I’ve been trying to do more sketches around town, and it must be working because my Moleskine is starting to fill up.
{as always, click photos to enlarge, or mouse over for description}
As in Scotland, nobody pays me any attention when I sketch; in fact, no one seems to notice at all (except for two girls at last week’s outdoor jazz concert, who stood behind me gabbling excitedly in I don’t know what language).
I notice I can draw for longer sessions than previously, and I’m also making fewer misjudgments of perception and getting a better feel for which details to include and which to leave out. Good. Positive reinforcement!
Sketching in public is starting to become enough of a habit that last night, while waiting for a free concert to begin, I took out my sketchbook and started to draw the performance space. I worked on the drawing during all the breaks between pieces! You can’t really tell what it is… but I remember the place so much better for having drawn it.
I miss the life drawing sessions I did in Toronto and Scotland (my host here was kind enough to call an artist organization for me — she’s a photographer — to confirm there were no such sessions here, at least not during the summer), but I’m attempting to keep my hand in with hasty sketches of random people. As I found last week, outdoor concerts are good for this.
(I don’t feel right drawing during indoor concerts, because there I feel I’m too much of a distraction from the performers. But at outdoor venues I think some distraction is a given, and I’m surely less obtrusive than noisy kids or sirens or whatever.)
After I got home from that concert I felt inspired to try another rendering in color, so I sat down with my paints. I made it look like these two are in the same band but they’re not. (Don’t worry, I’ll share their music later; it’s worth its own post!)
And here is a completely gratuitous photo of myself, snapped in the convenient full-length mirror of the restroom at the National Gallery. I’m very happy with my colorful outfit. 
(You can’t tell from the pic, but my scarf is dark purple and my pants are dark teal.)
these sketches are so good! What a great idea:-)
Thank you so much, Gaiaward! I see things so much better when I draw them (and I recently read that there’s a neurological reason for this) so I’m glad to be sketching on our travels.
Ditto the above comment! I can tell you’re getting more comfortable with your sketching. Practice really does make perfect::)
Thank you, Sherry! It’s so gratifying to see improvement even in this short space of time.
love these! especially the inky cafe sketches!
Thank you much, Becca Rose! I’ve got another one of the “inky cafe” sketches (nice description
) coming up sometime next week.
I am liking your hat Miss Lisa!!
Thank you, Heather! Bought it from Fiberpuppy on Etsy, a few years ago, and have worn it many times since.
the one of the volcano house cafe is my fave
Eee, thank you!
I think that one gives the best sense of depth and light.
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Your sketching is improving big time! Keep drawing. I find that happens with me too. we get into the habit of it.
Thank you so much, Carla! Yes — everything is easier once it becomes a habit. I’m going to be interested to see how the habits I’ve developed on our travels change or don’t change once we get home.
This is such a great post! I love the pics of your sketches in front of the actual scene.
And I’m digging your outfit. 
Thank you, Mo! Our travels have definitely made me more fashion-conscious, or maybe it’s just a side effect of being in big cities.
I’ve got more sketches coming up.
I love your sketches. It’s true what you say…when you revisit an old sketch you can picture the scene instantly.
Thanks, Alan! Yes it’s true — and I keep meaning to blog about this but I haven’t found the chance to squeeze it in among the travel posts — and I discovered while reading a book about the brain that there’s a neurological reason for that. You actually do see things differently depending on your purpose in looking at them (the brain can’t process every single detail of a scene, so it perceives things on a need-to-know basis). So the view you’ve looked at as an artist is literally one you’ve seen differently than one you’ve just glanced at as a normal viewer.
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