Pictures from sketching classes this week

I gave two classes this week on sketching.  One was with a smaller group of 5 at St. Joes and the other my Architecture 415 summer class a larger group of 18 students. Both are great in their own ways. It is interesting teaching non-architects vs. the architecture student.  It challenges my skills in teaching perspective to people who might not have otherwise been exposed to these ideas. Teaching architecture students is more fine tuning them and if they aren't getting it...helping them see a view more clearly and understand the underlying structure of a sketch.

Sketching at St. Joes

My Tuesday Sketching Class will be sketching at St. Joes tomorrow afternoon.  So I went out to scope out what there is to draw.  There are some great spots there, of course Capitol Hill has wonderful old homes with tree lined streets.  It should be fun.
I decided to test out my watercolor pencils instead of watercolors.
Here is the ink sketch at two stages.  With watercolor pencil over lay and then with a water brush wash to blend the watercolor pencil.  It gave an energetic sketch!

We still have openings for the watercolor session starting July 1st.  If you are interested contact me about the class:  gail(at)glwarc(dot)com .   Meets Tuesday from 2-5pm.

Water wash over watercolor pencil

Watercolor pencil over ink.

June 28th Workshop Opportunity At SAM with UrbanSketchers Workshops

Don't miss this opportunity! There are still a few spaces available. The price of the workshop includes the entrance fee to the exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum as well as the afternoon workshop and supplies donated by our Sponsors, Stillman & Birn and Daniel Smith. To reserve your spot in the workshop contact Workshop Coordinator Jane Wingfield at janewingfield@gmail.com.

We are pleased to announce an Urban Sketchers Workshop in partnership with the Seattle Art Museum. The event is tied to the upcoming exhibit Modernism in the Pacific Northwest featuring the work of the late Seattle artist Mark Tobey and other leading figures of the modern art movement that took place in the Northwest in the late 1930s and 1940s.

The workshop includes a tour of the exhibit and a hands-on field sketching session at Pike Place Market led by Urban Sketchers instructors Gabriel Campanario, Frank Ching and Gail Wong. During the workshop, participants will gain valuable sketching tips to draw on location —from perspective and composition to watercolor basics— and channel Tobey's spirit of sketching at the market.

Date: Saturday, June 28, 2014.
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Registration: $50.
Schedule:
9:30-10 am: Check-in at the museum (1300 1st Ave, Seattle)
10-11:30 am: Introduction and tour of the galleries with USk Instructors and museum staff
11:30-12:15: Lunch break/Presentation by instructors
12:30-3 pm: Field sketching session at the Market

Sketchbook sponsor: Stillman & Birn.
Art Media sponsor:  Daniel Smith

To reserve your spot in the workshop contact Workshop Coordinator Jane Wingfield at janewingfield@gmail.com.

Patterns and Textures of the Flower Market at Pike Place Market

A close up sketch of the flower stalls at Pike Place Market.  So much color texture and pattern there. This was just a corner of the stall about a 20 minute sketch and watercolor.

Mark Tobey Inspiration

In  getting ready for the upcoming workshop at SAM I studied Mark Tobey's Pike Place market sketches and used them as an inspiration to try a different approach to sketching.  Mark Tobey worked on newsprint and used watercolor and gouache.  You can see his limited palette and use of a lot of white in some of his sketches.  I see a lot of pattern and rhythm to his work. He ignores perspective, but you do get a sense of depth by location of objects in relation to each other in space and size.  With that in mind I made a attempt to sketch using some of those ideas.  It is hard not to draw using what you know of perspective.  I think you have to get beyond the mindset of realism and  look for geometries, patterns get the essence and feeling and vibrancy of the place.  I used brown sketch paper, ink lines, watercolor and white chalk.

Sketching and Watercolor Classes this Summer

If you are interested in Sketching and watercolor classes for the summer, see attached information below. Contact me as soon as possible to secure a spot.

Hat 'N Boots and Montlake Music and Arts Festival

Yesterday was a full day of sketch related events.  In the morning I went to Georgetown for the monthly Urban sketchers meet up and sketched the Hat 'N Boots at Oxbow Park.  This was originally built for a Georgetown Gas Station in 1953 making it one of the most successful Gas station in Washington State.  Years later it was abandoned and in need of renovation.  The Georgetown Community saved it and relocated it to the Oxbow Park where is now resides.

In the afternoon I was part of the Montlake Community Music and Arts Festival.  While I had 5 sketches exhibited I watched and listened to some great groups that have some affiliation with Montlake.  Here are a couple of sketches I did over pages I had used for testing watercolor. 

Layered System

Mother Pluckers

Set up At Montlake Music and Arts Festival

Carriage House Across the Street

Sketched on Mothers Day in a Stillman & Birn  Epsilon Sketchbook.  Used a twig and Chinese ink then did quick washes with watercolor.

Gifs vs Jpgs

I just learned something today.  The .gif format sometimes changes the color of an image.  I just posted a .gif of a sketch I did  this morning and saw that the reds were dulled down.  I looked at the jpg of the same sketch and it retained the reds.  Something to consider when posting sketches.
Here are the two versions.

JPG Colors are more true.

GIF format dulled down the red and yellow colors.

Mother's Day Sketch

I had a couple of hours to take a walk this morning and find a place to sketch while Mother's day brunch was being made at my house.  I found a spot not too far from my house.  It was in the Holly portion of the arboretum.  The lighting was great and it was an interesting view with the hill sloping to one side.  I sketched and painted but you always need to know when to stop!  I read somewhere that this one painter would stop at 70% complete and wait to do the final if it need it.  That is a great idea because there is a tendancy to over work.
This one was fine at one point and then I thought I needed more darks but you have to be very careful and us  the right brush.  I used a brush which was too large and covered too much area with darks.

Here is the view I sketched. After finishing, I thought the trees were too dark and drew too much attention to the shadowed areas.

This is the sketch having lightened up the shadowed area.  I think it is better.  But still need to simplify!

Regional Sketch Outing at MOHAI

Today we met with Sketchers from Portland Oregon,  Pullman WA,  Tacoma WA, Vashon WA and Seattle WA.  We met at MOHAI to see the Drawn to Seattle Exhibit one last time before the exhibit closes on May 26th.

Historic Ships at MOHAI

VIRGINIA V AT MOHAI ON OPENING DAY

VIEW OF SEATTLE AND MOHAI, STRETCH LIMO WAITING FOR A WEDDING PARTY.

26th Ave. East Garbage Pickup Day

Again a great morning with great light.  Here is a sketch on 26th Ave. East  on Garbage Pickup day.

Garbage Day on 26th Ave. East

Early Morning Light

During spring time the light in the early morning is fantastic.  It is bright with strong shadows and you have the colors of spring.  I found this view when I walked my dog this morning. So I had to get back there to sketch and do a quick watercolor.  I drew the underlay in pencil and then added watercolor after.  Working in pencil, you have to depend on value and color to separate shapes.  Lines will disappear.  It is a good way to force working in values.

Washington Park Arboretum in morning light. 

Blue Green Vase

We have two blue green vases that are glass and make great studies on how to paint transparent glass objects.  Here is a study I just did tonight.  I was able to get the transparency and the back lighting of the glass.  It got a bit overworked.  I will have to try it again.

Sketching in Tacoma at the Antiques District

Sunny, cold, rainy and hail.  That is what we got today. So you catch sun when you can and then run for shelter  when it starts coming down.  Got two sketches in.  One at Opera Alley before it started to hail.  Luckily I had taken a picture to record the light and color.  Second in the warmth and haven of Tully's coffee.

Opera Alley, Tacoma WA

Tully's Coffee, 9th and Broadway, Tacoma WA

Sketcher In Residence at MOHAI

I was sketcher in residence at MOHAI today for the Drawn To Seattle Exhibit.  Had a great chance to talk to people who came by to see me sketch.  A lot of people go away saying "Oh I should take a class on watercolor ....or sketching!"  It is something anyone can learn and is a skill and passion you will always have.
Here is the sketch I did to day.

View from MOHAI 04262014

Line to Color Workshop Weekend in Pullman

WSU Bryan Clock Tower

I am recuperating from the long weekend giving the Line to Color Workshop in Pullman Washington on the WSU Campus.  Frank Ching and Gabi Campanario were the other workshop leaders.  Frank's session took place in downtown Pullman and focused on the basics of perspective and composition in setting up a sketch.  Gabi's focused on drawing people in the urban environment capturing individuals and groupings of people and the activities people are engaged in.  Mine dealt with approaches in applying color to a sketch starting from how to work with watercolor, mixing colors, finding values.  The participants range from college students in the Design and Construction department to local residents and professionals.  We also had people who came from Spokane,
Tri-Cities as well as Seattle.  We couldn't have asked for better weather.  Crisp and cold in the mornings but it warmed up in the afternoons.  It gave us great sun for observation of shade and shadow.   We had 43 participants not including the student and faculty staff helping organize the overseeing this event.  We started the planning in the fall and have been working on it since then.  It is nice to see this come to fruition.  It was the result of a lot of team effort.  We thank all the students who helped and Associate  Professor Bob Krikac and Carrie Vielle for their leadership in this event.
Also a big thanks to our sponsors Stillman and Birn, Canson and Royal Talens for sketchbooks and watercolor palettes.  This was so well received by the students and help make this workshop for them possible.

Gallery display of Gabi and Frank's work.

Gallery Display of Frank's and Gail's work.

Sign in on Saturday morning

Sign in on Saturday morning.

Saturday Morning group's work.

Saturday morning's watercolor session group

Saturday Afternoon group.

Before Sunday sketchcrawl

Sunday Sketch Crawl

Tulip Study

Getting ready for WSU Line to color workshop, I am making some demo samples.
This is again of the tulips in a vase but trying to reveal the stages of the watercolor.  From the first light wash, to areas where the midtone second layer is applied and then the final dark layers of value put in on the last stage.

Tulip study

Tulips with a Brush Pen

Just sketched these this morning using a micron brush pen.  I am testing out the microns because they are waterproof.  You can sketch with them and immediately add watercolor over the line drawing with out any bleeding.  The brush pen gives you a calligraphic line. as you can see below.

Signs of Spring

This week we have had signs of Spring.  The sun is shining and the skies are blue.  Flowers are blooming.  Here is a sketch I just finished of daffodils in a vase.  Just another sign of Spring.

Egg Cups

Finding something to sketch and paint. I discovered in the back of our cabinets these ceramic egg cups which I sometime use as votives.