's work. If you want to see her works click here to go to her blog

Monday, May 22, 2017

Navy Pier

Yesterday I headed to Chicago for the monthly meet up with Urban Sketchers Chicago at Navy Pier. I live in the South suburbs of Chicago and I would normally drive to downtown Chicago or North of Chicago. It's well known here that Chicago has 2 different seasons, winter and construction. I had terrible traffic the last two rides to the Windy City and you cannot avoid feeling stressed or overwhelmed. My husband told me to take the train to the city. The transit would be longer but stress free. I can take two different trains, Metra, the one I know very well, and Amtrak the one new for me. So I adventured the Amtrak train which final destination in Chicago is the Union Station. Once there I visited the Grand Hall and oh boy! How magnificent this building is, never being there before I truly enjoyed the grandeur! 
Next, I took a CTA bus straight to Navy Pier. I met the Urban Sketcher members there. I was about to enjoy a promising good enough weather to sketch outdoors day. My first sketch was the Ferris wheel carousel on the second level. It was windy but some others sketchers and I managed to sketch comfortably.
I used a small sketchbook to allow myself more time to add watercolor, once done I turned around and the view of the city of Chicago was gorgeous. I sketched first the skyline and left the buildings in blank to create some contrast. The weather was getting worse, I think that my discomfort is reflected in dark the color of the sky. It's a skill to be able to capture the mood of a place but here I captured my mood!  Can we do that? Ha! I spent a great day with this group, it was nice to see again familiar faces and meet new people. Public transportation in the city rocks, it made my day stress free.

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Planning and doing a quick sketch


I always struggle to make fast sketches. I went again in search of inspiration to the library and find a new book that is friendly for readers and easy to understand. It's 5-minute Sketching Architecture by Liz Steel. It's so inspiring that I could not go further beyond Chapter 1, How to see. I stopped at page 17, See Simple Shapes because I had to practice. I found a photo of a street online. I'll explain how I achieved the sketch above. It's all in her book.

1. First I let go of perfection and my usual approach to go for detail.
2. I made a decision of how long a quick sketch is for me. I decided 10 minutes. So I needed to choose a medium size sketchbook 5.5 in x 8 in. I wrote notes on the same page so the actual sketch ended up like 4 in x 4.5 in.

So based on the 10 minute frame, I decided I would spend 3 minutes to observe and make decisions in my mind, 3 minutes for line work and 3 minutes to watercolor. I time myself to have an idea of how long is 3 minutes when you loose yourself sketching and how much can I accomplish realistically. 

3. The first 3 minutes I studied the scene and decided how many shapes I was going to focus on. At this point I didn't choose a focal point, I just wanted to exercise the big shapes decision making.  I chose three shapes. The purple building on the left, the row of buildings on the right and the post street light in the foreground.
4. The next 3 minutes, I did the lines with graphite. It was enough for the 3 big shapes and very little detail.
5.The next 3 minutes I added watercolor. I this point I let the washes to blend. I didn't have time to let each color to dry.
6. I let the whole sketch to dry.This is dead time.
7. I wanted more detail so I spend 3 minutes extra to add a layer of color pencil line. 

I like the result, spontaneous and colorful. It worked! Thanks Liz! I spend 12 minutes working on the sketch plus 3 minutes to let the watercolor dry. The total time I spent to sketch rapidly was 15 minutes, assuming you have your tools and media already set. Not bad for some who spends an hour or two just in line work and some times no watercolor. Now I need to go outside and do it and continue reading this promising book.

Now share. Here it is.

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Looking for inspiration.


Suburbia's backyards.
I recently read a wonderful book about sketching, Archisketcher by Simone Ridyard. From all the useful content she shares in her book, there was a quote that really stuck with me, something that I needed so badly. It is not a technical information but an inspirational advice. It quotes " There is no such a thing as a boring place. If a place exists, it has presence and purpose, and sketchers may search for both". Living in the suburbs may seem dull and boring for many, even myself thought that way once........or twice. I thought that it was hard to find subjects to sketch. Reading is a easy way to find inspiration and a way to refresh your thoughts and your eyes on things that appear unappealing, mundane or insignificant. The sketch above was made on location with pencil. While the pencil sketch was taking shape, I still believed it was boring but I didn't give up. As I was adding watercolor  back at home, it was becoming alive and charming and not boring at all. At the last paint stroke I realized how beautiful suburbs are and it made me proud to live in one. The sketch below is the pharmacy I regularly go. I thought it was interesting to show what American daily habits are and share it to the world. 
Pharmacy's drive thru
Then I look inside my house and sketch the kitchen tools drawer. While drawing it I realized how many stuff were in there and how easily one can get in the trap of consumerism, sad but true. Mundane things and everyday places can be interesting and be real close to you. I'll keep looking for inspiration to find them.
My kitchen tools' drawer.





Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Who was my mother?

Her name was Beatriz.
Today is Mother’s Day in Mexico and will be this Sunday in the United States. It’s been over a year since she died. She did what mothers are supposed to do, taking care of their children. Who was she? I’ll tell who she was not. She wasn’t irresponsible or yet worse, overwhelming or toxic. I was fortunate to have a mother who let us grow up as individuals who make their own decisions. She never tried, ever, to influence who to befriend, who to marry, what to do for a living. We are who we are because we had the freedom to be ourselves, she let us, and for that I will always be grateful. My mother, the woman who cooked wonderful meals for my friends in my early years, the one who took us to Sunday mass I never listened to, the one who attended The Thurdays, a friend's group, the one who made us cloth after she took sewing classes, the one who took cooking classes and brought home new and exciting food, the one who removed lice from our heads and crushed with her fingernails, a sweet sound of revenge, the one who played her fingers in our hair to calm us down,  the one who took us spontaneously to getaways on weekends, the one who always kept a small radio in the kitchen to listen to music, the one who sang romantic and happy songs loudly when she was in a good mood.

We nurtured our mother-daughter relationship through good and bad moments. I remember she had to present a cake for an exhibit at the end of the baking classes but the cake burned. Out of time to bake another one, she decorated the burnt cake beautifully. Everyone wanted to buy her cake. Mom and I laugh in complicity for hours lying to people and telling them it was sold already.

Who was my mother?
She was a great woman, who despite her illness she did the best she could. She was, to my eyes, an exceptionally great mother. I love you mom.