New Prints Underway!

I'm happily sitting on the front porch surrounded by shreds of linoleum. Four new images are underway. These ones are bigger; twice the size of my previous works. It feels good to be carving again. Printmaking goes in such stages; selecting subjects, drawing, transferring, carving, printing, adding colour, numbering/titling and recording, and... the step I've been working on this past month... selling!  As each one arrives I think, as I do with the seasons, "Oh yay!  This one's my favourite!"  Then, as I get close  to the end I'm ready for the next one to begin. 

Back to Dr Sketchy Vancouver with Ariel Helvetica

Another session at Dr Sketchy Vancouver.  The lovely model was Ariel Helvetica.  We didn't arrive until just before go time, so were pressed right up against the bar again, hence the sharply angled view.  Next time we'll go early to get a better seat.  Good night all around though.  Will definitely be back! For more info on these sessions check out www.drsketchyvancouver.com (but if you get there before me save me a good seat).

EDiM Hold Still... I'm Drawing You

It's May!  Time for the Every Day in May Challenge.  The challenge is to do a sketch each day, taking subject cues from a pre-chosen portion of the 'Everyday Matters' list.  You'll find this year's  list later in this post.

The sketch here is from the second item on the new list.  "Draw something that represents a New Year's resolution of yours".  You might think the resolution was to sketch more, but not.  My resolution this year was to get out of my little bubble, become more involved in the community around me.  This sketch is from a life drawing session I went to yesterday here in the hood.  I found out about it on a Vancouver Meet-Up group.  There were six of us tucked into this very cool art studio (thank you Sarah) a few blocks from my house.  It's a shared space, with all kinds of cool artwork/workspaces set up in most corners and the sound of musicians rehearsing in the background.We had no model, so we took turns doing 5 minute sketches of each other.  Had to be quick.  Most of the colour on this one was added later at home.


Here's the whole EDiM list for this month:


1. Draw or paint a landscape
2. Draw something that represents a new year’s resolution of yours
3. Free choice. Draw anything you like.
4. Draw a present you have received. Why is it special?
5. Draw something sweet
6. Draw a holiday card
7. Draw a spoon and journal a little about it
8. Draw an egg carton, with or without eggs in it.
9. Draw a brown paper bag
10. Draw an apple
11. Draw something with wings
12. Draw a button or buttons
13. Draw something breezy - something that blows in the wind - a flag, leaves, your choice.
14. Draw your lunch and journal about it.
15. Draw a traffic sign (stop, yield, crossing, directional, arrows, etc.)
16. Draw a store in your neighbourhood.
17. Draw some bread and write about it if you like.
18. Draw a nearby body of water - ocean, lake, pond, river
19. Draw your artspace - drawing board, desk, studio, table - draw where you create.
20. Draw a streetlight
21. Draw something that makes you happy, and write about it, too.
22. Draw an ear, or two or three or more
23. Draw a souvenir of a place you’ve been. Write a bit about your memories of the place.
24. Draw something cold or cool. Chill, people.
25. Draw some flowers (or colourful showy foliage if you’re in the S. hemisphere and don’t find flowers in bloom.)
26. Draw the ingredients and/or process of a favourite recipe - and journal about it.
27. Draw some clouds and write about them
28. Draw a mailbox and write about the most important piece of real world mail you’ve ever received(not email - snail mail.)
29. Draw somewhere new. Go somewhere new to you and draw what you find. Write about it, too.
30. Draw something representing your favourite sport.
31. Draw what you’re afraid of. Write about it, if you dare.

  If you're a sketcher, or think you'd like to be, give it a go!  It's honestly the best thing I ever did as far as tuning up the drawing skills goes.  The last time I did it, I ended up doing the whole month's worth of drawings with a box of  kids crayons.  I love flipping through that sketchbook; it tells a story.  And, I'm proud of myself for sticking with it the whole way through. I feels good just to finish something.  The sketches from the first year I did it are all on this blog.  Here's day one, just in case you're curious. :-)

Let there be light

Let there be light, a photo by sketchalina on Flickr.
Another peek at the house.  We're having a home day today; Greg watching sports on the tube, me sketching between bouts of hula hooping in the backyard (my new workout fave) and Yogi nestling into the carpet, happy to have everyone home.


After months of nesting, we actually went out last night.  Dinner at Luke's on Granville Street, then off to the Stanley Theatre for a production of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance Of Being Ernest".  The theatre there itself is reason enough to go, and the play didn't dissapoint.  I'm always wowed by how performers absorb SO much dialogue, and then deliver it as if it was completely fresh night after night. Great job.  I love live theatre.  Must do more of that.

At Seawall With Dog and Dinosaurs

I did this sketch at the seawall the other night.  I didn't have time to paint it then (if you read the text in the sketch you'll know why) so I just added some colour now.  I'm playing hooky from work today.  Will go in later, but right now I'm needing to fill my soul with a little art, a little music, and a little actual daylight.  Thirteen hour days inside a mall, which is how I spent my yesterday, does not a summer make.

Note to self: Find more excuses to go outside and play.
 

A Life (Changing) Sentence!?

My new scanner is very blurry, so here's the text..

My model buddy lisa invited me out to a runway show for Vancouver's Eco-Fashion Week.  "It's fashion-y" she said. "Wear heels."  I wore this great little wool strapless Kenzie dress and vintage choker from my sister's closet.  The dress has an empire waist, front pleat and pockets.  I love pockets!  Then for the shoes.  I was deciding between these fantastic 4 1/2" slingbacks and my comfy stack-heeled everyday boots.

And then, from seemingly nowhere, the little voice in my head piped up and said "It's February, and you're forty-seven".  I zipped up the boots.  The show was great.  I loved Nicole Bridger (www.niclolebridger.com).

Still not talking to the voice in my head though.

New Hood

Braved the February chill this morning and sat at the end of our block to capture this view.  I've been in Vancouver pretty much full time since November.  We took a townhouse in Yaletown, which is about equidistant between our two stores down here.  Life has been a circuit of work, dog-walk, sleep.  I keep walking past all these great sketching sites every morning, afternoon and night when I take Yogi out to the puppy park and 'poopy island' (the giant grassy median one block over from here).  Every day I walk past something and think "this'd be a good place to sketch", and somehow three months have rolled by without taking the time.  We just planned a trip to Zihuatanejo, so I thought it was time to get out my bag and get the sketch brain going.

This spot is a busy one.  I'm sitting at the T intersection of Beatty and Nelson.  There are bikes, dogs, one million cars and busses, several passers-by, and one lady asking directions to Expo Boulevard.  Traffic is racing past my toes, headed onto the Cambie Street Bridge via Nelson.  Our townhouse is on the left here, obscured by the cars and trees, and that's the lovely Sun Tower Building at the far end of Beatty, on the right.