Wednesday, January 30, 2013

February Sketch Group at Rhodes College Barret Library

Next sketch group
This Saturday, February 2
Rhodes College Barret Library
10:00 AM
Enter Rhodes on University Street (between North Parkway and Jackson Avenue) and ask at the gate where to park - Campus Safety is expecting us.
Meet at the library's wooden doors.

When sketching in the library be mindful of studying students - I was told some students DO study on Saturday mornings!

Please comment here or on our Facebook page if you plan to attend. 

Hope to see you there!

Friday, January 25, 2013

Movie night


I keep mentioning it on my own blog, but the Memphis Urban Sketchers have changed my life. Several people in there are never without a sketchbook, and I'm trying to emulate that. This is from my tiny one (3x5", I think) that fits nicely inside my pretty small purse. I also learned this sketching technique from the Memphis group recently -- just a fountain pen and a water brush for washes. It's a very nifty, streamlined kit to carry around with me, unlike my usual bulky backpack of supplies. And I love being able to pull out a sketchbook wherever I am. Hopefully I can keep this up.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

SketchCrawl: Memphis

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I had so much fun on my first sketchcrawl.  It was a beautiful day although the wind made it very chilly.  A group of us ate lunch at the famous Arcade and warmed up.  I've been wanting to sketch the Arcade and Earnestine & Hazels.  I also couldn't help taking lots of pictures :)  Sometimes I take for granted how cool our city is, but today I was proud to be a Memphian.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

International Sketch Crawl


 The Memphis Urban Sketchers participated officially in the International Sketch Crawl this past Saturday for the first time. We met downtown in the South Main arts district, which has a lovely mix of old buildings to draw.
 I love everything about the Memphis Urban Sketchers. I love going out with a group to draw (and not be the only one huddled on the sidewalk). I love the folks in our group. And I love learning new ways of drawing. Today, inspired by a couple of people in our group, I tried drawing with a fountain pen and using plain water to make washes in the ink. I couldn't find my water brush (an all-in-one, pen-looking contraption), so I just used a regular watercolor brush instead, and I do like the softness of it.

Above is my first attempt, with a little blue watercolor added in. It's a quick method, and I did a whole series this morning, enjoying the brain fizz of trying something new.
 After meeting up to compare sketches, five of us hung around to have lunch in the famous Arcade restaurant and keep on sketching. I enjoyed the camaraderie, the sweet potato pancakes, and (once again) sketching in company.

I added extra watercolor to this one, but I wish I'd left it a little more simple. It's easy to overshoot the mark.