Saturday August 3, 2013 - Walking Water Street

Frauncie's Tavern

This weeks sketch meet starts at Frauncie's Tavern Broad and Pearl Streets.  Then on to the NY Vietnam Vet Memorial around the corner at Water Street and Coenties Slip.  Then we stroll down Water Street to the Ultra- modern  Hole and Circle) sculptures at Water and Pine.  We finish up at the Calendar Building located at John Street and Water, in time to consider the multiple lunch / sketching choices at the South St. Seaport area.

A picture of one of the guys who used to eat at Frauncie's 

We meet at 10:00 AM.  

If you need help finding us - 

call Richard's cell phone:  917-224-8373

Coming NYC Urban Sketch Events for August

8/10 -  Bikeapalloza - Exploring the Gardens of the East Village by Bike (using New York's new  new Bike Share)

8/17 - Double Header Day:

•  AM - 10 AM - Ferry to Red Hook - We explore Red Hook, taking the Ferry from lower Manhattan


• PM - 4:30 PM. Brooklyn Sketchwalk. In coordination with eL Paper Magazine and the Open Source Gallery, New  York Urban Sketchers will be conducting a Sketch Walk.  This is a special project Richard Alomar has been developing.  He'll have details to share in the next week or two. 




• 8/24 - Riding and Sketching the East River - Using the day pass we'll zigzag back and forth across the East River sketching the sites at the various locations

• 8/31 - The Chinese Scholar Garden at the Staten Island Botanical Garden - using the Staten Island Ferry we'll explore this beautiful site in Snug Harbor.

Society of Illustrators, Wednesday, July 24

Part One:  Copying Some Sendak
The other day, Wednesday the 24th, I joined Shirley, Benedicte, Teri and Liam at the Society of Illustrators to view the Maurice Sendak exhibition.

I found a few things I thought I might be able to copy.

There were literally only a few other people in the gallery. One lady asked me about the app I was using. Turns out she is a quilter so I pointed out Shirley and told her about Benedicte being famous and all that. Sketching on the iPad starts conversations or maybe it could be that I was planted smack dab in front of one of the illustrations. Nah. I’m considerate. When I sense someone coming near I unblock their view.

Shirley sketched a lot of figures and details. Benedicte took notes and “drew dogs, a plane, a bird and two moons making faces, one of them with horns sticking its tongue out”. Teri and Liam stuck together, carefully studied and discussed the illustrations.

The drawing below, truth be told (and I ALWAYS tell you all the truth), was the first sketch I attempted to copy while in the gallery but I abandoned it and went on to copy the first one above. I buried this sketch in the bottom layer and told Benedicte that “I haven’t any Mojo yet” or something about my mojo along those lines. I didn’t make any color notes and I can’t remember what animal Rosie was straddling. I didn’t note what was on the card next to the illustration. Sigh. Very Observant Artist is my middle name. I had to email Shirley and Benedicte for info on who the girl was. I don’t remember (observant me) her having a boa but it seems this is part of her trademark outfit so I added it.

Anyway. When I was tweaking the other drawing (Oliver and his horn) I looked at the abandoned sketch living underneath, decided it wasn’t so very terrible and decided to resurrect it my way. That means any resemblance to the original is only the line drawing. You don’t mind, right?

Then we had a loud, chaotic lunch in a Very Very Friendly and Efficient diner/coffee shop on Lexington a block away from the Society.

Afterwards, Benedicte headed off to the nearby Frick and Teri/Liam jumped in a cab and whizzed off.

Shirley and I had our own plans but you all will have to wait for Part Two. I probably can even stretch it out into a Part Three also. Hmm. I’ll have to think about that.

iPad drawings:  Sketch Club app, New Trent Arcadia stylus. Sketches and color were done in the gallery but tweaking things went on at home. Everything was too “same value” and needed perking up at leisure.

Saturday July 27, 2013 - NYC Urban Sketchers

We met at this wonderful park in the Village, located at Bleeker and Sixth Ave.  Richard referred to it as Father Demo Square.  I've seen this park thousands of times and never knew its name.  In the write-up Richard described our sketch crawl as a "Dog's Breakfast" - a little of this and a little of that.  Never heard the expression but I liked it.

Got there about an hour early and bought a bagel and coffee.Sat on a bench in the shade to eat y breakfast.  I was sharing the bench with  Jim who was playing guitar.  The man was a human juke-box and I loved his music.

The church across the street was partially hidden by the shade trees in the park.  As I sketched the  church tower a couple of other NY Sketchers showed up.

My big mental debate while sketching the fountain was whether to include the pigeons who kept flying into and out of the top pool.  I decided to leave them out first,  because they wouldn't hold still and pose but  mostly because they'd be lost as a tiny detail in the picture.

We left the park to find the little known Picasso Sculpture which is located at the NYU Faculty Apartments between Prince Street and Houston.

Sketching Picasso

By the time we were finishing our sketches it got to be that time - time to decide on where to have lunch.

A short conference about where to eat

Svetlana suggested a vegetarian restaurant a couple of blocks away, where we shared lunch and finished our sketch day.

Saturday July 27th: Picasso in the Village?

 This weekend is a "Dog's Breakfast"; A little bit of this and a little bit of that.
The highlight will probably be the seldom acknowledged Picasso sculpture at NYU housing.

Come, have fun, sketch.

Date: Saturday, July 27th.
Time: 10 AM
Meet: Father Demo Square (Bleecker and 6th Ave.)
We'll walk around before getting to Washington Square Park
Trains: A,B,D,C,E to West 4th Street Station

Location Map:
https://www.google.com/maps/ms?msid=209908607358738285248.0004e25e3686b180472da&msa=0

View

Scenes of Coney Island

NYC USk July 20, 2013 - Prospect Park - Brooklyn

It's been hot in the city since we got back from Barcelona.  We met at the Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park and sat for awhile in the shade before plunging into the park.

Prospect Park West

Once inside the park we stopped under a large shade tree.  It felt like a pause on our way to the "right" spot, so I tried to do a very quick sketch:

View of the Park Slope skyline viewed from the Park

I'm not sure that we ever found the "right" spot, but we stopped for quite awhile near the old boathouse.  

MEMORY

I have a memory as a kid growing up in Brooklyn, walking past the boathouse on a late autumn day and seeing two plein air painters with french easels working on their canvases.  I thought it was the coolest thing.  Yesterday, many years later, in the middle of a vicious NYC heatwave,  we were at the same location.  However, rather than sit in the sun, I chose a spot near the boathouse but facing in a completely different direction in the shade,  to do my sketching.   

Sketching in the shade

July 20th Sketch Date: Why not a park?

Come this Saturday enjoy the beauty and splendor of Prospect Park.

We'll meet at the north entrance across form the market and we'll walk around the park and enjoy the day.

We'll meet, as usual, at 10:00

See you there!

Hello



View July 20th Sketch Date: Why not a park? in a larger map

Sketchcrawl in Maine

I didn't make it to Barcelona for the symposium, and I was away and couldn't meet the group at Flushing Meadow Park either.

I was visiting family in Maine last week and was driving home on Saturday. There was no way I could do sketches during the 7 hour drive since I was the driver. But I didn't want to completely miss the sketchcrawl so I came up with a plan. I would sketch in a few spots on my morning walk before I left. Somehow I left my paints in my sister's house and only had my Lamy pen and waterbrush. That worked out well because I was able to do very quick ink washes.

First I walked into town (Damariscotta, ME) and did a sketch of the waterfront behind the buildings along Main Street. The gnats were out in full force so I don't think I even spent 10 minutes on this one.

Next I painted the Pine Tree Yarn Store which is right on Main Street.

I continued my walk across the bridge into Newcastle and headed up Glidden Street. I had time for one more sketch and picked this huge tree as a subject.

It was a fun, quick sketchcrawl, but at least I was able to participate.

40th WWSC at Flushing Meadow

Well, we had a small band of brave souls show up since many of you so rudely deserted us to go to someplace called Barcelona! Missed you all. Anyhow, there were only four of us. The sky was overcast and a few times we had to use umbrellas. In the end, several of us got sun burned. It was a great location and someplace I had wanted to revisit since I hadn't been there since the 1964 World's Fair.

Elizabeth and her sketch of the Unisphere

                                                    Denise and Elizabeth at the carousel

                                                                  Denise and Gene

The jets came on halfway through our sketch

and my sketches...

NY State Pavillion designed by Philip Johnson

                                                                            

                                                                     

          

Worldwide Sketch Crawl #40, New York City

Lets meet at the Unisphere, one of Queens' iconic and enduring symbols in Flushing Meadow/ Corona Park.

The twelve story steel globe installed for the 1964-65 Worlds Fair represents global interdependence and has stood the test of time unlike the beautifully decaying structures left behind from the Worlds Fair. We can stroll the park, view skateboarders, see soccer and cricket games, watch the boats on the lake, spy the Egyptian Pillar or go into the small Art Museum.

Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk a distance. We can lunch in the park -bring your own -(optional) or land in downtown Flushing for  dumplings if the spirit moves us.

Take the #7 train to Willets Point/Shea Stadium /Citi Field stop which is the Northern  part of the park. The stop is surrounded by stadium parking. Walk down the pedestrian ramps to the main part of the park or Shea/Citi, it's a short walk to the US Open East Gate entrance. Walk further south to the Unishpere and Queens Museum of Art. (10 minutes).

In case of rain we will meet at the Queens Museum of Art.

If you can't find us call Denise's cell phone  516-263-4818.

High Line: Wednesday, July 3, 2013

It was drizzling on Rector Street – the kind that you’re not sure if it’s raining or it is air conditioning moisture – city people will know what I mean. Then it got heavier and windy. I opened my umbrella and it immediately turned inside out. Shirley and Judy were sitting on a bench on (at? in?) South Cove, huddled under umbrellas. Not too many people showed up for Figure al Fresco today. It was only 2:00, still early, and Judy’s iPhone radar weather thingy was showing patches of rain here and there heading our way. We went for shelter in the nearby parking garage and decided to go to the The National Museum of the American Indian – New York, not too far away from where we were. But look! Patches of blue sky. Chock full of hope we went back to the benches. Well, then came the thunder, radar said the storm was heading for Jersey City, what d’ya know, right before our eyes, New Jersey, just across from us, disappeared. Poof. And then we disappeared also.

The model showed up and he was looking pretty good. What a shame. The artist organizer (whatever she’s called) and her assistant came driving up in the conservancy truck with the supplies under a tarp. We all stood around for a little longer until everybody came to their senses and the three of us slogged through the deluge to the M20 bus stop.

The bus travels up 8th Avenue but in order to get there it first has to zig zag a few zillion times and on this day there was massive rain, tunnel, day before a holiday and roadwork truck in middle of road, traffic. Shirley and Judy got off at Spring Street and I was supposed to stay on until 30th Street. Wait. The sun is out.

So. I got off at 14th Street, headed for the High Line, and started walking and sketching and (gasp) taking photos of flowers.

There is a big shady area around 15th Street so I stopped and sketched these buildings in the distance. The foliage is very lush on the High Line and, yes, a big mass of green was between me and the distant rooftops.

A bit below where I was standing there is a wine bar with outside tables and umbrellas.  

She was sitting at one of the tables with her friend.

It was so hot and humid but the weather thinned out the tourists so the walking was enjoyable and I was a sweaty, sopping mess when I reached the station. A sweaty mess with unexpected sketches.  

process and tools used:

iPad, Sketch Club and ArtRage apps, Pogo Sketch stylus. The drawings were done freehand from direct observation. A lot of artistic license was taken while adding color later while on the LIRR train and in the Recliner Studio Annex. What fun are white umbrellas?

July 6 Sketch Date- Bosques and Ferries and WWSC 40 save the date!

This weekend we will meet in front of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal (Peter Minuit Plaza)






View July 13 Sketch Date in a larger map

 
It will be hot and there is some chance of rain, but there's plenty of cover, shade and air conditioning along the route. Who knows, we may take a mad dash on the ferry!

Date:
Saturday July 6

Time:
Start at 10:00 am

Location:
Staten Island Ferry Terminal

See you there!

Also save the date for the July 13th Worldwide Sketch Crawl 40!

Lets meet at the Unisphere, one of Queens' iconic and enduring symbols in Flushing Meadow/ Corona Park.

The twelve story steel globe installed for the 1964-65 Worlds Fair represents global interdependence and has stood the test of time unlike the beautifully decaying structures left behind from the Worlds Fair. We can stroll the park, view skateboarders, see soccer and cricket games, watch the boats on the lake, spy the Egyptian Pillar or go into the small Art Museum.

Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk a distance. We can lunch in the park -bring your own -(optional) or land in downtown Flushing for  dumplings if the spirit moves us.

Take the #7 train to Willets Point/Shea Stadium /Citi Field stop which is the Northern  part of the park. The stop is surrounded by stadium parking. Walk down the pedestrian ramps to the main part of the park or Shea/Citi, it's a short walk to the US Open East Gate entrance. Walk further south to the Unishpere and Queens Museum of Art. (10 minutes).

In case of rain we will meet at the Queens Museum of Art.

If you can't find us call Denise's cell phone  516-263-4818.

Central Park - Model Boat Pond - June 29, 2013

In the early morning the park was relatively quiet.  Sure, there was a race with thousands of runners, but that was another part of the park.  At the Model Boat Pond things were quiet.

But as the day progressed more and more people came to the park. Everyone with a camera.  After awhile you feel like all of life is one big photo opportunity, ... and you're in the middle of it.  The guy sketching quietly on the bench in the background is Mike Rex.

There's a large stature of Hans Christian Andersen, reading the story of the Ugly Duckling from a large book in his lap.  I have an old photo of me and my brother, taken when we were about 7 and 5 respectively.  I'm sitting on Andersen's shoulders like he's about to get up and give me a piggy-back ride.  My brother is curled in his book.  Kids were swarming over the statue repeating the composition.

Central Park - Imagine

It's been a while since I had sketched with the group. Saturday I had a studio field trip, but was able to catch up with the group and sketch after lunch. Strawberry Fields is a great place. I didn't realize that people moved so quickly around the IMAGINE mosaic. I thought there would be more pondering and reflecting. There's really a lot of snapping photos and moving on.