Winter sunsets

Pencil and watercolor on HP watercolor paper, 10 in x 7 in

One of the things I like a lot about the Midwest in the United States are the spectacular sunsets in late fall and winter. When the temperature drops the sky make it up by giving us “hard to forget” views. I don’t know what it is but every late fall and winter this happens. The sky glows near the horizon line, almost like it is on fire, and the clouds sometimes looks like a menace to spoil this scene with their dark and mourning colors but it actually make it more beautiful, they complement each other, they are together for a reason. When I contemplate these sunsets, I renegade and wonder why it doesn’t last longer that it does, still, these simple pleasures of life are a joy to watch….and paint.

Autumn leaves cleaning.

Pencil and watercolor 

 The leaves🍂🍁 are on the ground and the lawn machine crushed them to instantly disappear. Workers don’t have to fill bags and bags of dead leaves, this makes their job easier or less hard. A mix rain and snow with gusty winds is being happening this afternoon, now the lawn is back to be covered with leaves with more that ever, the wind has done it. A lot of cleaning work is ahead. Meanwhile I’ll keep an eye on the  colors of autumn.

Four Seasons Park

Four Seasons Park, Shorewood, IL. Graphite, watercolor and color pencil on A5 Hahnemuhle watercolor sketchbook

 For those who don’t know, the geography of Midwest of the United States is quite flat. So you can imagine how exciting it is to have an aerial view to sketch. This is the Four Seasons Park in my neighborhood. It’s Saturday and the weather is beautiful. I walked to the top of the mound to see the area, toddler soccer games were happening, kids yelling in the playground, teens swearing missed shots in the basketball courts and moms under the kiosk ready for picnics. The neighborhood is alive and thriving and from above, I can see the autumn colors are awake. I wish I could slide down the mound, but I’ll let the kids do that rolling themselves down the grass and sliding down when the snow comes.

Library of Congress

Pen&ink and Sepia watercolor on HP watercolor paper 10 in x 7 in 

 It was our last day in Washington DC. First we visited the Library of Congress. This drawing doesn’t make it any justice. The building is very beautiful, it’s necessary to walk all around the different levels to truly appreciate its beauty. I chose this view because I spotted someone with a huge camera and lens, it  looked like a photographer who knew what it was doing, or at least it looked like someone who takes it s shots seriously, ha! Regardless, as soon as this person left the spot I stood there. It was one of the best spots I saw in the building. There are other spectacular areas like the actual round library under the huge dome and the Jefferson Library. 

I found this mosaic work on the ceiling of the ground floor related to art.

There were multiple screens where people can approach and ask questions to volunteers via live streaming, how cool!

Although the ground floor is not shown in the sketch, I liked that I could see the golden letters that reads the name of the place, the stain glass ceiling, the arches and painted ceiling of the second floor, the stairway and the bronze statues framing the access to the second floor. 

I completely went crazy with the line work, I loved it, so relaxing for a rainy evening. I did it first with a red pencil very loosely to get the perspective right followed by fountain pen.

The light was diffused, I had to put a thought about how to paint the light. At the end, since the drawing had so much detail, I went monochromatic to simplify the paint. I loved the time doing it, a great memory of a fantastic place. 

Question, can you spot the frase “Library of Congress” and the only person in the paint?

Houses in Foggy Bottom

 

Pitt oil base pencil, graphite and watercolor on HP watercolor paper 10 in x 7 in

Foggy Bottom is a neighborhood in Washington DC, it’s one of the oldest settlements in the city. Houses are made of brick and I observed many of them are painted in beautiful colors, making the neighborhood nice. It’s within walking distance of the National Mall and perfect for first timers visiting this city. After several days visiting the city, we took a day off and did nothing but to rest and give the body a break. I couldn’t resist the temptation to go out down the street and sketch some houses in this neighborhood. I did the work line there and took a shot of the beautiful shadows and watercolored it back at home. This area is packed with young people from the George Washington University. Electric scooters are quite popular among tourists, many joggers and people with dogs made the streets here full of live, although it’s very quiet, this is not an area for night life people. The vibe in this area is safe, vibrant but serene also. We enjoyed our stay time here.

The Castle, a garden and Hokusai

 

Pen&ink and watercolor on A5 Hahnemühle watercolor sketchbook

This building known as the Castle is in one of my previous sketches, at the distance. It’s the Smithsonian Castle Information Center. We went there to see it up close and ended up in the back garden, Enid A. Haupt Garden, which is a small but wonderful garden with lots of species of plants and serene corners to rest from the sun, crowds and the heat, we had again 90°F (32°C). I chose a table in this quiet heaven and sketch part of the garden and part of the castle, in the shade of course. I had a wonderful experience there, despite the heat, a rest well deserved.

From the garden, just a minute walk away, we enjoyed the last two hours of the Freer Gallery of Art, The National Museum of Asian Art. It’s a small museum, I really enjoyed the exhibition “Hokusai: Mad about painting”, Katshusika Hokusai is a Japanese artist who created Great Wave (one of the original prints is in the Art Institute of Chicago). This museum is home of  the largest collection of Hokusai paintings, sketches and drawings. And it’s free! Here’s an image you might find familiar.

Breaking Waves.

Washington Monument

Pen&ink and watercolor on A5 Hahnemühle watercolor sketchbook

We needed timed passes to get in the Washington monument.  The hill in which it is located is very exposed and usually very windy. It was 90°F (32°C) and the flags around were still…so still. Finally after waiting our turn to enter, the elevator shot us up 500 ft all the way to the top. Views are so cool, I thought about making at least one sketch but the scenes were too complex and the space was tight, so instead I’ll share a sketch I did of the obelisk, a view from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I liked the reflection in the reflecting pool. 

The exhibit at the lower level, still high at 490 ft, was very interested. There’s a quote of George Washington that shows the wisdom and the character of the Father Founder.

Lincoln Memorial

Pen&ink and watercolor on A5 Hahnemühle Watercolor sketchbook

Lincoln Memorial is a popular site in the National Monuments. Walking is so enjoyable, the vibe in Washington DC is relaxed and respectful. Once inside the memorial, I chose a corner where I wouldn’t bother anyone but a ranger spotted me, she has never seen a folding stool like the one I was setting up, she just wanted to make sure it wasn’t a tripod, since it’s not allowed. I was afraid I wouldn’t get Lincoln’s face to look like him, so I took extra caution and sketched it in pencil first to get the proportions right, then I used pen&ink making corrections as I was doing the pen lines. I think this method worked very well. People approached to me at this site for obvious reasons, someone sketching instead of taking photos. I specially enjoyed the kids, the little ones are not shy, no joke, the can held an conversation for a while! It was fun. 

Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery

 

Pen&ink and watercolor on A5 Hahnemühle sketchbook

Both museums share the same building. I went there exclusively to see the portraits of the American presidents. To think that presidents picked the artist to paint their portrait and to think that the artist had the president right in front of them, it’s fascinating to me. It’s the closest I would feel to be near a president, even over time. The choice of poses, the background, the suit or clothing, the painting style, the media, the colors. The artist had a tremendous load in the shoulders (I think) to portray the essence, spirit and personality of the individual. Fantastic. I made some observations that found interesting. Washington and Lincoln had premium locations and the paintings were very big. Nixon had one of the smallest portraits. The last president was the only one without a painting, just a photograph. 

The central courtyard was my chance to sketch the place, the tables and chairs made it an easy decision, pardon me my fellow sketchers for not providing whether or not sketching was allowed indoors, I didn’t asked, but I will show next my favorite painting of a historical figure who I admire deeply, it’s not a president, but she should have been one, Eleanor Roosevelt.

 

National Museum of African American History and Culture.

 

Pen&ink and watercolor in A5 Hahnemüle 

This is our first time visiting Washington DC, we expect to visit some of the Smithsonian museums, the National Monuments and Georgetown area. It’s Friday evening, upon arrival, outside the Train Union Station, the city was very quiet, strange for a city. The cab driver, from Ethiopia told us all government offices are closed now, we are surrounded by government buildings. We stayed in the Foggy Bottom area, best for first timers in Washington DC. The District is a very walkable city, so we did walked to our first visit next day to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In our walk there I liked this view and I sketched it. 

This museum is relatively new. Timed passes are require for visitors at this time, still free. We spent 5 hours there. The museum is very well set up, history of slavery, wars, reconstruction, segregation, fight for rights, racism, art, music and sports. 

There are some outfits of celebrities that show their real size. Diana Ross, my goodness was she slim, Oprah is not as big as she looks on tv and Micheal Jackson shirt and coat, although pop, it’s actually haute couture! We were glad we visited, very tired but happy.

The Cardinal, Amtrak train 50 from Chicago to Washington DC

 

Pen&ink and watercolor on HP paper 11 in x 7 in

We booked a bedroom for the extra space, still tight, we had an enjoyable trip on board the Amtrak train 50, the Cardinal, a 25 hour ride from Chicago Union Station to Washington DC Union Station. One of the best scenic routes in the East of the United States, a train can take you to untouched remote areas to be seen the way it was meant to be. This is our first sleepover on a train ever and our first trip together after a year and a half. We boarded the train in the early evening. The scenery promised to be beautiful next day and didn’t disappoint. The Appalachian Mountains are an exceptionally beautiful area, the Greenbrier River, the falls, the boulder rocks, the bridges, tunnels and valleys. If this time in September was gorgeous, the fall colors of October must be spectacular.

I didn’t measure the longest tunnel we went through but I count the seconds, the longest was 100 seconds. The night was rocky, I slept only a few hours but my husband didn’t have such problem. So much food I had to skip one meal. I was afraid  the food wouldn’t be good, according to reviews but I happened to like most of it. So I had a full day to sketch what I was observing, I did little sketches in one page to remember this ride. 

Classic car show in Joliet, IL

 

Pen&ink and watercolor on pocket size Stillman&Birn Beta 

I’ve ran into classic cars shows in the streets of several towns multiple times. I don’t follow nor I know their scheduled shows, it’s just coincidence. Last August I drove by a handful of classic cars in the parking lot of a fast food business located in Joliet, IL. Because I had an hour to spare, I came back to sketch a couple of these cars. Owners usually take their camping chairs and stick around to have a good time among themselves, they are also willing to answer questions by anyone who is curious or interested in the subject. By the time I was done, I realized there were around a hundred of them, perhaps more! Most of them are in pristine condition as a result of the care these owners invest in their cars. They truly show their love for their cars, no wonder they exhibit them, they must be very proud.

White Nights Watercolor Chart and New Brass Palette.

The wait is over. I got my brass palette from La Petite Palette after 8 ½ months wait. What a beauty, so we’ll done. The palette has a weight which I love, the brass mechanism hold the pans tight so won’t move around which otherwise can be soooo annoying, it won’t rust, I can interchanged the pans, the water washes won’t leak, it has enough mixing area, it’s just perfect.

FYI this palette is specific for White Nights pans, it won’t fit standard whole size pans. 

Colors for this watercolor chart:

Group Yellow: 203 Cadmium Lemon, 201  Cadmium Yellow Medium, 218 Yellow Ochre.

Group Red: 302 Cadmium Red Light, 324 Quinacridone Rose.

Groups Blue: 503 Cerulean Blue, 511 Ultramarine, 513 Phthalo Blue.

Group Green: 716 SAP, 713 Emerald

Group Earth: 405 Raw Sienna, 406 Burnt Sienna, 418 Raw Umber, 408 Burnt Umber.

805 Neutral Black.

First thing I did was to make a watercolor chart to get to understand this brand. Right away I realized this paint is easy to wet and pick up. I did a quick test with pencil HB for transparency and staining properties, which are important to me, I noticed the black is the most staining one, follow by phthalo blue and emerald which was expected.

The paints are creamy and most of them with high concentration of pigment. Here are some observations.

For Group Mixing:

Yellows are on the weak side for pigment concentration.

Blues and Reds made decent purples.

Blue and Earth make beautiful blue grays.

Greens and Earth make fabulous muted greens.

For specific paint color:

Cadmium Light Red and Q. Rose makes a decent Deep Red (which I don’t have in this palette). 

Quinacridone Rose makes beautiful purples and reddish earth tones.

Cerulean is very gummy vs other brands.

This is just the begging, more to experiment.

People at the airport in San Luis Potosí city.

Pen&ink and watercolor on Moleskine Sketchbook 5 ½ in x 3 ½ in.

 Mask and face shields ever present at the airport in Mexico. On my way back to home, I had a cup of coffee at 6:00 am. I was not hungry, instead of eating I sketched people seated in the coffee shop. Everywhere I went in Mexico, people was wearing masks, everywhere I went they checked my temperature and hand sanitizer was suggested, other were mandatory. To be fair, the two bottom men at the sketch were eating so their mask were down. Is Covid here to stay? Time will tell.

A new colony in Tangamanga Park

Pen&ink and watercolor in Moleskine sketchbook 5 ½ in x 3 ½ in

 It rained plenty this summer in San Luis Potosí city. This part of the dam in Tangamanga Park was always  dry, it doesn’t rain often here you see, but the rain this year fill up every corner of the dam. The reflection of the palm trees on the water  made me repeat this scene I did years ago. But what was new was the big population of squirrels which’s nests were under the concrete slabs holding the water. Since when this animals have been here? Now they live in harmony with the ever present ducks.

Teatro Alameda

 

Pen&ink and Lyra opaque watercolor on Moleskine watercolor sketchbook 5 ½ in x 3 ½ in.

This theater is located next to Alameda Juan Sarabia Park in downtown San Luis Potosí, it was built in 1941. I wanted to sketch it because I always liked it. However, I often thought it’s architectural style was different, so I did some research and found out that its style is Colonial Californiano, as many houses which were built in this style in wealthy neighborhoods in Mexico City back then.  This theater has multiple uses, it’s now a movie theater but it’s also used as a venue for exhibits and concerts. I sketched it in the smallest of  the Moleskine sketchbooks and I liked how many details I fit in this image, it took me some effort but I’m glad I did.

Fried fish with Lyra opaque watercolors.

Pen&ink and watercolor on pocket Moleskine watercolor sketchbook 

 A big boned fried fish was served to dad. It barely fit in the plate over a bed of fresh dill. Before he dig into the fish, I turned around the dish to face me to take a shot. It was breaded. At home this fish met my Lyra opaque watercolor. It‘s a plastic watercolor palette, perhaps vintage, since I haven’t seen one like this before, that was given to me by my siblings, I think it belonged to my mother in law, so slim it fits everywhere, that’s why brought it with me to Mexico. I think the fish looks crunchy, can you hear? It was indeed.

My dad’s feet.

 

I’m truly enjoying my time with my dad in Mexico, watching TV, his feet rest on the bed on the bedsheets that are soooo old but somehow the are in good shape. His white, slim and bony feet were always so beautiful, I had to sketch them. His blue jeans, a favorite of  his, he can wear for up to a week and look like fresh clean, it amazes me. Happy time, cheers.

An Olympic dragonfly.

Pen, ink and watercolor on HandBook Travelogue Sketchbook 8 in x 8 in

 Dragonflies are in the “hood”. I saw so many…. or so I thought.  I came out of the house and there was only one, ONE dragonfly flying the width of my backyard. From left to right and from right to left, eventually flying up and down making sharp and sudden turns. Sometimes suspended in the air, right in front of me, perhaps 2 yards from me, was it watching me? How an insect can coordinate two pairs of wings? Wonderful. Then the sound of a small plane in the background paired the flight of this little guy, like a mini plane, it was so surreal. 

I was having an Olympic event right at home, live, by a common green darner, but no so common, it did so many “flying laps”, possibly more than a hundred, it’s like it was trying to break a world record, but instead it broke of my patience. I eventually came back inside the house and google this little guy. The bright green and blue made it easy. Here I introduce to you Anax junius, and one of the largest dragonflies that exist measuring up to 7 cm long, and of course I did a sketch of it.

Giving credit where is due.

Pencil and watercolor on Laloran sketchbook 5 in x 5 in

 There are some benches along the Dupage river where I live. We stopped there to finish our coffee from this morning after breakfast. It’s a challenge to sketch a view that is fully monochromatic, the grass, the trees and even the river are green, but that is precisely the point, how to make a scene interesting. They say color gets the credit but value does the work. In this instance value gets the credit. There’s really not much color in this scene except for the woman who came to have lunch in one of the benches, and she was wearing muted colors! It just came to my mind that the Midwest region in the United States were I live is fully green in summer or fully white in winter. So sketching is a useful tool where you have the freedom to bring as much color as you want to your surroundings, even if it is on paper, but sometimes you can walk your way around and work with a different approach to make an interesting sketch, like the use of value.

Fireman’s creativity

 

Ink, watercolor and color pencil on Handbook Travelogue 8 in x 8 in

Our fellow fireman from Naperville display their creativity in their mailbox. I don’t know if they are still using this one since it doesn’t have a flag but it’s still there and it confirms the fact that everyone can create. 

How do you sketch wear out? Tell me.

 

Fine liner and watercolor on A6 Stillman&Birn Beta Series

I had 45 minutes to spare, I found this chain food restaurant nearby. It looks like a charming little house but the sun have made its mark. How do you sketch wear out? 

Exercise. It’s all in the details.

Wood stick, fine liner and Noodlers ink on Handbook watercolor journal 8 in x 8 in.

I found this vintage image which I used to make  a value exercise with ink and my wood stick. Once I finished the sketch I thought I could improve the definition of the cat and the obi belt which was made with a different fabric.  I added little dots to resemblance the finer pattern of the kimono. I think it worked. Now the obi and the cat can be seen clearly besides the face. 

Before

Summer spot.

Pen&Ink, watercolor and color pencil on HandBook watercolor journal 8 in x 8 in.

 This is an area near the boat launching at a place we go during the summer. It’s quiet during weeks days, although it´s away from the crowded beach, the volleyball court is busy on weekends. The view has 180 degrees of water view, the wind hits the shore which under the shade of the old trees is refreshing and welcoming in hot days. We lay down on the grass and look at the branches of the tress and listen to the leaves making a soothing sound intertwined with the songs of birds. Breakfast is usually our time. When this week of rain goes away, we’ll resume our visits to what is our new favorite summer spot.

Antique sewing machine toy.

Ink on HandBook watercolor sketchbook 8 in x 8 in

 This is a sewing machine toy c.1920. It belonged to the mother of one of my relatives. She kindly let me borrow it just because I liked it so much. It’s the size of my hand fully open, so cute. I thought it was going to be hard to draw but I used a wood stick which thick tip I shaped with a knife and used as dip pen, it’s impossible to get lost in details. By the way just for fun I collected the wood stick and geese’s feathers to make “natural” art tools I found in the sand of a beach. I tried to make quill pens, that’s harder than I thought, one out of four worked well, but days later the tip dried out (?) and now it doesn’t work very well, it’s like the tip’s shape changed. Anyway, it was fun to draw broad lines with the wood stick. Now that I sketched the toy, it can be returned to its owner. 

First garage sale and color pastels

Nupastel on drawing paper 11 in x 8 in

I had the opportunity to attend a pre sale garage of the family of one of my relatives. They are moving and they are about to sell some of their stuff. There were many beautiful and well preserved quality things. Among the items they had was this vintage of Nupastel in color, probably from the 50´s.

 Boy I had to try. I have used monochromatic pastels many years ago when I took drawing workshops with white, black and grey pastels. So this is no so new to me, the color is new to me. After looking quickly to some tutorials on YouTube, I found a pic of my husband in a picnic. This would be my first try. I didn’t use sanded paper because I have none, instead I used just regular drawing paper. Pastels are not my first choice to draw but I was happy to give it a second chance. 

Also I’m very happy with a couple of vintage dental boxes (from the 40’s I was told by the owner) for a very reasonable price. Each box had medium size flat drawers perfect to store art supplies. I semi-restored and removed the scratches and got rid of the dryness of the wood and they turned out even more beautiful, so I can displaying them as vintage objects worth seeing. So happy with my first ever garage sale!

Paying attention.

Fine liner and watercolor on S&B Beta Series 3.5 in x 5.5 in

 If you pay attention to the details of a tree and/or a bush, and draw the branches, the leaves grouping together, the lonely leaves, then the plant comes out with its own personality. I normally do random greens, just big shapes placed one in front of the other, but this was an example of REALLY watching. What a difference.

Sunny lunch

Fine liner and watercolor on S&B Beta 3.5 in x 5.5 in

Today was a beautifully sunny day and the temperature was finally nice to eat lunch outdoors. There’s construction on Lockport St, in Plainfield, Illinois, so we moved indoors due to the noise. The surrounding area was so colorful that my sketching gear had to come out. This is the view from our table indoors, looking outside were we were seated first. I used a pocket size Stillman&Birn watercolor sketchbook, my Bijou watercolor palette and a watercolor brush. I had complements for the sketch from two waiters, one passed the voice on the other one. He asked me to hashtag it, so I did. 

Towing business on Route 66

 

Ink and watercolor on hot press paper, 10 in x 7 in

This towing business is located in downtown Joliet on Route 66. The old building has been preserved and used as clever  advertisement. They are not using this building, the new facilities are right next door, out of the sketch. The originality of the old cars’ display is fun and quite unique. Across from the street I parked in the parking lot and sketched from the comfort of my seat. I tried a new board I custom made with 3 holes to place my watercolor brushes. They are within my reach and oh, does it makes a difference.

Crazy April

 

Pencil and watercolor on Handbook watercolor journal 8 in x 8 in

This is downtown Plainfield. The oldest part of the city and that tree must be old! I liked all those crooked branches. The green leaves are sprouting but the branches can be seen through clearly. Although it’s middle of April, the winds are still so cold. I had to wear a winter coat. Weather in April is so crazy, the temperatures range from 27°F to 80°F! Sun, cold winds, rain and snow. You never know what you are going to get!

Tricks of the mind

 

Ink spot 2 in x 2 in

In my last post, click here to read it, I talked about a couple of house finch exploring one of my ornamental wreaths outdoors. Well,   it turns out, they flipped it and made it theirs. Now they are raising four chicks. To be honest I was going to post another sketch I finished today, but.....when I dragged the nib of my fountain pen in a piece of paper, I noticed the shapeless spot wasn’t shapeless after all. Guess what I saw, fed up with images of that bird family in my back yard? Yes a bird, unconsciously my brain found a bird parent with a worm in its beak going to feed the chicks. Isn’t funny how our mind tricks us? I found it funny. I added 3 tail feathers, the legs, the eye and the shadow.

Run, run, they are hungry.