Art Now : Free Lecture Series
I’ve just come back from speaking about Urban Sketching at Art Now. Maybe a few of you were there?
I’m bringing it up, because I hadn’t heard of it before – probably you already know, but I’m the new guy in town.
Every First Tuesday, at 7PM at the Westmount Library here in Montreal, they have two artists give a slideshow talk about their work. There’s a gallery next door that might have a show to take in. We saw some wonderful oil paintings from Catherine Young Bates. Plus you can spend a few moments in the neat little conservatory/greenhouse attached to the library.
The event is sponsored by Avenue des Arts, my favorite art supply shop in Montreal. They’ll have the latest info on upcoming speakers.
There is no Cure for Grandmother : Sketching on Location for Science Quebec Magazine
I’ve recently been drawing on location at a residential home for people with Alzheimer’s disease. I was there on behalf of Science Quebec Magazine, gathering drawings for their article There is no Cure for Grandmother. You can order the issue in e-format [here]. (In French).
I spent a day with the residents, sitting with them and seeing the daily routine. Most of the day are the normal things; having meals and taking medications. Getting a blood pressure checkup. Therapists visit at various times of the day, doing brain-training exercises that range from picture puzzles, to helping residents garden, or even visiting with pets.
I sat in a sunny living room with the residents, while they napped, watched Celine Dion singing on DVD, and quietly moved around in their own little world. Only some of them seem to be aware of each other as people. Talking occasionally, even if their friend did not talk back. One lady would speak only in Spanish, one of the staff who was fluent would answer her when they were nearby.
The residents were interested in what I was doing, and of course I showed them my drawings, pointing out who I was sketching. But I couldn’t be sure how much they understood. One fellow was very happy to meet me, shaking hands and introducing himself, even though he only spoke French, and I only English.
The reality of their life was brought home, when he introduced himself to me again 10 minutes later and then again a third time. Just as happy to meet a new person each time.
I was left with the impression he was quite a salesman in his day. Had a charming handshake and hearty greeting.
One of the ladies enjoyed walking around the inner courtyard, and would casually take your arm and walk you around and around the loop. She knew I was a new visitor, as she refused to walk with the other staff while I was there.
For the artists who will likely ask – these are pencil sketches in a 11×14″ drawing pad, transferred by scan-and-printing to watercolor paper and painted in the studio. I did not do color on location, partially because they were for print, but mostly I didn’t want to bring paints and water into the house. I have done some color adjustments (fading back a bit), and added the thrown paint spots digitally.
The Urban Sketching Handbook, by Gabriel Campanario
This arrived the other day. Gabriel Campanario‘s new book on Urban Sketching. It’s one of a pair of small format, sketchbook sized books. This volume on architecture and environment, is the companion to: The Urban Sketching Handbook: People and Motion: Tips and Techniques for Drawing on Location
It’s great to see my piece from this 2013 post on The Gradient of Interest included in the book.
Gabriel Campanario is the founder of urbansketchers.org, and has been a tremendous (no, unparalleled) inspiration to our community of sketchers world wide. I think his unique position as a journalist, an artist, and a European in America made him a kind of human tipping point. He was thinking all the right things at just the right time and became the spark that ignited our international drawing phenomena.
The global nature of Urban Sketchers, and the great diversity of styles and approaches found among artists in the community are well represented in this ensemble volume.
You’ll find one or two favorite sketches, and one key idea, from each of 45 sketchers, tied together with Gabi’s own advice. I find when I take a workshop, I tend to come away with one great tip every time. It’s like, my brain can only learn one thing a day. So this feels a bit like carrying a USk symposium around in your pocket.
But it’s not just about the tips and tricks. The variety of drawing styles packed into this slim volume gave me a shot of inspiration. When you see someone pull off a great drawing, you just want to dive in and try it yourself!
I’m going to bring my copy to the next USk world wide symposium and see how many pages I can get signed by the artists :)
By the way – if you pick up your copy clicking over from my page, I get a little tip from the Amazon Affiliate program. So thanks! Even these little things help keep me blogging :)~m
In which Holmes Creates a Painting in the Rain, or: The Case of the Vanishing Castle
We arrived at Ithaca New York later than we had hoped, due to no greater misadventure than leaving Montreal too late in the day. Ongoing activities being so pressing, Holmes had been up to the wee hours inscribing books – which are even now being dispatched to the far corners of the earth.
After meeting our group of temporary Ithacans at the strictly functional Trip Hotel, and finding them a most congenial battalion of scribblers, we attempted a late night scouting mission. Despite the pitchest dark, and an unusual density of spiders clinging to the guard rail of the Thurston avenue bridge, we were able to confirm a suitable view of the Triphammer falls.
Imagine our dismay the following morning, after an insipid packaged breakfast at our inn, to find the day morosely overcast and insistently raining. Worse yet, the subject of our investigation, the ruined foundry, was not found to be artfully crumbling onto the gorge – but in fact – vanished without trace. No doubt spirited away by diligent engineers, myopically choosing public safety over what is eternal in art.
Not in the least dispirited by this turn of events, Holmes set to work with a briskly applied will, exclaiming that he had always meant to conduct an experiment watercoloring in the rain, and this vanished castle debacle was to be his opportunity.
I will leave it to you, dear readers, to determine – is the evidence of continual drizzle visible in the work? Holmes himself feels, even if it could be considered somewhat smeary by critics, the vicissitudes of nature do not detract in this document of the day.
It should also be said, the thorough soaking visited on the genuine cotton rag paper (provided by the Italian, Fabriano), allowed the work to be pressed below a stack of (inscribed) books overnight, granting a perfectly flat sheet by the second morning.
For the remainder of the expedition, Holmes continued to infuriate one and all with his antisocial manner and continual scratchings. Adding tirelessly to his encyclopedic collection of oddities found in leaf-strewn campus courtyards and dusty regional museums.
For whatever reason this unrelenting chore included a forced march one hour away (and another back) to observe the methods of the glass workers in Corning NY. A task I am unclear as to the value of, but which seemed satisfactory to the artist, for reasons he may disclose in the upcoming weeks.
Pre-Order Bonus signed copies of The Urban Sketcher with print : Sold Out! Thank you everyone!
I’m very pleased to say, we’ve shipped a huge stack of books. They’re going all over the US and Canada, but also to Spain, Italy, Australia, South Africa, and Singapore.
To everyone who ordered before Oct 22, I will be contacting all of you. At the time of this note I still have a lot of email to work through. Thank very much for your support, ordering the book in advance. It means a lot to me, seeing all the places in the world the book is going.
For all of you all over the world – here’s a view of Montreal in the winter, from the window of the art department at UQAM. (Where I go sometimes for life drawing). You can see why I want to visit you in all those nice warm countries.
This was one of the last things I did for the book, and it didn’t actually make it in for various space and time reasons. But it did get a second chance at life – it’s hanging (soon) in the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolor ‘Open Water’ show in Toronto. (Oct 28-Nov 21, John B. Aird Gallery, 900 Bay St., Toronto, Canada).
Please note: You may still order a signed copy of The Urban Sketcher! However my pre-order bonus deal (free shipping, and collector’s print) is now closed. We have shipped out 100 of these special copies.
If you would still enjoy a signed copy, from here onward, due to the practical realities of postage and my cost to order US books in Canadian dollars, it must be at full cover price plus shipping. Just email me and we’ll sort out the rates from Montreal to wherever you live.
One more thing – many people have asked, “Where should I order the book to give you (the author) the best value?” It’s tremendous so many people want to know this! In truth, I make the most profit if you buy the e-book from North Light. But, I’m sure you mostly want the paper copy – which can be found here [The Urban Sketcher]. But I also get a little bonus if you use this Affiliate Sales link on Amazon: [Order from Amazon
Ok – off to scan the images from Ithaca (well, and to go to the post office) ~ Marc
It’s fall in Montreal, but we’re going to Ithaca
These are from a few days back, when the leaves were just turning. This was the last awesome day of the year. 25 degrees, sun and a light breeze. I had no choice but to ditch work and go painting. It’s very likely this was the last great painting day of the season.
This weekend we’re headed to Ithaca NY for some more fall colors. There should be sketchers converging from NYC, Toronto, Montreal and Kitchener/Waterloo. If you’re anywhere near the area and you’d like to come painting, here’s a MAP showing where we will be, when.
This is Triphammer Falls. One of the locations I hope to sketch while we’re there. Watch this space to see what we get!
Copies of The Urban Sketcher going out the door : About half way through my author copies
Hot off the presses. Tonight I’m signing books for the people that pre-ordered directly. Just mail me if you’d like a signed copy with artist print. Or – for the best price: Order from Amazon
Everything old is new again : Getting excited about Dipping Nibs
Everyone who sketches has a love of pens. We all have a collection of our favorites, the ones that feel right in our hand. I’ve certainly laid down a lot of miles with my personal trifecta: a ballpoint, the Lamy Safari, and the Pentel Pocket Brush (replaced these days with the Kuretake #13 plus Sable tip add-on).
But.
I think I might be ready to retire my manufactured pens, in favor of dipping nibs. These little tin nibs are just so flexible. (Pun intended).
The great thing about nibs – they come in so many sizes and shapes – you can get a whole range of drawing styles for a few bucks. My mainstays (right now) are: a new Japanese crowquill called a “G” nib (used for fine lines). A weird Brause nib called 361 Steno or ‘The Blue Pumpkin’. It’s a larger nib featuring a gunmetal blue finish. It seems to be a bit more flexy, offering a large range of tapering marks. And some chisel tips from Brause in 1 and 2.5 mm, used for bolder brush-like marks. These chisel nibs are the grandfather of the new ‘Parallel Pen’ you may have seen on the market.
Most of these were in the back of a drawer for 20 years, so I have no idea where they came from. But these days they are all available on JetPens.com. Or, if you prefer to shop locally, just look for a stationers with a calligraphy section.
The first thing you’ll notice, drawing with a dipping nib, is the nice range between thick and thin marks you can make. They’re much more responsive than a fountain pen. For me, the next huge discovery is how easy it is to switch colors on the fly. And to jump around between water proof and water soluble on the same drawing. I have a little fleet of jars with different custom ink mixes. It’s like alchemy, combining colors to get a favorite shade.
Yes, you could just carry a fat handful of pens (like my online crush Andrew Tan), but you’d need quite a few fountain pens to cover all the combos of nib styles, colored inks and solubility. I enjoy the elegance and efficiency in this minimal kit of pen nibs.
Shown here: 1 oz (30ml) Nalgene jars (leakproof). Syringe with large bore needle for measuring out ink mixes. ‘Clip-on’ oil painters medium tin that can go right onto a sketchbook or drawing board. I have four of them, from the Guerilla Paintbox brand – these have a rubber seal to prevent leaks.
Doing these ‘research drawings’ side by side with some traditional Lamy pen work had me saying “Time to toss out all the modern conveniences!”.
The only thing holding me back is the issue of mess. There is a much higher risk of ink spots, drips and stained fingers. And perhaps one day a serious spill. But you know, I think the risk is worth it. There is an energy to a messy drawing that I enjoy. I don’t want it to be perfect. If I wanted that, I’d go back to my previous career in digital art.
Next pen drawing outing (not sure when that will be – let me know if you want it soon!) I’m going to try Kiah Kiean’s ancient Chinese trick – filling a bottle with gauze, which is then saturated with ink. I want to see if this makes it spill proof. I’m not sure if it’s going to interfere with loading the pens with enough ink. More on that soon-ish.
~m
Dawson College Watercolor Class Demo : White on White
I’m at Dawson College right now, doing a watercolor demo for the illustration class. This was my dry run. I like to do a version of a demo the night before, to improve my chances in front of an audience.
This guest appearance is something I’ve been doing for the last few years (2013, 2012). I hope it goes well. I had to be here at the ungodly hour of 8:30am. The first thing I’ll tell them is, as a professional artist, you will never have to be up at 8:30 again. Except that’s a total lie, as I was doing it all week in Brazil. But I digress.
I like doing this lecture. It’s just a brief demo, but it’s been helpful for me – doing it once a year. Clarifying how I talk about the three steps in the Light > to > Dark, Large > to > Small painting process I call ‘Tea, Milk, Honey”. (More info on that here and here).
Here’s an attempt at recording the three steps, Tea, Milk and Honey. Apologies for the image quality in these shots.
Here’s the reference image I grabbed off the googles. The assignment the students are doing is ‘White on White’. A classic art school project designed to test a beginner’s abilities. You have to have a light hand, building up tone carefully, or you quickly go too dark. I found it quite tricky myself – as I’m normally trying to push watercolors darker than is natural. For this high key image I had to modify my Tea Milk Honey process to be more like Tea, Tea, Strong Tea :)
As you can see, I’ve ended up with a lot more color than in the reference. I couldn’t help it! At the end of the day, what’s the point of making a painting, if you can’t splash a little paint around. This kind of sculptural study would probably be better as a pencil drawing assignment. I did studies of white eggs and crumpled sheets of white paper as a student. I seem to remember we did it in charcoal. In any case – it’s a nasty trick to pull on a beginner in watercolor! Watercolor is hard enough without trying to be tonally accurate.
But – they are illustration students, not mere fine-art dandys and I know from my own illustration work, that precision is important at times. This is just the sort of training you need to build up the hand skills.
~m
Urban Sketchers Montreal : Sketchcrawl at Atwater Market
USK:MTL just recently did our Every Fourth Sunday Sketchcrawl at the Atwater Market. Was a gorgeous fall day. And I don’t use the word gorgeous very often. I’m starting to think it’s the being outside that I like, even more than the sketching. That and the great people :)
Citizen Sketcher 
