Tag: davis moleskine

when she walks by she brightens up the neighbourhood

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2nd street, Davis

Spread 2 of my Davis Moleskine project: the classic feeling Varsity Theatre on 2nd Street, an oft-sketched building as you know. I sat outside Outdoor Davis on a Saturday afternoon, people stopped to chat as I drew, new students were everywhere spending time with their families before classes begin, there was the air of ‘new’ about the city as the 10-11 year kicked in. For me, just another afternoon of drawing while my son napped. We had been down to this spot just that morning because there is a cool little toystore on 2nd street called Alphabet Moon. This street is changing even since this was drawn though – on the right of the theatre, where you can see just trees, there used to be the old Pump House, but it was moved (I drew it a little while back) to make way for the new relocated Mishka’s Coffee. I passed by yesterday and building is well underway.

This building though is the star of downtown Davis. An old movie theatre, especially one that is actually in use, brightens up the area, gives real life to small-town America. At least, it’s what I always imagined when thinking of small-town America. That and a clock-house, and a corner diner, and hover-boards.

at the foot of the mountain, such a long way to climb…

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E street, Davis

I am finally using my Urban Sketchers Moleskine, the accordion/Japanese-style book that I got from the Urban Sketching Symposium in Portland (wow, that ground-breaking event was two months ago now!). I am trying out brown Pitt pens, and have decide to devote the book to one long series of drawings set around the city of Davis. This is a fun project, and a little ambitious, as I will have a second book devoted solely to campus. The plan is to show them side by side as two long drawings. I decided on brown because I liked the soft effect it had against the yellowy Moleskine paper, which I have not always loved (and nor have my other pens, but the Pitt ones quite enjoy it). The sketchbook format is a little tricky to keep hold of (I use lots of clips; however I like what Gerard Michel did while filling his), and it’s a bugger to scan, but I’m getting the hang of it. 

The first in this series (minus a gap on the top right corner where the word “Davis” will go) was drawn on E Street, sat on the steps outside the Natsoulas gallery. I’ve sketched this building  a couple of times before, it’s an interesting little house downtown (but really I’m more interested in that pipework in the foreground, as you know). I’m already a few drawings in, but this is the first…stay tuned for more!