The barn on Michigan

           The plans to do a drawing of this vintage barn came to me one day on a cold walk through the neighborhood.  I was getting my "morning constitutional" while waiting for Grandma to get her hair done.  It was not too cold to sketch, but I had walked too far and now needed to move at a good clip if I  were to get back in time.  Not that Gram-ma would worry- she is like a toddler in her inability to remember time. Or like an animal that never remembers the close calls, but moves on without worry.  It is me that worries if I am late to pick her up.

Not the end of the grove

          While  walking through where we had hundreds of times in 35 years I found this scene where there had been a second growth hedge and locust wood. There are now about 20 trees left in this patch of wood now so far.  Used to be King Radio in the '80's when we would play hedge apple bowling in the parking lot.                   
          I could not resist the urge to sketch the crane, the building frame and the tree together.  The construction crew was gone for the weekend.  They were not getting any overtime, as the weather has allowed them to get well ahead of schedule this winter. The building is for the school district that has leased the property.  It has been an education for this guy watching all the construction going on here in our "neck of the woods" this last year. 
          Done with pencil and extra fine Sharpie over the top, in a 9"  x 12" Strathmore sketch pad that is easy to carry on a walk where you do not know what you will be getting into for sure. 

Place-mats

           This is the third sketch posted this week that I used to help me finish the drawing "Christmas Birthday."  This was a quick study of the positioning of the place mats on the dining table. Which were interesting in their random arrangement and contrast of color with the dark table and the highlights, shadows and reflections you can see. The place-mats had nothing to do with the final drawing, but  it helps to do sketch studies that are spontaneous to keep an eventual finished drawing from being too stale.
           Because this drawing was done in a pad with light weight paper, you can see spots from the marker drawing on the previous page that bled onto this page. Sometimes the effect is nice.  Maybe not so much in a pencil drawing. The chair back in the front of the drawing was a study of its own, with no attempt to make it fit the scale of the table...

Lamp study

             I had already done a line drawing of the kids dinning room, but did this drawing in an effort to better understand the issues involved in this part of it.  So this drawing combined with the room drawing were used along with a photo or 2 to record the tonal variations  to produce the finished drawing  "Christmas Birthday."

Poinsettia

          Here is a sketch that was done at the time of the original sketch of "Christmas Birthday" (posted Jan 16th). It made a good study to inform the finished drawing of the dining area.  I was attracted to the lights and shadows coming from the windows reflecting on this little table.  A pencil sketch with potential for a finished drawing or painting as a seasonal highlight to help remember the joys of the season and the Christ of Christmas.

              In the next couple days I will put up a couple more sketches done in preparation for finishing "Christmas Birthday."

the Woodshed

            On a recent visit to Schonberg's Tree Service to "help" with a modification  they were doing on a grapple, I took some time to do some drawing.  I was of little help to Justin, other than letting him see that he could weld it back together as good as the old guy.  But the drawing was somewhat successful.  It was chilly in the shade, but this second drawing was done sitting in the full sun where it was very comfy.  I have photos of Phil's wood shed from some years back and had thought it a fitting subject for a drawing, so...                        Done on some 9" x 12" format paper in pencil and marker, I am reasonable happy with the result.  The darkness of the firewood in the shadows and the negative spaces it creates against the lighter background and foreground make for a nice composition.        
           Done 1/16/15 about 1:00 pm.  I recorded the temp at 60 degrees, but it was not that in the shade early in the day I don't think.

Third floor playhouse

           This is what I found online about this little building sitting on the 3rd floor of the Watkins Community Museum in Lawrence, Kansas.  The playhouse was originally built by Isaac Newton Van Hoesen, an early mayor of Lawrence, back in 1878 for his daughters. This was during the first 15 years after the Civil War.   It had been used by a couple other families before coming to the museum to be available for all visiting kids to explore.  While I was standing there doing this drawing a group of ladies came along on a guided tour of the museum.  On of them mentioned that she lived near the playhouse as a child and actually played in it.  I am including links to some very interesting stuff about "this old house". If they don't work for you, a google search will get you there. Pics and text from  LJW articles.

            The drawing was done in an 11 x 14 inch Strathmore "Sketch" pad with 2 different Sharpie's and then shaded with blunt 2B lead in a holder.  I did most the drawing there on location, and put the finishing touches on at home. That's how I often do.  This drawing was very fun to do, to see how it eventually turned out, even with a bunch of ladies swarming around for a few minutes (very polite ladies I should add) while I was doing it.  Seems like the less ideal the conditions are, the more motivated the senses are to work. The resulting drawing has an immediate feel to it.

Van Hoesen Playhouse
http://www2.ljworld.com/photos/galleries/2006/dec/01/watkins_museum/24200/
This gallery link has a copy of the very early photo of the playhouse.
LJW 8/4/91

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19910804&id=_k4yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=euYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6023,50243

Oak bench

              This piece sits in the corner entryway between the downtown fire station and the offices that include the Senior Center.  Nice looking vintage oak bench, with very little issues, other than one slat mostly missing. No one sits in it much. The entryway is too cool in the winter and too hot in the summer, plus there is nothing to do there, unless you are waiting for something; and that would not be long or you would sit in the main lobby. The building was built I think in 1950 as the main police and fire station.  There is still a fire station, but the police have moved to new digs that actually now are inadequate.  Although they were turned down by the voters this year in a request for a new facility that would amalgamate all the scattered places they work out of at the present.

End of Ponderosa

          Our oldest son used to cut up through this way delivering papers in junior high.  My job, as I remember was to help with the Sunday edition.  I have a little more time now to stop and do a sketch. It is a lot more overgrown and fenced than what it was in the mid 1980's.  It appears that this is the remnant of a hedge row that is about 1/2 block long that somehow survived.  This is the north end after the hedge row comes up the hill and runs into Ponderosa Street coming from the north. You can see the guard rail and warning sign where the two meet. 
          I have all sorts of sketch pads. Different sizes and papers.  I might have any one with me at any given time.  This day it was a mid-sized one.  The effect achieved by the super fine Sharpie is nice with some shading added with a different worn out marker.  And it reproduces well with a somewhat dysfunctional digital camera.

Custom Custom Delux

          This drawing was done on 1/26/15 when it was 60 degrees F.  I mean it is February in Kansas- go figure...(today is more normal at about 20 F.)  This beast of a truck had been sitting across the street at Dorothy's neighbor's place for some time. The fella had been doing a little remodeling for Karen. It is the place we and the Chase's redid back in the 1980's and it has been kept up nicely over the years..  I had a few minutes sitting in front of Dorothy's, and glad I had pencil and paper with me. 1980's man, that's about when this truck was made, huh..  Maybe not as well kept as the house, but it has had plenty done to it!

Eighth street west of Vermont

          If you have been in town long, you will understand the name, if not the exact location.  This drawing - sketch actually- was done in about 10 to 15 minutes.  It was a week day downtown while I was driving our 93 year old "Gramma ma."  While she was doing her exercise, I stepped outside the south door of the building, sat on the steps and did this sketch of a scene across the street that I had never really noticed before...     Done in an 5 x 9 inch sketch pad with marker and pencil in about 15 minutes maybe.  You can see that it was 70 degrees that day, though in January in Kansas!

nose on jeep

I was waiting in the truck for a few minutes outside the grocery store.  This jeep sitting in front of me provided an opportunity for some drawing.  I had an "inkling" so to speak that it would work.

Kaw cairn

           This busy little sketch will lead to more I think. My early  drawings years ago did not have the improvements to the dam or the mill. There are major changes on the north end as well that will need a drawing pretty soon.   Harold O'brien  said once that he used to visit a grist mill on south side  some Saturdays to get wheat ground for the coming week.  Very early  on there was a shaft running from a water wheel on the river under the Massachusetts St. businesses to provide power for belt driven equipment.  Remnants of the tunnel still remain.  
           The title comes from the pile of rocks in the middle of the river, sitting on the sand bar.  I should say the Kansas River is called the Kaw around here. After the native Americans of the Kaw Nation. 
           The link below will show you a picture of the dam very early on, as well as one of J. D. Bowersock whose name is still connected to the mill. Interesting history for sure. Even in the 1970's the buildings were still used as paper storage, as I can personally attest.         http://www.lpco.co/about-us/lawrence-paper-company-history/

shuga' bowl

          

          This sugar bowl sits at the table where we play games in the evening. Not all sugar bowls have this shape; with concave sides.    Makes for a nice subject with the long cast shadow which will always add some interest to a drawing.  We once had a similar bowl, which I was always tempted to draw. The lid of it did not survive five kids...  or maybe it was me always re-positioning it for another sketch.
          Done in a small Strathmore "Sketch" pad with the usual Pentel 0.9 mm with 2B lead in it.  This may be one that I intended to layout with pencil and finish with marker, but just never got around to putting down the pencil.

Minnesota Birch

         

           This simple sketch done from the kids sun room in mInnnn-ehsO--ta; (is that how you say it??)  There was just not enough time in the day to get outside and sketch, and besides, it was raining!  This little patch of small birch trees sits in the grass at the edge of Brian's oak wood, and though they have been photographed often this is one of my first sketches of the bunch. These trees get more interesting every year; it is nice they survived the construction process.
            I was trying to fill up a small sketch pad while there, but kept switching to a larger format for some drawings that I wanted to finish up later.  This one, done in the 5" x 9" format, helped me get some more in the small pad. Done entirely with an ultra fine Sharpie in less than 5 minutes while waiting for supper to get on the table.

Frozen load

             Here is what was actually the first of the two drawings done that trip and done in the same style. I was getting set to do "Environmental" when directly south was this scene. So it was catch as catch can.    The few people working in the cold that day were trying to get this ten wheeler to give up its load. You get an indication here of the 15 degree F. temperature. 
         The two drawings were finished as they sat on the piano later at home. Done in the 5" x 8" Strathmore Sketch pad with pencil and marker.

Environmental

          This odd little drawing was started and completed along with another on the same day after a short stop at the bottom of Louisiana  street where Broken Arrow park sits. This view is looking west from the park on a very cold day when not a whole lot was going on.  The entire place south of there has been torn up and is slowly getting put back together to make way for 2 new roadways. This drawing shows the yard at the south end of the park where the crews store equipment and materials for the project. The pre-manufactured barrier of light black pvc and stakes is to keep the runoff from the work area flowing up hill into the park itself!!  I never knew liquid could run uphill- you learn something every day!
          I could not pass up the chance to record the black line extending across the view. You may notice a few things in the drawing such as the water trucks half hidden behind the tree on the right, the forks for loading and unloading trucks of supplies, etc.  The truck and lowboy waiting to haul some equipment, and dirt pile in the back laid in by scrapers for later use.  You can see as well the residential area in the distance to the west.
          Done with pencil and marker on a 5x8 inch Strathmore Sketch pad. I will have to post the companion drawing soon.

The loader

         

Here was something to do while sitting in the truck eating my lunch. Just had a few mintes but kept the practice going.  The practice of seeing something of visual interest and getting it on paper for better or worse! Teaches you real quickly what you are seeing and what you are not seeing as you should see it.

the Rockhold clock

          This clock sits in Gramma's living room. She purchased it maybe 40 years ago from Ed Rockhold of Baldwin City. In those early days when he was I think an elder at the Baldwin chapel and they met in the home of Dr. Ray Jones.  Gramma Ruth however was as always, in Springfield. Not till she married Dad did she move to OKC and then 20 years later to Lawrence. 15 years ago we often ran down to there place and would sometimes help Dad keep this clock running...
          One of our High School teachers would be very willing to remind me that the perspective on this sketch is a little off. Our friend Pam would know of whom I speak, as would some others. 
          Done in a small Strathmore pad with a couple markers with different points. 

There is a quickie on the thumbnails page with an automotive theme. 

Vinland barn & steeple

          "Grammie" went with me one afternoon to Vinland just to look around and do some more sketching.  It does not take long to check out the 2 blocks of town.  I did this barn however on the third trip. The barn sits between the 2 extant churches still in the town, hence the steeple poking up over the barn.  Love these old places...   I think this barn is mentioned in some of the history of Vinland you can find online.  I was sitting in a chair finishing one sketch when I turned and did this sketch of the barn. Some places are just like that, full of endless subjects.  I should go back again. Actually, I have been back again, and did a couple things from the west view; one a finished drawing with this church again in the background. It will have to get posted later... 
          Done in a small Strathmore Sketch pad with a Sharpie extra fine marker.

Overcast Alley

          Nice what you can do with just a partly worn out extra fine Sharpie. Done in a small Strathmore sketch pad. Not the best photography, as you can see the drawing that is behind it showing through here and there.
          This is one of the east Lawrence alleys that beg for a sketch to be done. Lots of stories could be told by these buildings; lots of secrets kept. Hundreds of kids over the years have chased through these places.  It had been a day of light rain before I stopped here to get a drawing done.  These few blocks next to downtown have seen endless construction the last few years; you may be able to make out the barrier at the end of the alley.  Not the only place I have ended up lately that has had a barrier providing me as I hope with a quiet place to park. Free parking and no traffic. But this time someone came in behind me eventually so I had to finish up quickly.

Bench and hoophouse

          There are certain times when the morning sun catches the poly on the hoop house and lights it up when the rest of the world still seems asleep in the shadows. The trellis over the bench is very dark against the only light in the neighborhood.  For some reason this day it seemed just right to catch a sketch of the scene.  (Actually usually the artist is the issue, not the scene in front of him) Done on 9x 12 paper with a couple markers. Morning and evening are good times to find unusual lighting situations. Nighttime is not bad either; nor is wind and weather of all sorts. It is just a question of how to get a drawing when the paper is blowing into the next county.

New setup

        Let me know what you think of the new layout; should be a lot easier to find older posts. You should be able to tweak it yourself from the options bar across the top. Hopefully it will work ok on your phone especially.  Thanks to Deana for this improvement...

From the tower

          There is a tower between the downtown fire station and the office area of the old Police and Fire station.  It was all built at the same time of the same 1950's era brick. The tower was used back then for training of recruits for the fire department. Now it is used for storage but only a little. Some of the windows give an unusual view of that part of downtown.  I have drawn this little residence-now office space- before, but at street level. It provides a lot of interest from any angle.  Done in a 5 by 9 inch Strathmore sketch pad that is 50 lb. acid free paper with a couple "Sharpies".

Library branch

 
             
              Here is the most "finished" piece I have done from 2 or 3 visits to Vinland.  This is the porch of the library. One of the oldest functioning libraries west of the Mississippi I believe.   I think this was drawn before the "Vinland Caravan" that was posted earlier. The old Studebakers are just past the three buildings behind these two.  
          Mrs. Martha Smith had started tending the library in her 20's and did not quit until no longer able to sit there on weekends. .  She and here son attended the Baldwin Bible Chapel for years. The links below will give you the straight scoop. 
Obit of Mrs. Smith, Jan 24, 2014      http://www2.ljworld.com/obituaries/2014/jan/29/martha-smith/ 
Photo gallery of Martha Smith and the Coal Creek Library:
http://www2.ljworld.com/photos/galleries/2006/jul/23/martha_cutter_kelley_smith/    
  There are a number of other LJW links you can get to from these archives that tell some more of this amazing story.
This drawing was done on 9x12 inch Strathmore Sketch pad with B and or 2B lead. It was started on location, and finished up at home over the course of the following week or so. I am pretty slow, but I like to think about it and "watch" a piece develop at least when doing a somewhat detailed one.
          We are trying a new look to the blog at the suggestion of a friend to maybe make it easier to find the drawing you like from old posts.

City Slicker

          I was sitting in the parking lot of Centennial Park when I saw this character across the street.  So this quickie was done at maybe 100 yards; maybe less.  Could not pass up the chance though, as I had a few minutes to spare.  Not sure what this thing is doing in town.  Looks like it should be sitting in someones shed in the country. It really looked to me like it was still in service.
          Done with a Pentel 0.9 mm pencil in a 9x12 inch sketch pad.

Window Rubber Plant?

         Another though later drawing of the rubber plant sitting below the window at the Sr Center.  The half hour or so that we are there is long enough to get a small sketch added to my notebook if I just get with it. This is what, a rubber plant?  Not sure, but it is sure a great study of shapes and tones. Lots of negative space to help identify shapes. Done with a "Sharpie" my most recent favorite tool.

still Grampa's chair

         

           This chair has sat in front of the TV at 2716 ever since the folks moved in and shows the issues needing repair. It has not been replaced even though Grampa has been gone 10 years. This is where he would sit when watching the "tube" as we used to call it. This is also where he would receive guests like the time Phillip came in sat down across from Dad and talked for some time, and then got up and left without needing to go any further into the room. It was a big encouragement to Dad. 
        I had never before thought about this chair as a subject, but realized afterward how appropriate it is to have an "official" sketch of it.
        About the drawing:  I did this drawing recently while someone was talking to me and so I was distracted. Maybe the distraction helped.  The contrasts between different aspects of the drawing are what make this one so distinct; the right and left sides of the chair; one in light the other in shadow.  The darkness of the ink juxtaposed against what seems like extra white paper to the left and top.  This drawing was fun, and I may be wrong, but it seems to have almost a primitive or childlike quality which is refreshing. Though it may be a fairly traditional ink drawing in execution, the just off center view as well as the position in the "field of view" give it some extra interest. 

Preservation

            Stephanie went with me to Vinland one afternoon for a short sketching excursion. Ten minutes down and ten back, and about 45 minutes there.  She likes to read while I draw.  This old church was built in 1860's or '70's seems to me.  James Naismith (of basketball fame) was the pastor there for a couple years.  Might have been very interesting to hear one of his sermons, huh? Maybe I exaggerated the steeple a bit, but actually it is also overstated just a bit on the actual building. I like the way it hangs out over the end of the building.  They are doing work on the face of the building, hence the scaffold.  I put a detail of the steeple off to the side. This little study (5"x 9") was done with marker and pencil. I have hopes of getting back there soon for more drawing. 
         My understanding is that the original name of the town, Vineland, was misspelled on an early document, hence the shortened version of the name.
         
         If you have not taken a peek at the "Thumbnails" page recently, I just posted another quickie of a guy I see from time to time.           

Mail order

       

          Take a couple ol' Sharpies, and dive strait into a sheet of white paper, and something like this may be the result. For better or for worse!  I was at the new library picking up a book and had enough time to stand just inside the northeast corner windows and do this sketch of the trucks parked in line in the Post Office parking lot.  A little pattern of some kind or other can be a key to interest in a drawing.  Here the line of truck windows provides that pattern.  The trick is to not be distracted by other detail and forget the main focus of the sketch. 
          I think they are calling those corner windows in the library "the lookout" or maybe "the overlook". When I went back by there the other day the chairs were all full of people. It is about 15-20 feet above the street. There is a nice view of the park area to the west. The PO is to the north. 

Christmas Time Birthday

          Christmas Time Birthday was done on the day after one of my grandson's had his 16th birthday. The only indication it is close to Christmas is the Poinsettia on the table (and the date in the corner).  Light coming through the sun room and across the floor produced some interesting reflections. It took some time to get the original sketch done which I you can see on the "Thumbnails" page of this blog. It often takes a week or so for a sketch like this to percolate before attempting to finish the job. Then it takes another week off and on to do the final drawing. So it sits on the easel waiting most of the week while it gets evaluated from time to time with a few more scribbles added here & there and (perish the thought) some subtracting as well with the eraser!
          This image was shot with Aperture Priority setting on the Samsung, which resulted in the specific settings which you see here, and a photo with pretty good contrast using the normal light in the "studio" (which I might add makes pretty poor light for photography). These digital reproductions of full sized drawings are certainly not reproduction quality so I do not worry much about using Gimp to tweak them enough to look a little more like the original. This has been cropped of course. Also the perspective corrected some, the detail clarified and the tone returned to closer to the original drawing as best I can.

The North Windows

       I think this was the 3rd trip to Vinland to do some drawing. This is the Coal Creek Library building, it has been the longest functioning library in Kansas. You can find out some about it and the lady who kept it open for many years in the Journal World archives. Later I will put up a pencil drawing and a couple links to the history involved.  Quite a bit of history in these couple of square blocks of small town USA. The sides of this building are covered with a tin made to look like brick. The plans are someday to turn it back to the original brick. 

Stuck something different up on the Thumbnails page. Take a look & let me know what you think.

Freeze Day October 2014

          We had put off bringing in the houseplants from around the yard after summer. In the rush before the first freeze we plopped 'em down on a board on the piano bench just to get them in.  Well, they ended up staying there a bunch longer than they should'a.  Hard for the lady of the house to play the old relic when the bench is not only occupied, but way to heavy to be scooting out of the way.  Sure made a good subject for a drawing though, sitting there with the piano in the background. There is a hymn book and a finished drawing sitting there on the piano as well.  Not the first drawing with this piano in it by any means.  There is a somewhere a sketch  with our youngest beating out some Chopin while he was still in High School.  The drawing is about 10" x 12" and done mostly with the Pentel pencil and 0.9 mm 2B lead.

back of the pizzaria

       

          Done with a couple sharpie pens, this place caught my interest sometime back. It was a rainy Saturday during football season when I got around to doing a drawing. Some  families passed me headed to the pizza joint before the KU game.  I was leaning against the corner of a building across the alley. The game did not turn out so good, but I am satisfied with the drawing...

Vinland Caravan

          

          Been pokin' around some of the small towns near hear. These are the sort of things you discover. Had to call Lloyd to help me id these 2 lined up together along the "road".  40's era Studebakers.  This basic style was used by them throuout most of the 2nd world war. Makes a nice subject for a study on a cold winter day.  I stood outside leaning on my truck until my fingers would move no more.  20 deg. F is about as cold as you want it, unless you have something to warm your hands a bit.  This is done with a couple Sharpies.    

Twin chairs

          Us old folk spend half our days in the Dr. office somewhere- and it is sooo fun- NOT!  But this day when Grammie came back to the waiting room, she had to wait on me for a minute so I could finish up this quickie. Lots of nice negative space, dark colors, and reflected light makes for a good subject in my book. By now if you have seen some other posts, you know I llike doing chairs.  Hey they are usually a ready subject, and they sit a lot quieter than the grandkids!

Out of the Bottoms

          

          So this is sorta what it is like on a rainy May day when the world is growing and no one is out and about.  The rain had slowed all but the necessary activities- like drawing in the rain. i had just left the creek bottom and was headed up the road but stopped at this corner for a few.   Cannot say I was over impressed with the results, but I like it better now. It would make a good watercolor...  Even though it is 2 days to Christmas, it is warm and rainy now, just not the new growth of spring, but maybe we can get inspired to go out and sketch!  

Mr. Hamilton's chair

          Nice if you have a few minutes in the evening when nothing is going on (ha ha!) to have some options to draw using negative space just for practice.   This particular chair came with us from Eudora, though it was bought in Lawrence at a garage sale on south Connecticut back in the '70s.  Never refinished, but it did get reupholstered by Linda Hamilton's father.  He did it as a thank you to Stephanie for her encouragement of Linda.  When they were leaving our house one day the old man threw it over his shoulder and they walked out the door with it.  It came back later from his shop in Leavenworth with this nice cushioned seat.

Oil cloth & Rocker

           A drawing of the full rocker was posted earlier, but this drawing was inspired by the recurring position of my hat when I come in from the wet weather in the colder times of the year.  A simple illustration of a simple moment.  MGH and I went by Vanderbuilts some years ago to see if I could find a hat like his.  This oilcloth hat was very similar, and as I recollect, on sale!  So I always think of Matthew when I put it on. The rocker came from the last day of my last full year at work. This was done with the flat Generals pencil on a day similar to what we are having now- rainy and cool.

Mary's Lake Elm

          Well although you cannot see a date on this photo, it was done last June. It is good to get some practice doing plants you see in the woods. I had taken an old bike 2 blocks over to the lake trail mid morning. I was hoping to find just what I did-  on the north side of the circle walk south of the Nature Center there was an elm sapling catching the sun just as I had seen it a few days before.  As I was standing there straddling the bike and sketching one of the girls from the center came by collecting leaf specimens for one of the classes she was teaching later that day.  The drawing was  a great learning experience for me.  I do not think an elm leaf made it to the class however.

View from the Bandstand

       

         This drawing was done during what was I guess one of the few warm spells in Georgia this summer on the 21st of August. A lot different then it is now in Colorado at 11 degrees and snowing.  It was about 5 PM when we arrived at the edge of the mountains and the town of Blue Ridge, GA. We had a little time to kill before the kids arrived for the weekend, so the ladies hit the shops along the double mainstreet, and I settled into the shade of the bandstand in the park for a few minutes of sketching.  It was warm, so the shade felt good.  No one else was around, so I had only to share the place with the wasps flying about.  Never did get stung, just bit by the sketchin' bug...

Evening Highlights

          It was evening and I was bored.  The chairs were reflected in the large mirror, with the light above my head reflecting off the arm rests in the mirror as well so I could see the lights and the darks very well.  A sketch was in order, and this is the result. Maybe a little more dark and somber that many, but a good subject for my recent most favorite tool- the half dried out "Sharpie".

Bagged

          

          This old tree sits on Connecticut on a lot between 2 houses.  Many such have been taken down long before now.  It looks like an old hedge tree, but it is far too large for that I suppose.  I have snapshots of this tree, but this is the first drawing, and it has needed doing for a long time.  Someone had cleaned up some leaves and bagged them, leaving a good pile still behind the tree waiting for more bags or more energy for the work.  The tree could tell lots of stories of past years, of past grandparents or parents or kids chased out to "clean up under that old tree".

Alley revisit

          I think there are other drawings, maybe even  a posted one that was done of this little spot. I had parked the truck near this alley, and was headed to the Farmer's market when I thought this might make a nice quick drawing. It is therefore a much more free sort of style, but I think it turned out. I did another at the same time of the market itself.  One of the few times I made it up there this last season. Too bad. Lots of good produce and good drawing as well.

Some still do sheets

     

 
       A simple pencil sketch that did not photograph very well as you can see...I think it will make a great water color, huh?

Windstrong flag

         

 
        It may look like it is caught in a stiff wind, but in reality it was hanging straight down in a slight breeze.  A flag moving in the wind gives you all kind of variety of drapery that you have to catch as you can. Lots of good practice doing quick sketches of a constantly changing subject.

14th & Mass

        8/6/14 was the date on the drawing.   12:30 in the afternoon.  90 degrees. Early August when the temp was heading to the upper 90's and I was looking for a subject I could draw while in the shade.  I had seen these shadows and highlights earlier in the week as I remember, so this is where I was headed on foot after parking a half block away. I was hoping it would look something like what I remembered.  It was actually bearable against the building in the little noonday shade it provided. You will recognize the title if you have been around Lawrence much.  Just north of the ol' Memorial High School, and east of a couple other places I have drawn in the last couple years.

Grandma's lamp

        

        This brass lamp came from OKC to Lawrence at Christmas time 2003 when Grandma & Grandpa came to the Rawhide house.  I think maybe it came from Colorado before that; or was it Springfield in the mid 1980's? Everything and everyone has a story to tell...      A nice subject for a quick sketch before we head home for the evening at the end of a busy day.

Grillin' in the Smokies

        The view along the side deck looking the direction of the road on up the mountain. This is the cabin we spent some time in at the end of August. This is the south side- the view of the valley is from the west deck. Well, actually I would say that the "south" deck was actually oriented a more like south west. Matthew is grilling the kabobs that were a great hit. Much more so than this drawing I suppose, which was done with a half worn out Sharpie on what is a linen like paper given to me by MGH's brother-in-law.

Blue Ridge Mountains

        

        Drawn a month ago on 8/22/14.  Tennessee and North Carolina can be seen from this deck. The Blue Ridge Mountains  of N. Georgia in the evening sun. We had a nice time for a couple nights here with the kids. It was a very relaxing sort of vacation, with lots of good vittles.  Thanks guys.  This is way north Georgia.

Bonanza Cottonwood

        If you do not have a pencil & paper in your hand, how much are you really learning about drawing; or about the subject in front of you?  Of course it is possible and even necessary  to make some observations that greatly improve your drawing even if you don't produce a drawing, but it seems a lot more productive when a drawing results.   Something this particular day inspired me to do this drawing- and it worked out.  That makes it fun. This was done with the Generals flat lead pencil. Our house is just across Bonanza Street from this large old tree.