One Day : One Sketchbook : The Plateau Panoramas
This past May Day was the first alignment of great weather and time off I’ve had in Montreal for 2015. I met up with a couple of friends from USK, and spent the afternoon sketching in the Plateau.
I was playing around with an accordion sketchbook – a 5×8.5″ format book with a single sheet of folded paper, forming a long ‘continuous’ ribbon of paper. (It’s not really a single piece. There are some glued seams in the paper – but you don’t really notice them). I got this specially made one at USK Barcelona – not sure where to really buy them in watercolor paper like this. There is a Mokeskine in this format – but I prefer a real water paper – sooooo – might have to make my own.
My goal was to try to make a really big panorama drawing, going the entire length of the book. I started my first sketch early and made it just over halfway before I had to relocate to meet the others.
This first drawing was done by moving down Sherbrooke and adding buildings as I moved west. I’m purposely not worrying about a ‘correct’ point of view. Each ‘block’ of buildings is in its own perspective and scale – but it adds up to a kind of floating view that zooms in on whatever interesting bits there are to see.
The second half of the book is drawn in Square Saint Louis. We were sitting in the middle of the park, so it was natural to stay in one place and wrap a 180 degree arc of view around the fountain centrepiece. Well, it’s meant to be in the center, but I sort of ran out of book. So half the arc is a little squished – but hey, this was just for fun so I’m not complaining.
The real goal for this day was to just be out in the sun, having fun drawing. No bothersome perspective, no measuring for accuracy, no particular care with color. Just using loopy Single Line Sketches and very vaguely thinking about Post and Rail Panoramas – but not in any disciplined way.
I was sort of challenging myself to see if I could make it to the end of the book – I like to have a little game, or goal post for each day. Turned out not to be that hard at all. There are only 11 spreads in this book (+ endpapers).
When you give yourself permission to use up a lot of paper, you can do it pretty fast. This was all done cover-to-cover in about 4 hours on location, with another hour-ish at home to touch up some color. There’s still the back side of the accordion to fill up someday – but I think this is fair enough for an afternoon’s fun and games :)
Citizen Sketcher 
Amazing, Marc ! It’s really the Plateau! I like your self-portrait signature !
;)
Super. Thanks. I agree with Marc. Your portrait signature.
Fantastic! A joy to look at. I love how you added color to some parts and left the other just line.
These are superb Marc.
Love the self portrait!
Japanese Moleskines in wc paper….now that will be something to keep an eye out for.
I love this — and just bought one to try out in Portland!
I looked up the sketch books and don’t see they are for watercolour. Very exciting and of course amazing. Always a stimulation to see what you are doing Marc for me to get out there and try, try, try. Thanks
I’m thinking now, if you’re on a buget you could just take a full sheet of watercolor paper, cut it lenghwise and fold – then use that without any fancy covers. I may also give this a try with a small roll of paper.
Reblogged this on Kit Schuetze – Art and commented:
Great addition to the former three part series
This is fantastic!I love the panoramic view of the sketches! I have used Moleskine Japanese album in both the sizes – small and large — the paper is not white and paint kind of sits on top. I used them to sketch everyday when I was in India for almost 3 months last year taking care of my m-i-l. I have blogged about the sketches in the small one but yet to post the large one –have to do some finishing up before I start posting them soon- just did not get around to it until a couple of days ago! I tried to have some continuity but was not always successful. The preceding two years I sketched on Strathmore mixed media sketchbooks but love the Japanese style album for the sketches now :) I also have 2 Sennelier ones –Looking forward to using them. Thanks for sharing your sketches and knowledge. Love your blog!
Thanks Meera – so the one we had must have been a special edition. Thats what everyone seems to be confirming. Ok thanks! I’ll have to try making my own then :) I’ve been thinking about trying a scroll :)
PS: My blog is http://www.artbymeera.blogspot.com –if you are curious to check :)
India looks like a dream trip for sketching :)
nice :)
Amazing!