From Sketching to Rowing

You never know what's going to happen when you head out to sketch.

Yesterday a few of us met up at Mud Island River Park to sketch at the Duncan-Williams Dragon Boat Race. We wandered around a bit trying to figure out the best place to sketch, and a couple of us looked across the Wolf River Harbor to sketch the downtown Memphis Skyline.

Just as I was finishing this quick little sketch, my friend Shannon, who was on a race team, texted to ask if I felt like rowing, as they were a member short. I asked fellow sketcher Beth, and she said that yes I probably did feel like rowing.

Next thing I new I was in a Leadership Academy t-shirt with 20 others, heading to the boat ramp to row in the first of two sprint races.

This is the only sketch I made yesterday. I spent the rest of the day meeting new people, seeing old friends, hanging out with Shannon (below, right), and rowing in the Wolf River Harbor and the beautiful early-fall sunshine.

I had to miss the last regular meeting at the Memphis Farmers Market because I was on an art trip to St. Louis. I was painting that day, however, and thinking of my urban sketching friends. Here's what I came up with at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Extra Sketch Group at the Dragon Boat Race - Mud Island River Park - September 22

Next sketch group is an extra one...

Saturday, September 22

Duncan-Williams Dragon Boat Race

Mud Island River Park

9:00 AM

We'll meet at the Gulf of Mexico on Mud Island (see map). It is free to get in to the park. You can park in their parking on Riverside or in the garages on Union, or on the park itself if you take the bridge near Harbor Town and turn right to get to Mud Island.

If you aren't able to meet with the group at 9, come back to the meeting spot at 11 to share your sketches!

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

Hope to see you there!

Last Saturday at Memphis Farmers Market

Last Saturday we met up at Memphis Farmers Market on THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DAY OF THE YEAR to do some sketching. It was great fun, and did I mention that the weather was BEAUTIFUL!

Here's Peter Bowman sketching some lovely tomatoes.

These are all of my sketch supplies, including coffee.

 Tom Pellett

Peter's sketches of tomatoes - again, like a fully-formed painting, isn't it.

 Jenny's sketch of me.

 Jeff Stayton - new to the group!

My sketch - I sketched Jenny while she sketched me. She's in the middle-front.

Sketching This Weekend

We have been invited to sketch at the Wolf River Harbor Cleanup this Saturday! See the flyer - you can click on it for more details. Sounds interesting - no actual cleaning required!

The Cooper Young Festival is also this weekend - try sketching there, it's crazy! If you do sketch at either of these, or anywhere else in town this weekend, don't forget to post them here!

Overton Park Birthday Party

I, unfortunately didn't make it out to the Farmer's market yesterday. I did, however, get to sketch/paint a little at Overton Park during a birthday party my kids were attending.

I've been experimenting with the idea of finding a new medium that's a little more dense than watercolor, more water soluble than gouache, and that's inexpensive and mobile—can be set up and broken down simply and quickly. I landed on this combination of powder tempera on paper.

This piece took me around an hour. I'm fairly pleased with the outcome, and hopeful for rewarding results in the future.

-CF

September Sketch Group at the Memphis Farmers Market, Plus Upcoming Events

Next sketch group

When: 
Saturday, September 8 (2nd Saturday, since 1st Saturday is during Labor Day weekend)
10:00 AM 
Where: 

Memphis Farmers Market, Central Station, S. Front Street at GE Patterson in the Historic South Main District, Downtown Memphis
We'll meet on the north side of the market, just south of the Power House.

Please comment here or on our Facebook page if you plan to attend. Hope to see you there!

We now have our own Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/groups/memusk/. Let me know if you are interested in posting your sketches and I will send you an invitation!

Other Upcoming Events:

Saturday, September 8 (the same day as our MFM sketch group)

• The 23rd Annual International Goat Days Festival takes place from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM at USA Stadium, 4351 Babe Howard Blvd., in Millington, TN ($5 parking, free admission).
• I plan to go there after the Farmers Market. It is such a fun event and so much fun to sketch!

That same weekend, Saturday, September 8, 9:30 to 6pm, and Sunday, September 9 from Noon to 6pm 

• The Germantown Festival will be held at Germantown Civic Club Complex, 7745 Poplar Pike

Saturday, September 15, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM

• The Cooper Young Festival takes place in Cooper Young 
• This is always a huge event and fun to sketch if you can find a good place to plant yourself among the crowds. It is always packed!

Saturday, September 22 - extra September sketch group

• Dragon Boat Race on Mud Island
• More information to follow!

October Sketch Group at Victorian Village

• We will be sketching outside, but I'm also seeing if we can get into one of the houses in case it rains

Fire Station on Mendenhall

I have gotten into the habit of sketching whenever I stop for an errand. Mostly I go to the grocery store - the fancy Kroger on Mendenhall, because it's on my way home and, as I said, it's fancy.

This fire station is right next door, so when I park facing south I sketch it. These are all from this summer.

Idlewild Interior

Here is my sketch of the interior at Idlewild Presbyterian from a couple of weeks ago. I was so proud of myself for not getting overwhelmed and chickening out! I just thought about all of the great instruction I got at the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Santo Domingo, and I felt pretty comfortable tackling such a large area with so much going on. One of the tips I learned is using the white of the paper to help show shape and mass, and it really worked here.

More Sketches from Idlewild

Here are sketches by Joe Wieronski from last Saturday's sketch group at Idlewild Presbyterian Church. Great line work.

The detail of the pipe organ is Joe's favorite, but I'd have a hard time picking.