Art & Story Blog

This was one of the few sketches I did while on vacation in Paris, and the only watercolor. Done very quickly, looking out from our apartment in the Marais. This view was spectacular. Here’s a snapshot of a slightly different section of the view:

Naturally, I’ve been scolding myself for not doing more sketching while in Paris, of all places, but this was meant to be a romantic getaway for my girlfriend (now fiancée) and I, and so my attention needed to be on her instead of my sketches. I did take a lot of photos and have some great memories, so perhaps I’ll draw from those at some point.

Last night, I kept telling myself I was going to get up bright and early on Saturday, take my time having breakfast, get my stuff together, and drive over to Griffith Park for SketchCrawl 13. I’d probably get there early, stroll around a bit, or maybe take a detour along the way and pick something up to have for lunch later. I’d meet fellow sketchers, and have lots of fun sketching old trains and trees and dirt and… Then I started reading online about the Dvorak Keyboard (also see The Dvorak Zine). Interesting. Then I found a site that helps you learn Dvorak and I started practicing. Kind of like a video game, only much more monotonous. Adventures in typing! Exciting! What? It’s 3 AM? That’s impossible. Fast forward eight hours as I crack my eyes open. What happens next? Not a whole lot. No SketchCrawl in Griffith Park for me. However, I did manage to get outside a bit in the afternoon and do a little sketching in my neighborhood. Not so much a SketchCrawl, as it was a SketchStroll or even SketchSitDown. Yet, look! Sketches! I defied all odds and put pen to paper. Hoooray.

The house on the left is going to be torn down along with the house next to it (not pictured) and converted to a four-story condominium building. This is across the street from my building.

Another view of my street with Taxi Cab:

Looking in the opposite direction with couches that have been left to rot on the side of the road:

The house on the left in this picture is right next to our building. This one is slated to be torn down and replaced with a four-story condo, as well. Fun fun fun. Can’t wait. The building on the right is the one I live in. Built circa 1931.

Another one from Sunday.

It was a good way to spring forward.

A boy and his board:

It was a beautiful day today. Sitting and painting in the dining room, with the windows open, I could smell the neighbors’ barbecue and hear super bowl partiers. I had just laid down the blue of the sky, when I noticed some odd cloud formations. They spelled, “OLIVIA MATTHEW” and I watched as it completed with, “YOU ARE SO CUTE.”

Trying to make out all the tangled wires was a bit frightening. And more frightening to know that I live next to this thing.

I’ve begun adding some watercolor to the drawing I laid down at Foster Gardens in Honolulu (see “Foster Gardens” post, January 15th, 2007). I’m tempted to either leave it as is, or continue coloring the whole composition, but I’m a little worried that I’ll muddy things. It seems a little unfinished as is, but I like it at the same time.

I participated in my first Sketchcrawl yesterday: “Sketchcrawl in Your Home!” I had lots of fun with my sumi water-brush pen and I think maybe this was a good warmup for lucky Sketchcrawl 13. Below are the results. I’ve also posted these to the Sketchcrawl Forum and Flickr Sketchcrawl Pool.

Also, I want to add a note that this is my 101st post to the Art & Story Blog, so a mini centennial celebration of sorts is in order. Mind you, almost a quarter of those 101 posts have been made in this month alone. I’m on that kind of productivity kick.

The last of the Hawaii sketchbook pages, “Blue Smoke in Aina Haina.”