thank goodness for speed sketching

May 18, 2011May 18, 20115 Comments

Last week was the annual UC Davis “Thank Goodness For Staff” lunch event. It is always scheduled on a windy/sunny day in early May, so that it can coincide with my allergies being at their worst. Mine, and everyone else’s. I took my sketchbook with me this year, as my colleague Erica was going to perform another of her excellent self-penned songs (she’s an amazing singer). It was an exercise in speed-sketching; there were only about three minutes from start to finish to capture her, and subsequently it doesn’t look that much like her, but we learn by trying. I also tried to sketch the UC Davis chancellor, Linda Katehi, addressing staff and thanking goodness for them. Again, doesn’t look like her but you get the idea. she was actually on the stage, but I drew a close up, over the picture of the stage that I was drawing when the other performers were playing.

I sketched some others which were even briefer (didn’t bother scanning), and then two dancers took the stage in colourful Latin American costume. Cuban dancing, it was and they started to move about at a whirlwind pace. My wife said, you won’t be able to draw these. Challenge accepted – and I’m pleased with the result, because this is pretty much exactly as it looked to me, colourful, fast-paced and a lot of fun! anda again, only aboutthree minutes to do the whole thing. Must do more drawings like that…

and if you know your history…

May 17, 2011May 17, 2011Leave a comment

The remaining sketches from Saturday’s sketchcrawl in Davis, the last one first: the Hattie Weber Museum of Davis, above. It’s a former library (it’s named after Davis’s first paid librarian), built in 1911 – it’s a hundred years old! But it used to be on F Street – buildings tend to move about in Davis. I was in there a few weeks ago, and was pleasantly surprised to find that they had a print of one of my drawings on the wall. The drawing of old City Hall, from central park garden, davis my ArtAbout event in January (it’s one of my favourites). So that’s pretty nice, I’m in a museum!

After sketching sketchers sketching at the market, I had a nice lunch at Crepeville with Napa-based designer Cynthia and her son Nathan. I sketched the interior (see bottom sketch) and had a huge-normous scrambled egg thing.

After lunch, it was back to the park. I was actually a little unsure what to draw next, so I chose to head for the gardens, and sketched the large mosaic-covered urn feature called “Flutter and Hum”.

After sketching the Museum, it was getting a bit cold. Of thirteen who came, only three of us ended up finishing at the end for the show and tell, and having been up very early to watch the FA Cup Final I was knackered! (Speaking of the FA Cup Final, I don’t like it when other matches are played on Cup Final day, it should be about that game alone, and that shoudl be the season closer. I’m no great fan of Man City’s millions, but they won their first trophy in 35 years, only to have their day overshadowed by overacheiving neighbours Man United winning a record 19th league title. But back to sketching…

It was another nice sketchcrawl in Davis though and I look forward to the next one – some time in June, date and place to be decided…

Let’s Draw Davis Flickr Group

saturday’s alright for sketching

May 16, 20114 Comments

The sketchers of Davis (and nearby areas) got together again last Saturday for the sixth ‘Let’s Draw Davis’ sketchcrawl. About thirteen of us gathered and spent part of the day sketching around the Davis Farmer’s Market, and Davis Central Park. It was the same day as the Tour de Cluck, hence the sketch of the woman with that chicken thing on her head. I sketched some of the other sketchers; above are Marlene, Jenna, Victor and Alison (though it really looks nothing like her; I haven’t quite mastered that angle yet!). I need to sketch people for practise, and have been practising lately. I also a local singer David Hafter, whose version of Leaving on a Jet Plane was really brilliant. There he is below, with the guitar.

Also singing in the park, above right, were the cast of Tommy, currently playing at UC Davis. They performed six of the rock opera hits, and were largely brilliant (the two singing above certainly were, though I did a bad job of the uniformed man’s face). I don’t know why they sang Pinball Wizard in such Mockney accents though, as Roger Daltrey never did. Still, you should go and see them, it looks like being a very exciting show.

And here is Allan, who I have sketched before on recent sketchcrawls, sketching cherries at the Farmer’s Market. Below, how it all looks on the page, for those who might be interested …

More to come!

at last we will have revenge…

May 14, 20111 Comment

You’re in London, and you want something to do tonight, or this week. What you need to do is get yourself down to Baron’s Court Theatre in West Kensington to see The Revengers. It’s a play directed by and starring my good friend, the actor and TV presenter Simon Nader. Written by Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood, it opened last Monday to very good reviews (read this write up at Extra Extra) and is running for another week, closing on May 21. Tickets are £12.50 / £10.oo and shows are every day (except Monday 16) at 7:45, Saturday matinee at 2:00pm. Book tickets at 020 8932 4747.

Exclusively for the show, I created some original drawings that were to be hung in the theatre as part of the set. Here they are! I like the boot. And the drawings are big, for me anyhow. Based on the play’s ‘Avengers‘ theme (the old British TV show, not the Captain America one), they’re in pen and ink, beautifully framed, and are up for sale if you want them.
So head off to Baron’s Court and see some theatre, and maybe buy some art! In case you’re wondering, I am sadly not in London. But I am happily in Davis, and will see you tomorrow at the Let’s Draw Davis sketchcrawl…

“The Revengers” Facebook Page

Orange Grill Productions website

sketchbooks out…

May 13, 2011May 13, 2011Leave a comment

Just a reminder… tomorrow will be the next Let’s Draw Davis! sketchcrawl… 10:30am at the Farmer’s Market, finish 3:30 at the Carousel in Central Park… hope to see you there Davis sketchers!

blue babygap sandal

May 12, 20112 Comments

Number 16 in the ongoing series of my son’s shoes, in chronological order. these are the blue sandals, BabyGap. They were worn a long time for most of last year (only now getting around to drawing them). Copic multiliner 0.1 in a moleskine cahier.

the answer my friend is blowing in the wind

May 10, 2011Leave a comment

I had to draw today. Being afraid of the outside world is getting me down. How come allergy season is lasting so long?? Wrap it up, folks, please. Anyway I braved it, itchy eyes and runny nose, and did pretty well sketching this frat house, Sigma Phi Epsilon. I had to do the colour later on though, because just to annoy me, a pair of leafblowers came along to blow all the leaves about and make things worse. I abandonded ship, but I had done enough and I might even go back and do another, to match it.

oh wow, the whole earth? that’s like, so heavy, man

May 7, 20113 Comments

Hippies and Davis go together like Strawberries and Wimbledon, and every year all the hippies come together for the annual Whole Earth Festival on the UC Davis campus. Day two is happening as I sit at home writing; I popped by the Quad yesterday lunchtime to check out what was going on. I didn’t fancy an eggplant and lentil wrap or organic lemonade, so grabbed a turkey sandwich at the MU and sat and watched the band that was playing. They were very jam-band/acid-jazz-ish, or at least what I consider to be such things (I’m not very good at categories), had several saxophones and one female back-up vocalist who kept singing “Yo-ho-ho-ho”, but I don’t think the song was about pirates. I tried to keep up with the main singer’s lyrics, it wasn’t exactly The Streets but I did make out the words “teeny-tiny tidy-whitie”, which I think is some sort of underpant. Perhaps it was tie-die whitie. There were a lot of tie-die t-shirts around, and a fair few sandals. No sign of Neil from the Young Ones, but I bet he was around somewhere.

lunch on

May 4, 2011Leave a comment

Another lunch-place sketch. Every day this week I have sketched a different place I’ve been eating lunch (all with a fountain diet coke in the foreground). This is in the Silo. I had Taco Bell. I don’t usually sit downstairs on the big long tables with the other people. Ok, it’s because of the overheard conversations. I left out the chattering folk in this one. Thankfully Silent Bob was at the end of the table. Or is it Silo Bob? Where will my lunchtime adventures take me tomorrow..?

curry on at the coho

May 4, 2011May 4, 2011Leave a comment

I sometimes have a dilemma – go to the Coffee House (CoHo) at the Memorial Union on campus and have their delicious Thai Green Curry soup, or sketch at lunchtime. I rarely have time to do both, as eating that very tasty (and very big) soup is a big deal that must be savoured. Yesterday I chose to do both. I’ve been meaning to sketch the new CoHo for a while. It was rebuilt and reopened last Summer (after I spent over a year without my lovely soup) and is quite an impressive place now. Not necessarily any easier getting a seat, but there are comfier options at least.

Sketched in uniball vision micro pen.