So I was sick, which made sketching impossible for a few days. I’m still sick but I’m slightly better, so I sat down and powered through the rest of the missing sketches.
As I mentioned last time 61-68 were draw from life, the rest from earthsworld. This site is so much better for reference photos than the flickr gallery I used in previous years that it affected both my speed and my sketching quality. Also, I had a lot more fun sketching these portraits this year. The Leonardo Momento Zero Bohemian Twilight fine nibbed fountain pen was the perfect sketching companion, and Diamine fireside snug performed well on the Stillman and Birn Alpha paper. The larger landscape format also helped make these a joy. Here are the previous days’ sketches: day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5, day 6, day 7.
This sketching challenge is always great to do, as it really pushes me outside my comfort zone. If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend giving it a try.
A long tiring day with two vet visits meant that I had precious little time to sketch. Got up to 60, and sort of them came out surprisingly well.
As expected, with my injury and the way this week is shaping up I likely will finish my sketches only on Tuesday or Wednesday, but I like the results so I’m not in a rush.
The result is sketches 12 to 40 (yes, I got that many done in a single sitting). The fact that I have much better reference photos made such a huge difference, as I didn’t have to waste time digging through urban landscape photos in search for half decent portraits. Also, the Earthworld photographs feature People with a capital P – frumpy, old, ugly, real and incredibly beautiful to sketch. The great Leonardo Momento Zero Bohemia Twilight fountain pen with its fine nib and Diamine Fireside Snug also added to the fun – I love this pen and ink combo so much I’m likely going to use it for the rest of the 60 sketches.
Number 12 was added to this pageI love 14, 17, 18, 20 and 21I picked up speed with these as I warmed upNumber 36 and 37 really came out well, I think
So, now which one is your favourite? I have too many to choose from.
I had a busy day yesterday, so I only got three sketches in and didn’t have time to post them. Numbers 9-11 were what I added, with number 9 being sketched with a vintage Parker Vacumatic filled with Diamine Ash and numbers 10 and 11 being sketched with a Franklin Christoph 45L and Diamine Eau de Nil. I loved the lines that the Parker Vacumatic produced, but it’s an extra fine nibbed fountain pen and it really struggled on the tooth of the Stillman and Birn Alpha. These were the last batch sketched from the Street Photography group on Flickr. I found a better source for photos thanks to a great tip from Tina from the wonderful Fuelled by Clouds and Coffee blog.
I almost didn’t post today as I wasn’t up to sketching and I got only three sketches in, none of them great. But I like it when creators show their failures so I’m doing it myself today: my lack of shoulder mobility coupled with a lack of sleep and the difficulty of the subject made for a bad sketching day.
Parker 51 with Montblanc The Beatles Psychedelic Purple on a Stillman and Birn Alpha. Sketched 6-8 were done today. As usual the goal for me is to get to 100 even if it takes more than a week.
An inauspicious start for this year’s one week 100 people drawing challenge: I hurt my shoulder yesterday and now it’s extremely painful to draw with it. So today’s sketch batch is just five sketches, done with a vintage Radius Comet fountain pen and Diamine Anaranth ink on a hardcover landscape Stillman and Birn Alpha.
These were all sketched from Creative Commons Flickr photos, working for no more than 1-2 minutes per sketch, directly with pen and ink. The expressiveness of this nib has been a lot of fun. Number 5 is my favourite so far, which one is yours?
As I noted earlier, I’ve decided to only post these on my blog this year and not on social media.
I went to a very special Urban Sketchers sketchwalk and drink and draw today. The event celebrated the end of a special sketch swap between a group of sketchers in Barcelona and in Tel Aviv, and there were sketchers there from all over the world (Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, India, etc). We met at Gan Meir in central Tel Aviv for a sketchwalk followed by a drink and draw at the top of Libling house. It was hot, it was humid, and I needed a break by the time I got to the garden, so I went to the nearby Stephan Austrian Bakery for a cold coffee and a Sachertorte, a rare but much needed treat.
Coffee and cake.
A lot of people came in to pick up an ice cream cone, including this little fellow:
For some reason he didn’t get any ice cream.
I then went back to the garden and started sketching the waterlily pool:
Work in progress
There was a group of ping pong players nearby, and I got hit by balls several times. I was also visited by several curious children. It’s all part of the Urban Sketching charm.
The waterlily pond complete
I then saw a group of kids with a metal detector, searching for treasure in the sand, so I sketched them quickly:
Treasure hunters.
This was our sketchbook throw down, and I loved seeing all the different styles and sketch subjects together,
Sketchbook throw down.
We then went to Leibling House nearby, and there saw some of the sketch swap participants’ work. We had a party on the roof, and I got to talk to sketchers from all over the world, and see so many different sketching styles.
The exhibition
I had to leave early, but I did get to check out Leibling House and see their Frankfurt Kitchen, which is pretty amazing:
Actual storage space, proper sinks for washing dishes and room to dry the dishes.Storage space for dry goods, and foldable iron board. Perfect use of space.
What struck me most is how the sketchers from abroad saw and sketched the same tired old local monuments and tourist attractions. Through their work I got to see them with new eyes, and it made me want to visit them and try to sketch them myself. I also got to see Leibling House for the first time, and I plan on returning to it in the future, as it’s a wonderful museum and exhibition space.
Writing at Large 