More from the Japanese Garden
Here’s some quick inks from a return trip to the Japanese Garden in Golden Gate Park.
We spent the day touring with Urban Sketcher Simo Capecchi and her family. This is always a great spot to go with sketchers. She is on the way to Portland for the Urban Sketchers Symposium.
I really wish I could attend this year. Unfortunately it’s happening right at the same time as we have to move house from San Francisco to Montreal. I hope I can make next years – I hear it might be a European destination.
[ballpoint and brushpen on cover stock, around 15-20 min each]
Afternoon with the Duchess
Here’s something I did a while back. Was home sick with a cold. Didn’t have the energy to go out to sketch, so sat in front of the TV and drew my way through “The Duchess”. (2008, Saul Dibb – IMDB notes here). Certainly not a good way to watch a movie. Strangely I didn’t understand much of the story:) But hey – loved the costumes
Figures in Watercolor
Following up on that brush and ink session. Time to ‘free hand’ in watercolor – no sketching, no measuring – just go for it!!!
[watercolor from life. Three 5’s and a 15min]
I’ve been doing so much ballpoint and wash stuff latley, I thought it was time to do another live session with just the brush. Drawing in watercolor like this – it helps you think about the mass rather than the contour. I found it easier to see shadow shapes as a united form. It’s really fun to let the brush build the body out of a few smooth strokes – and just watch the tints pool into each other. You can’t get all the fine detail of eyelashes or hair – but you see a solid figure in moments.
Getting out the Big Brush
[2 min poses, india ink, red sable brushes, 11×17]
Time for some fun with the big #12 brush. I have a folding travel brush by DaVinci that I carry around with me everywhere – for when you need to bust out with a juicy wash.
I have to say – there’s a world of difference between the real brush and the brush pen. I forget occasionally how much more complex / expressive the real sables can be. The cartridge fed brush pen I often use is a safety net. You can’t spill the ink, you can’t over or under load the strokes…but you know, it’s just so much better to have the real liquid ink experience. A fully loaded brush just flows so well. And the real sable splays out in all these crazy random ways. When I’m working this way I need a huge stack of paper. I just toss anything that is even slightly off kilter and start again. I might do five attempts in a 5 min pose. I need that freedom knowing each individual drawing doesn’t matter – you’re looking for that perfect slashing gesture!
Panhandle Statue: The McKinley Memorial
The Panhandle is a long thin park that projects out of Golden Gate park proper along the north edge of the Haight. It’s a popular hangout for local hipsters. There’s always stuff going on – someone DJing in the park, people practicing hoola hoops. Today was the Nude Bicycle Ride. It was a sunny day, so I hope nothing sensitive got over exposed.
There’s a statue at the extreme eastern end of the park, a solitary figure holding aloft a palm frond. Everyone calls it ‘Panhandle Statue’. It’s apparently a jumping off point for local events, as in “meet up at Panhandle Statue before the Zombie Flash Mob“. I was principally interested in the back lighting and the dark fan of trees behind the statue – so I’m just doing some research now….Apparently it’s depicting a certain William McKinley?
(Oh wait, my Canadian is showing). This is McKinley the 25th president of the United States, who was eventually assassinated by anarchist Leon Czolgosz. Or at least it’s a monument to Mr. McKinley – since the figure appears to be a neo-classical allegorical female. The appearance of an angelic figure holding a palm frond is apparently meant to signify Victory over Death.
Here’s a 1906 photograph of a earthquake refugee camp set up around the base of the Memorial. The displaced San Franciscans were slightly more victorious than McKinley in this case.
Japanese Garden, Golden Gate Park
[Watercolor on cold press block, 4 hours]
Last weekend at Golden Gate Park we visited the Japanese Tea Garden.
It’s a small park-within-a-park just west of the De Young Museum and before you get to the botanical garden. There’s an admission fee – $5 for SF residents, a little bit more for visitors – not sure why, possibly it’s partially taxpayer funded? Whenever we go I see great many people step just inside the gate mill around a bit, before deciding the fee is a bit much just to look at trees and ponds.
Fine with me! It remains a tranquil oasis inside the park – relatively free of kids, dogs, and soccer balls. The foliage is beautiful all year round – but for me the attractions are these two intricate Pagoda style structures (subject of the painting), an arched ‘moon bridge’ and various excellent carved and lacquered gates made by imported veteran woodworkers. There’s also a large bronze Buddha. (Photo op!) and a cute tea house/restaurant.
I recommend touring the whole place and getting your photos, then returning to the Tea house for some tea and mochi!
Funny exchange of the day – one lady from out of town – (I’ll refrain from mentioning her home state) wanted me to reassure her that it was impossible to make a living as an artist, and was quite put out that I wouldn’t tell her daughter to forget plans for art school. She was shocked that I’d been steadily employed since the day I graduated, and wouldn’t believe I make a decent living, until I gave up and assured her my day job is “all done by computers”.
Market Street, High and Low
[30 min, ballpoint and brush pen on 100lb cover stock]
Sketching from the View Lounge, high atop the Marriott on Fourth Street, between Market and Mission. Open from 4pm – you can see a panoramic view of the city and bay bridge. I prefer the effect of the streetlight after dark. I can’t recall who built that building with the dome (drawn twice in this sketch) – some old banking fortress. It was one of the first things I drew in SF (from the ground). It’s interesting to come back to it 3 years later and get it from the air.
[10 min, ballpoint and brush pen on 100lb cover stock]
Everytime I go by the Hobart Building I want to stop and paint it. Finally grabbed a sketch. Have to get back there sometime with colors. This last one was just a storefront on Post that had some nice lighting going on. Which I didn’t really capture, in favor of capturing the design of the doorway.
Ancestor Skulls
[10 min sketches, ballpoint and brush pen on cover stock]
We were at the DeYoung museum in Golden Gate Park for a show on the origins of impressionism – but I really can’t visit the museum without going upstairs to draw these guys. Impressionist are all well and good, but this is more my kind of thing.
Window Seat
(8.5 x11″, 20 min, ballpoint and brushpen, 10pm, San Francisco, Pacific Heights area)
Did a quick night sketch from the car. Pulled over in a red zone and sketched this fragment off a big hotel on California Street.
Truth is – you can’t see much from the car, and there’s not a lot of room between you and the steering wheel. I guess it’s nice to be out of the drizzle and have NPR (Public Radio! The artist’s friend!)
The sketch doesn’t show how cramped it felt. I suspect it’s not a long term solution. I need a boogie van with one-way floor to ceiling windows :)
Mission: Mission
Back from a quick drawing mission to the Mission. Head down around 24th or so and there’s a great patch of old Victorians. The structures here haven’t been restored out of their original character. Signs of renovation are everywhere – but you can still find plenty of carved bay windows and romanesque doorways.
I really enjoy sketching the old fashioned power lines strung everywhere. I’m sure there’s no reason to be nostalgic about power lines – but they do give your sketches a real urban feel :)
Citizen Sketcher 