Sketching in Old Montreal
Anticipation is building for the USK workshop in Santo Domingo!
In a few days we’ll be drawing in the heat of the Caribbean summer. Looks like an excellent group of sketchers. Many familiar names from sketchblogs everywhere. I see people in my workshop from Brazil, France, Germany, Portugal, and Venezuela. Though mostly from Canada and the US. Makes sense I guess, as the DR is easier for us N.Americans to reach.
Shari and I were doing a little pre-Santo Do warmup. She took on the foreboding Silo No. 5 while I exercised the better part of valor, drawing a nice classical building across the street.
We were sitting on this abandoned rail bridge leading into the Silo so we could both see our subjects but still be drawing side by side. In the last few minutes of the painting a security guy drives up and tells us that’s not an abandoned rail bridge at all, and we should move our gear or get ready to join the Darwin Awards. Fortunately I only needed to re-enforce the darks in the hedges and pop in the statue out front.
I noticed (from the battened down umbrellas on the roofline) that there’s a posh rooftop restaurant in this place. They would have a great view of the quays from up there. Turns out this is the club Le375C. I’m not in the social circles to be a member, so I may never see the insides. It certainly looks like a palace for business moguls.
I’d like to have sketched it back in the day. Check out this archive photo! (Before restoration after a fire in 1860).
We did a second sketch after lunch, which I’ll post in the next few days – I’m putting together a small ‘making of’ at the moment. I was trying to do these two in a strict, by-the-book manner while taking notes for my workshop session. This year I’d like to have a little more structure to my presentation. More on that soon!
Citizen Sketcher 
I really like this sketch, especially how you painted the clouds with multiple tone on tone colours. There is a nice feeling of depth, and I like that you have left the foreground to the right untouched. What is the size of the overall sketch and how long did it take you to complete it? Thanks, Sharon
Hi Sharon – thanks! It was an overcast day with impending rain – I did want to get that greyness in the clouds. This is a quarter sheet – so that’s 10×15″, and I took about a 2.5 hours, not in a particular rush, just chatting and sketching. I spend about a hour doing the drawing and then paint it up in layers.
I love this painting :: so vaporous and at the same time majestic. Very talented Marc ;-)
Your watercolour work is so gorgeous. Pleased to see you in my workshop list (though a little anxious – you could certainly teach me a thing or two!). See you soon :-)
Looking forward to it! Such a great thing – sketchers actually meeting face to face :)