Old downtown San Luis Potosí, México. Part 5. San Agustin Square.

Pen&Ink on HP Arches WC paper 10” x 7”

No more churches. Jardin San Agustín, just one block from Plaza del Carmen, has a temple of the same name, but I didn’t want to sketch it. Instead I wanted to sketch the doors of the gated garden and the amazing iron work. Across the street, framed by the gate, there’s a building in a corner, it is an example of colonial residences of the wealthy past inhabitants in downtown San Luis Potosí. It is located in the corner of Universidad Ave. and Mariano Escobedo St. I made the sketch on location sat on one of the benches of the temple atrium. I brought with me only my sketchbook, a pencil and a fountain pen with ink sepia. It was until I started to do the iron work that it occurred to me to draw it with black ink, and I didn’t have any with me of course. So I improvised and used my pencil, which I retraced later with black ink. I did so much wanted detail, the HP watercolor paper is the perfect match for this work. I liked it as it is, no watercolor needed, the contrast between sepia and black is lovely! San Luis Potosí historical center is beautiful. The years it took to redo the remodeling of the streets was so worth it. For instance, the sidewalks are wider and very even, it’s so convenient when walking to admire the surroundings without  having any concern about watching your step, it is rare luxury in Mexico, so if you visit the city, enjoy it.
I’m posting also a map of Historical Center in downtown San Luis Potosí of the places I sketched while I stayed there.

This is my last sketch of the year 2019. I wish you have a very productive 2020 full of love, health and laugh. Keep it colorful.
Much love. 
Adriana Sketcher.

Old downtown San Luis Potosí city, México. Part 4. Templo del Carmen.

Pen&ink and watercolor on HP Arches 10” x 7”

This scene is so complex for me, but worth doing it. It’s another view of Plaza del Carmen. The temple of the same name, with one tower, it’s receded in the back so the fountain becomes the focus on this composition. The huge tree is competing for attention but this was unintentional, ha! What I liked about the tree is how all the weight of the enormous branches falls in that short but thick trunk. I liked that it looks balanced. This sketch was done in 90 minutes or so, just ink. I added watercolor later. Between family gatherings I was determined to schedule time to sketch while I’m staying in downtown. I’m falling in love with San Luis Potosí Centro Historico. I’ll sure miss the bells’ sounds from the Cathedral played every hour, Christmas melodies, Classical pieces and even the Mexican National Anthem! 

Old downtown San Luis Potosí city, México. Part 3. Teatro de la Paz in Plaza del Carmen

Pen&Ink and watercolor on HP Arches 10” x7”

Plaza del Carmen is another beautiful square in old downtown San Luis Potosí. In my opinion it’s the most beautiful square in the whole city. It’s surrounded by architectural wonders. The theater, 2 museums, a temple of the same name, statues and a beautiful fountain in the center of the square. I wish I could finish all the buildings mentioned above, the only one I could finish in ink on the second half of the day was the Teatro de La Paz, I added watercolor later. Instead of my usual purple color for shaded areas made of a mix of French Ultramarine and Alizarin Crimson, I tried a combination of two paints for a change and that I liked a lot, I wanted to tame carbazole violet with quinacridone gold and it turned into a muted color, which can easily be turned into brown or purple hues. The paper I used in my homemade sketchbook turned out to be HP Arches paper (I mixed several makers randomly). The paper absorbs the wash faster than HP Stonehenge Aqua, but the sizing on Arches allows me to blend colors and to create graded washes easily. I’m really enjoying HP Arches paper. It makes painting a joy.

Old downtown San Luis Potosí city, México. Part 2. San Francisco Square.

Pen&Ink and watercolor on HP Lanaquarelle 7” x 10”

San Francisco Square is another garden in downtown San Luis Potosí. The area was alive with so much people, musicians, photographers, doves  and truly yours, a sketcher. The fountain wasn’t working most of the time while I sketch there, when I almost finish the water started to run, then I added some white gouache paint directly from the tube to emulate water. The vendors lined along the pedestrian street  called Callejon del Santo Entierro (according to the plate mounted on the wall). Once packed, I took my sketchbook out again to add a bird which stopped on top of the fountain to drink water, also other birds flying around. A good michelada follow the sketch, from where I spotted the name of the street. 

Old downtown San Luis Potosí city, México. Part 1. The Metropolitan Cathedral.

Ink on HP Watercolor paper 10” x 7”

Old town of San Luis Potosí city, México, is in the process of being a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site. Since I read the news, it has been always in my list to do. So I’m staying in old downtown to sketch exclusively this area. There are so many squares in downtown San Luis Potosí, most with gardens and very close to each other, just one or two small blocks. The sketch above is the South side of the Metropolitan Cathedral, a view from a window on a 4th floor. Ink seemed to be the technique to show some details, it was a must, given the opportunity to sketch to so up close to the building. I may add watercolor later, as for now, I like it as it is. It will be a feast to sketch this area.....finally. 
A night light show displays interesting shapes and color in the main facade.

Nobody wished but I.

Pen&Ink and watercolor on Hahnemuhle A5 Watercolor Book

Nobody wanted to eat these succulent figs this morning. I ate a couple and they were so ripe, soft and sweet! I added some to my cereal too. I started to sketch them and it was until they saw the figs were the subject of my attention that all of sudden my husband wanted one, after begging them to eat them before they went bad. Too late, this artist started already to paint and anyone who wanted figs had to wait. I also sketched the golden/blue plate dish. Fortunately I brought with me some pearl watercolor paint. Nobody wished these figs, but I do wish you have a wonderful Christmas Eve and Day.

Barrio de San Miguelito in the city of San Luis Potosi, Mexico

Pen&Ink and watercolor on  Stonehenge Aqua HP 7" x 10"

I'm spending the Holidays in the city of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Back to the founding years, the city was organized in seven neighborhoods called Barrios, still exist today. I have lived here in the city for many years but I only know two neighborhoods. I visited the Barrio de San Miguelito yesterday for the first time. It has a beautiful square with garden and benches, a kiosk and the Iglesia de San Miguel Arcangel, which was closed but still sketched the exterior. It rained last morning (in fact is raining now), the day was grey and cold but I still sketched the church in ink only.  Later, even though I added watercolor indoors, the humidity and cold weather in the city shows in the hot press paper. 

After some minutes we went to the restaurant next to the church across the street and had a cafe de olla (pot coffee) and a very welcoming hot bowl of pozole to warm us up. Mmmh mmmh.

Here's a photo of an informative board of this neighborhood.

A Thanksgiving creation

Pencil and watercolor on A5 Hahnemuhle Watercolor Book

There are so many ways to express creativity. Look at this cute cake presented last night at Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately I didn’t get to taste it. You know how these dinners are, there so much food, you barely make it to dessert. It was a fine day and a great reminder to be thankful for our blessings, for family and friends, for health and security, for peace and freedom. I wish the same to you wherever you are. Happy Thanksgiving weekend!

Like a box of chocolates

Pencil, watercolor and water brush on A5 Hahnemuhle Watercolor Book

From the many diners wearing  dark cloths at the restaurant, she was wearing a cheerful top in yellow ochre and teal, some color in cold days is welcome in my sketchbook. She, however, was playing with her soup indifferently. A man younger than her, probably her son, was seated in front of her at the other end of table looking at her constantly, in silence. When my pencil delineated her eyes and eyebrows I saw sadness. After I finished the sketch in few minutes, between the time we ordered the food and the moment they brought it to the table, I couldn't resist the need to go to her table and show her the sketch above, something I don't normally do. Dorothy was surprised and smiled. She scanned the sketch with her deep blue eyes. The man smiled also because she smiled. He told me her husband recently passed away. That explained it. They thanked me for showing them the sketch and he took a photo. I returned to my table, minutes later they both waved a good bye with a smile. I felt good. "Urban sketching is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get".

It's all about geese

Pen&Ink and watercolor on Stonehenge Aqua Hot Press 10" x 7"

Today I had in mind sketching the "hood" I live in. On my way back to home, after inking this street mall at sunset, I made a  stop by a water pond where hundreds of geese (perhaps close or above a thousand) were departing in flocks of 20 or 30 or more towards North (yes North, it should be the opposite but who knows what's in the mind of these birds). I was there watching them fly away mesmerized by the numbers. 

When most geese were gone, ducks started to water land in the same pond in less numbers. A pleiades of birds of both species filled the sky. I couldn't help but thinking this looked like a busy airport! Fascinated, I was overwhelmed by joy to the point that I almost cried. What a great unexpected display of nature behavior. I came home and finished the sketch with watercolor and although this sketch has zero geese, this sketch is all about geese.  

Little House on the Prairie

Pen&Ink and watercolor on Stonehenge Aqua Hot Press 22" x 7"

I've been watching a TV series I saw when young in Mexico, Little House on the Prairie. It's a series I'm enjoying again, it's like a break from all those today TV shows that overload your senses with crime, violence, a thousand frames per minute, loud. On the contrary I enjoy a slow pace, a show that speaks of values like friendship, love, honesty, dignity, sacrifice, helping others, even sensitive subjects like religion and racism.

My favorite character are the always learning lessons Laura Ingalls and Harriet Oleson. Of course after watching seven seasons out of nine, the set becomes very familiar so I draw them on my sketchbook. 

A lot of detail going on this piece. I used for the first time a tool called fluid writer. 

It's a tool useful to make constant lines using ink or any color you can create with watercolor, a much needed versatile tool very easy to use.  It worked great for the lines of the house sidings. I used yellows for the school and Nellie's Restaurant and purple for the Oleson's Mercantile. I'm happy with the results. Every time I look at it, it will remind me of the happy old days.

Joliet Regional Airport

Pen&Ink and Watercolor on Stonehenge Aqua HP 11" x 7"

This is the Joliet Regional Airport. The symmetry of this building may not be very appealing to sketch but I was determined to make the very old side facade interesting. All these subtle differences in the same size monotonous windows were a treat to sketch.

Three planes took off while I was there (the runways are behind the building), the all appeared suddenly on top of the right side of the building. I wanted to take a photo of an airplane to add it later to the sketch but by the time I was ready to snap a shot it was gone. By the third plane I just decided to observe and memorize shapes, proportions and perspective, all of that in just few seconds! It looked like a Cessna. Also, a helicopter landed on the right side of the building....so close! I could see only the tail and a blade, so I skipped it. 

Snow is in the forecast. I don't remember when was the last time I sketched snow, like never?! I hope I can continue to sketch from the comfort of my car, warm and lost in time.

Donuts, anytime.

Pen&Ink and watercolor on Legion Stonehenge Aqua HP 140 10"x 7"

Homecuts Donuts is a bakery located in Joliet. It is quite popular in the area and they are the best in Will County.  It's true. We sat indoors to enjoy donuts and coffee this evening, the amount of people who come is constant, boxes of donuts fly out the store (and the shelves are constantly restocked). They are open 24/7, all year. At midnight, it's police men who come for coffee. Yes, we have been here at midnight. Haven't you ever had the urge to savor a flavor you know even in the middle of the night? 

They have been featured on tv, and they have been here for so many years. No doubt they will be open for many years more. Cheers to that!  I sketched a toasted coconut donut after I had one first! I wrote the flavors available that I could read from my seat in my sketchbook. It’s the second time I sketch here. I sketched the exterior back in 2016. Wonderful place.

I used the Stonehenge Aqua Hot Press paper  in my handmade sketchbook. The pen glides beautifully on the smooth paper, the ink dries fast and it doesn't bleed. I applied watercolor paint and this time, the drying time was average like any other watercolor paper 100% cotton, I didn't notice a significant difference. I didn't use heavy washes, for me it's not practical on location. The watercolor paint remains bright, even though this paper is natural white. I'm very happy with my choice of paper for this sketchbook. It's affordable and performs very well for my style, lines and details. I still have to try the Lanaquarelle HP  which I have never used, and remember how Arches HP performs, it's been a while. It's an idea for another post.

First impressions on Legion Stonehenge Aqua Hot Press Paper.

Pencil and watercolor on Legion Stonehenge Aqua Hot Press 140 lb 7" x 7"

I've been playing around with limited colors palette. For this sketch I used Yellow Ochre, Winsor Red and Cobalt Turquoise Light, all Winsor&Newton. Not an effort I made on putting this triad together really, I just liked it. This  sketch was the very first page of a third sketchbook I made entirely with Legion Stonehenge Hot Press Watercolor paper (if you want to see what other paper I used for the first two sketchbooks click here). I couldn't wait to use this sketchbook. I painted something cute to overcome the fear of the first blank page, a birdhouse and a family of three birds. It's like a nice presentation or a nice welcoming when you open the book.

I love the smoothness of the paper. The watercolor paint works nicely.  The granulation effect is to show off on hot press paper, it's just gorgeous. I found out this paper takes a long time to dry. While glazing, some sort of granulation forms, it's like you over rubbed the paper, not sure, it's not the paint. But once dry, the paper returns to its original smoothness, the granulation vanishes while you see the paint dries! I used very wet washes for the first glazes so it buckled lightly, it is easily manageable though, since the paint is not absorbed right away. After the paper dried I noticed the paper goes back to fairly flat! And didn't see distinctive divisions between the areas that were wet and the ones that never touched the water. This is a great feature, specially for a journal. 

I liked this paper to work in studio. I still have to try this on the go. l'll come back to you with another post about this. I'd like to see how the paper works with ink and lighter washes on location. 

It's a sin.

Pen&Ink and watercolor on Pentalic Watercolor Journal 7" x 10"

When I came to live to the United States, I learned cultural differences are important to catch on and one does better do it rapidly. Did you know that it is almost a sin to put ketchup on a hot dog in Chicago? Rather fresh tomato is the way to go. You can put almost anything on a hot dog, I have to say here they are very creative gastronomically, just look at the menu sign, and that is just to begin with. The cultural heritage and influence of immigrants from so many countries makes this country so unique, it is what makes this country known for world wide. Did you know what is missing here? My mom's style hot dog, picture this: a bun lightly toasted with butter and mayo, a steamy hot dog topped with mustard, ketchup (yeah, we do that), bacon, fresh diced tomato and onion and pickled jalapeno pepper. Boom! Now the menu is complete! 

Sketching the weather?

Direct watercolor on Pentalic Watercolor Journal 7" x 10"

Perhaps yesterday was a great day to practice direct watercolor. The weather didn't help the paint to dry fast but this work out well for this sketch. I did something I haven't done for a while, which is let the paint blend and mix on the paper. It reminds me that what we put on paper is not only what we see in front of us but the weather is a great influence on how the sketch turns out. Sketching the weather? It seems impossible, but it is a reality. Oh I love this medium.

Indian Summer

Pen&Ink and watercolor on Moleskine Watercolor Album 5.5" x 3.5"

A view from the restaurant we had lunch in yesterday. I used a water brush but it is becoming my least favorite tool, it is indeed a very convenient portable art tool but most of time I'm not happy with the washes, they are patchy. I still think I would use the water brush but only for the convenience.

A hint of fall colors shows at the top on trees. It was a nice and warm, and probably the last warm day of the year, it is what we call here Indian Summer. It's time to collect summer outdoor stuff and store them. In a few days or weeks more, we'll have spectacular fall colors out there which I look forward to see, I never get tired. 

Who knew?

Pen&Ink, watercolor and color pencil on Pentalic watercolor sketchbook 7" x 10"

My friend and I went to Ottawa, IL last weekend. We were in search of new places we have not visited before where to have lunch. My friend found a restaurant at Heritage Harbor. We were in awe when we arrived. The marina resort community looked like any coastal town in the state of Maine (although I never been there ha!). The colorful cottages near the marina with access to the Illinois River makes the place very attractive. Vacation rentals are also available. This project started 8 years ago with still plans to expand. It was a pleasant surprise. I would never guess something this beautiful was this close to Chicago until I saw it! There, now I know, if you didn't either, now you know too. 

Handmade hardbound sketchbooks.

I'm sooo happy with my newest creations. I finally learned how to hand bookbinding properly. I made this sketchbooks with watercolor paper of different makers. For so long I've heard so many reviews of papers that for me it is hard to remember the features of each paper, there are so many! So I decided to invest in a project to test them myself. 

I don't like having tested paper in lose sheets of paper, so a book seemed like a good idea to keep them all together and also I can practice my bookbinding, a recently learn skill. I will test the paper as I make sketches the way I do sketch, I think that would work well. 

36 sheets, 72 pages  Cold Press 140 lb 7.5" x 7.25"

The first sketchbook I made is a combo of seven makers of watercolor paper, all cold press 140 lb. I bought a sample package of half sheets. The challenge was to square the paper and to find the dimensions that would use most paper. I had to consider the grain of the paper, they were all different! I ended up doing a 7 x 7 (nominal), a very convenient size that fits in my purse and I think I will be very comfortable with.

 24 sheets, 48 pages Hot Press 140 lb 11" x 7.5"

The other one is made with three hot press watercolor paper makers, 140 lb. It's been a while since I used hot press paper. I used it in studio years ago but never on location, so although I've use it before, using it on location will be new experience. I also included some non-watercolor paper in order to write, like a journal. Sometimes I want to write thoughts about the location or the process. I like to have my drawings with nothing written on them, not even the date, so I'll see how this work out. 

I had to come out with a non invasive system to identify the paper I'm working at a time. I colored the edges of the paper, one color per maker and wrote the reference in the back of the sketchbook. I hope this works, everything is a test about this project.

I can't wait to try these custom made books! They are destined to travel with me to Mexico this winter. Woo hoo!

Egon Schiele in UMMA

Pencil and watercolor on Laloran sketchbook 5.25" x 5.25"

1. Standing Female Nude in Black Stockings 1912, watercolor and pencil on paper.
2. Reclining Black-haired Female Nude, Right Arm Covering Face 1908, watercolor on brown paper.
3. Female Half Draped, Reclining ca. 1908-12, pencil on paper.
4. Tightrope Walker 1912, watercolor and pencil on paper.

I was hoping to see some work of Gustav Klimt during my visit to UMMA, University of Michigan Museum of Art. Unfortunately his art was down. However I was lucky to see four recent acquisitions of Egon Schiele. Sketching was allowed but not watercolor. I could use pencil or ink, so I honored the choice of the artist and used pencil and added watercolor later. I first drew some frames in pencil hoping to draw each one of the paintings in them, but my failure resulted on a unintended design of the page rather artistic, which I ended up liking it. When I was adding watercolor I realized that although his drawings were similar, the watercolors were different. One had what looks like gouache and blended colors, another one had defined edges and  bold solid colors. It was the one numbered as 4, that made me notice how some parts of the body painted in subtle pink were strategically located and made a huge difference between a cold and a warm painting, I realized of it as I was adding the pink areas. It was a nice visit. Sketching others' art forces me to slow down and makes me wonder what went through the artist's mind that made him make those decisions. It was an interesting exercise.

Incidentally, I included this photo as a footnote.

  

Cool inside, hot outside.

Pen&Ink and watercolor on Laloran Sketchbook 5.5” x 5.5”

Kerrytown is a colorful neighborhood in Ann Arbor, Michigan. When I saw that view while I was sipping a spicy maya chocolate, I immediately took my little sketchbook to put that turquoise and orange-ish walls on paper. I sketched that person outside before he moved. He left few minutes later. It rained hard and it was hot and humid. I was indoors and although the interior was well illuminated, the exterior was brighter. So I went all in with shadowing the interior with purple, one of my favorite mix of ultramarine and alizarin crimson. I painted first the colors of the interior and finishing with a glaze of purple. I have done this the opposite way, first the shadow glaze and then colors, but in this last way, the colors in the sketch don’t look unified. I had plenty of wash and used a big brush size 10 to cover uniformly the shadowed areas and carefully leave alone the areas I intended to let brighter. My chocolate was delicious, so the company, so my sketch! Ha!

Postal services

Pen& Ink and watercolor on Pentalic watercolor sketchbook 10” x 7”

The US Postal Service is as good as other courier delivery services. Some may disagree. I think it is a reliable and affordable public service. A good example of coexistence among companies, something politicians should take a good look at. 

Selective memory.

Pencil and Watercolor on Laloran sketchbook 5.5" x 5.5"

A cute corner was on my view while we had lunch. The patio of the restaurant was next to a high traffic road, but just looking at this serene corner, the mind focused on it and the noise of traffic disappeared. Selective memory, I choose to remember this image. 

Watercolor Palettes 2019

I got this Cotman watercolor palette years ago for studio work because of the big size. It came with whole pans of Cotman watercolor paint, which is nice but the student quality doesn't compare with the professional paint. Now that I have collected higher quality paint over time, it is time to set this palette. I was getting tired of using my travel size palettes with limited mixing area in my studio, so I was looking forward to fill and organize a bigger palette with paint I am familiar with. The paints I included are from Winsor & Newton (WN) and Daniel Smith (DS).

This is the first tin palette I ever bought. It was a Maimeri set. It is time to retire it.

I replaced the old one for this cutie, a bijou. Super small, quite convenient to carry on everyday. Perfect for small sketchbooks. This fits in the palm of my open hand!

               

Now I have to do a lot of work to empty them, ha!
Correction: It's not Payroll but Pyrrol Scarlet. That autocorrection....