dome sweet dome

April 12, 2012 2 Comments

domes at baggins end, uc davis

Here’s an example of a drawing I did ages ago, and for some reason or other forgot to post: the Domes at Baggins End, Davis. Built in 1972, there are fourteen in total, a cooperative stduent housing community. I sketched here at the end of July, the last week in which people were living in these strange Tatooinesque buildings, or so it was thought at the time. Just a week later they were empty, uninhabited for the first time in thirty years. Nobody here but us chickens (and there are quite a few chickens; as I sketched, they gathered around me to take a look, and peck the ground at my feet). Last academic year, the UC Davis powers-that-are decided that the Domes were not fit for habitation, and declared they would not renew any leases. As you might imagine, the Domes residents past and present were none too pleased. A ‘Save the Domes’ campaign was begun, plans were put in place, and eventually they won, and the Domes were once more open for new leases. As of Spring 2012 many improvements have been made, to both the site and the Domes themselves, and this most Davis part of Davis lives on! I must go back and draw again some time.

Find out more about the Domes at daviswiki.

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first sketches in my new neighbourhood

April 8, 2012 10 Comments

part of lutheran church, north davis
Happy Easter! And finally, some sketches. I moved across town, a move which coincided with an extremely busy work period, all of which meant lots of tiredness and little time to sketch. Well yesterday afternoon, a week after moving in, I carved out some time to explore my new area of North Davis. After six years south of I-80 I am now looking at Davis from a different angle. This means I get to explore parts of town I never got around to seeing before. I started with the unusual building on the corner of Oak Avenue (not street as I said below) and Covell, part of the Our Faith Lutheran Church. It has a funny little lookout perched atop it like a crow’s nest. Well, why not? There is another one in the gardens, just sat there by itself. Mysteries of architecture.
lutheran church, north davis
More conventional is the main church itself, a little further down Oak. I drew the sign, then crossed the street to draw the building. There is the Moleskine spread below. Feels good to be back in the sketchbook! And there is a lot more neighbourhood to draw…
Lutheran church double spread
By the way, tomorrow (well it’s today now, Monday April 9th) is the fourth anniversary of petescully.com! (It is also seven whole years since the original one began, while sat in the basement of the Maughan Library on Chancery Lane) Happy blogiversary!

(And it’s also my little sister Lauren’s birthday too; Happy Birthday!)

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let’s draw g street!

April 6, 2012 Leave a comment

let's draw davis april 2012, G St

No posts for a while; I haven’t been off the map exactly, I have just moved across it, a little. Being so busy and moving house as well means the sketchbooks have been packed away, but they are eager to get back out and filled up again. So next Saturday, April 14th, why not join the sketchers of Davis for another “Let’s Draw Davis!” sketchcrawl!

This time we will sketch along G Street, in the historic heart of Davis.

START: 10:30am, corner of 2nd and G st

FINISH: 3:00pm, outside Davis Co-Op, 6th & G st

As always, this event is free and open to anybodu who likes to sketch. You can come for the whole sketchcrawl, or just for a little while, it’s all about getting out and sketching our town. At the end, participants will show each other their sketchbooks, which is always really fun. All you need is something to draw with and something to draw on!

(Please note: the 35th Worldwide Sketchcrawl is a week later, on April 21st, but I decided to avoid putting the sketchcrawl then because that is the same day as the UC Davis Picnic Day. But check out the Sketchcrawl Forums to see if there are any sketchcrawls near you, I think there may even be one in Davis or at least the Sacramento area)

Let’s Draw Davis April 14th: Facebook Event

http://letsdrawdavis.wordpress.com

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davis hillel house

March 22, 2012 Leave a comment

davis hillel house (temporary)

Opposite Toomey Field on the edge of UC Davis, on the corner of A & 4th, this is the Davis Hillel house. Actually, it is the temporary one; the real one is being redeveloped next door. Hillel offers community support for Jewish students, including 100% kosher food; I know this, because I worked on a number of occasions in the kitchen at the Hillel house in central London, as a waiter for a very amiable Jewish caterer called Ron. I liked the look of this particular building; many of he buildings in this quarter of Davis have a lot of character. their new building will be two storey, and perhaps I will go and sketch the progress. However, just this week the allergens returned, and the sneezing and sniffling season has begun. Oh well. This was sketched at lunchtime yesterday, with colour added later.

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first tee-ball game!

March 21, 2012 4 Comments

first tee-ball game!
Yesterday my son played his first ever tee-ball game, and has now entered the big world of baseball. His team, the Orioles, played the Pirates on a lovely March early evening; my Luke, wearing the number 1 (how cool!), made a couple of nice hits and while fielding made a great throw to get someone at first base. Sport at this age is so cute. They don’t keep score in tee-ball, and nobody is really out, everyone gets a chance to run the bases and hit the ball, and it’s all a lot of fun for them. Both teams therefore win (they won’t ever call it a draw!), and they all get snow-cones afterwards. My boy’s growing up; we’re very proud parents!

first tee-ball game!
first tee-ball game!

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let’s draw the arboretum!

March 12, 2012 5 Comments

bridge in the arboretum
Yesterday was our latest “Let’s Draw Davis!” sketchcrawl, this time at the UC Davis Arboretum. Eleven of us met at Wyatt Deck, which turned out to be a great place to meet for a sketchcrawl. I think I chatted more than I sketched, so I was slow starting (pretty typical on Davis sketchcrawls for me), but it was good sketching conversation, and I learned a lot from speaking with others. I sketched in my Stillman and Birn (gamma) sketchbook).
wyatt deck
davis sketchersarboretum thumbnails

redbuds

And the redbuds are blooming right now, so whole stretches of the Arboretum are bathed in deep pink. This is different from the pink blossom on many trees (though my sketch doesn’t really show that distinction!). The last sketch I did was the one at the top. I enjoyed that one the most.

The next Let’s Draw Davis will be on April 14th (a week before the Worldwide Sketchcrawl, which is the same day as Picnic Day), and will be on G Street. More ‘urban’ than here! But I must say I always enjoy the Arboretum Sketchcrawls, it is such a pleasant spot to sketch.

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halfway up the stairs is a stair where I sit…

March 9, 2012 Leave a comment

at the Pence Gallery

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you know that I do have some original drawings still for sale at the Pence Gallery, in their gift shop area. Above are the Davis Lock and Safe drawing, Old City Hall and that one I did of Paris. You can find them at the Pence Gallery on D Street in Davis. Cheers!

http://www.pencegallery.org/

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bridge over the creek

March 7, 2012 2 Comments

arboretum bridge

It’s so windy here in Davis! This morning I was getting blown off my bike, so I gave up. Yesterday was even worse, but I really wanted to sketch at lunchtime, so I popped into the Arboretum and did a quick one of this bridge, using that calligraphy pen. It was so windy I thought I’d end up in the Creek! I’ve decided I really don’t like the wind.

Hey speaking of the Arboretum…don’t forget, this Sunday, sketchcrawl in the Arboretum, meet at 11am at Wyatt Deck. Let’s sketch some greenery! And the redbuds are blooming now…

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the forgotten pump house

March 6, 2012 1 Comment

grain silo south davis

Down by the Putah Creek bike path in south Davis sits an old pump house (or perhaps it is a barn for really tall horses), which in six and a half years of living here (wow! that long?) I have never drawn. Until now. It reminds me a little bit of the Shrieking Shack. I needed some fresh air after spending all day in with a sore throat, and the weather outside was warm and spring-like. This is nearby where I live. It is a peaceful spot, a nice place for a Sunday stroll. Next to here is the Woodbridge nature area, home to all sorts of birds and bats and bugs. There are a lot of bugs out right now, biting away. This was drawn in my gamma Stillman & Birn book, with the brown-black uniball signo pen.

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at the corner of third and e

March 5, 2012 2 Comments

3rd and E, Davis

The trees are starting to bud already, so to draw the buildings in Davis while you can actually see them, you gotta be quick. This builidng, on the corner of 3rd and E Streets in Davis, is home to several things (Davis Chamber of Commerce, a family dentist’s, a bicycling clothes store), in the heart of the downtown. It sits directly opposite that other house at 3rd & E which I drew before. I was commissioned to draw it by the owners of the building (I hope they like it!). I started it last Saturday, the day after my talk at the bookstore, and there were a fair few people who stopped to say hello while I drew, sat on my little sketching stool by the lamp-post. The sun was getting in my eyes though (I didn’t bring my hat), so aftre doing a great deal of the linework (including those pesky trees) I gave up and took it home to finish, which I finally got around to doing a couple of days ago.

Let me tell you, the weather we are having these days feels more like May or June than February or March. That is, May or June where I’m from, not the century-hitting ones you get here. It’s warm and very pleasant, more so than usual for the time of year. Nice for being outside drawing…though beware, Davis sketchers, for pollen is in the air, and the season of the sneezing is soon to be upon us…

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