Governors Island

I was so glad we made a return trip to Governors Island this year. It is such a beautiful, relaxing spot with such great views. I started sketching on the ferry...and this model didn't seem to mind.

I sat in the shade to sketch the skyline across the water.

This house was a particular favorite among our group. I think we all sketched it.

We had a pleasant surprise when Lance and his wife, Elizabeth arrived and brought along two future sketchers, their adorable twins. It was great to see their family, although I missed seeing Nicholas who was off exploring with his cousin.

Of course Mark sat down and sketched them.

The other side of the island has great views of the bridges.

When we got back to the mainland, I decided to stay by the ferry terminal and sketch it. For some reason it was like sketching in a wind tunnel. The addition of the ice cream truck couldn't be passed up either.

I took the Long Island Railroad home, and was lucky enough to get a seat with a view of several people.

Frida Kahlo at the Bronx Botanical

Last Friday I had the opportunity to go to the Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden and Life exhibit at the Bronx Botanical.  It was a fabulous experience of beautiful plants native to Mexico and the southwestern US and bright colors. In the Main Building there were 14 paintings on display.  To my surprise you could not photograph, paint or sketch the paintings.  Although I was disappointed, it did allow me to just focus on the work.  The conservatory centered the exhibit around her Casa Azul and a pyramid filled with cacti and brightly colored flowers.

I especially loved the Barrel Cactus, as they were large and odd.  The exhibit was pretty busy for a Friday Morning and I only got through about half the exhibit as I spent a lot of time painting.

Alongside the conservancy and along the ponds was the iconic Cactus Fence which were lined with Organ Cacti, Aloe and Agave plants.  It was spectacular site, and I loved the greens against the blue, a theme carried throughout the exhibit.

SATURDAY: Sketch Governors Island

Governors' Island - 800 yards from Lower Manhattan

Governors Island, a 172 acre island in the heart of New York Harbor, is only 800 yards from Lower Manhattan, and even closer to Brooklyn. It is a world unto itself, unique and full of promise.

The Late 1800's Frozen in Time for you to Sketch

It's been said that you can't see NYC from Manhattan.  Governor's Island has absolutely unique views of the city and stunning views of NY Harbor.  It's also a snap-shot of small town American in the lat 1800s and a lot of fun to sketch.

Visitors disembark at Soissons Landing

DETAILS:

Governors Island is a car-free biking oasis

Where:   Governors Island - Only reachable by Ferry (don't forget to sketch the ferry ride)

When:
Get there early -  lines form.  We're taking the 11 AM Ferry (note - not our usual 10 AM start time).
Sleeping Late?  Hey, come anyway. Bring the contact phone number so you can find us.

Once There:  Our Base Camp will be Colonel's Row, a particularly sketchable part of the island, with event's, nature areas, historic homes, rides and food concessions.  We'll meet there, have lunch there and do Show and Tell there, - but you might want to also go to the shore for views of the skyline and harbor.

Lunch:  12:30 - We'll break for lunch and socializing with some sketching thrown in (of course).  Although the concessions have great food the lines are long. Bringing a picnic lunch might be good.

Children and adults alike
enjoy Fete Paradiso, a festival
of  Ssketchable vintage carousels
and carnival rides

Afternoon:  1:30 - Back to sketching

Show and Tell:  3:30 - To share drawings, good stories.

The Ferry Back:  We'll leave at 3:30 intending to make the 4:00 Ferry back.   

From Manhattan: Ferries leave from the Battery Maritime Building, on the corner of South and Whitehall Streets. (departs every 30 minutes until 5:30)

From Brooklyn: Ferries leave from Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6 at the foot of Atlantic Avenue. (departs every hour)

Click to Enlarge

Can't find us?  

Call or Text Mark - 973-809-9128

There are no fees or attendance taken. All drawing skill levels are welcome

My Memorial Day Weekend

Since we didnt have plans to meet in the city, on  Saturday I met with a small group of local sketchers in Center Moriches at Nettie's Farm and Market. The coffee was good, the people were nice, and the view was colorful.

Yesterday I was at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum for an art show that one of my groups was doing. (I had a few paintings in the show too.) Before going into the show I painted the wisteria hanging from the porch of the manor house on the property.

For the last few years I have tried to attend one of the Memorial Day Ceremonies here on Long Island. This morning I missed the one in Sayville which I usually attend since I slept late, so instead I went to Patchogue. I sat in the park by the VFW Hall which I knew was the end of the parade, and caught some of the participants as the marchers in the parade arrived there. I was there sketching long enough for most of the ceremony. It was a touching tribute to those who gave their lives, those who served, and the families and friends of those who are still serving.

Since this is the beginning of the summer season I had to make a stop at the beach. It was warm enough to sit on the sand, but only the little kids made any attempt to go in the water. The lifeguards up on the chair were in sweatpants.

REPEAT PERFORMANCE

Weekday Urban Sketchers meet WEDNESDAY in 

Battery Park City 

We enjoyed the day so much we decided to do it again this Wednesday! 

The Battery Park City Conservancy provides a day of art every Wednesday.  Let's take advantage of it!  The morning is open sketching.  The afternoon is  figure drawing with a live model. Art supplies, portable stools and drawing boards are provided free of charge (of course you can bring your own!).

Entrance to Robert Wagner Park, Battery Place

DATE:  WEDNESDAY  May 27, 2015

LOCATION/TIME

AM Session 11:00 AM

Robert Wagner Park: located  on Battery Place between the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the newly renovated and reopened Pier A.  We will meet "between the instruments".  the supply cart is parked in the area and we can take materials anywhere we like (Castle Clinton, Pier A, the gardens, the lawns, the waterfront).  The area offers great views of the harbor, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, lower Manhattan skyline, flowers, water and people. 

Afternoon Session: 2:30 to 4:30

The supply cart will move to South Cove one block north  of the Museum of Jewish Heritage.  There is a "circle of benches" at second street where the model will be located.

MORE INFORMATION:

Here is a link to the Battery Park Conservancy web site.  You will find travel info and an interactive map that will show you where the park is located.

 http://bpcparks.org/visit/directions/

Bring your lunch and picnic on the lawn, try one of the new restaurants in Pier A or buy something from one of the many restaurants and vendors in the area. 

PLEASE RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at raylie@verizon.net

Looking for us?  Call Raylie: 201-978-6387

Bandung Travelogue in PDF e-book format

Re-posting a free offer from an Urban Sketcher in Singapore.  

Parka (Teoh Yi Chie) is one of my favorite sketchers.  He recently took a trip to Bandung, Indonesia.  and he's offering a copy of his travel journal for free.  It's a large download but it's fascinating.   

Parka is obviously an accomplished artist, but the thing I found most fascinating is how this is another example of how small the world is.  Parka's  comments and observations are exactly the things we discuss when we get together and talk about our sketches.  

I think you'll love it.

I've finally finished scanning and compiling all my Bandung sketches into a PDF e-book called Bandung Travelogue. 

The e-book has all the sketches I drew in Bandung. It's a PDF file that I've formatted for best viewing on 4:3 ratio tablets (e.g. iPad). If you're viewing it on the iPad, the sketches should be 1:1 size, same size as the sketches in my A5 sketchbook.

You can download the Bandung Travelogue PDF e-book for free using the coupon code SKETCHING at payhip.com/b/tBFb

By the way, I also recently released a Hanoi Travelogue (139 pages), but that one's priced at USD $6.

- Parka. 



Original Article: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/UrbanSketchers/~3/_7MHp5QDsDw/my-bandung-travelogue-in-pdf-e-book.html

No Sketch Memorial Day Weekend

​

Enjoy the Holiday Weekend.  

We have no planned sketch activity.  I will be involved with family things.  If someone has a great idea I'd be happy to help you get things rolling - but won't be able to attend.

Let me know.

email - Mark 

Weekday Urban Sketchers meet WEDNESDAY in 

Battery Park City 

The Battery Park City Conservancy provides a day of art every Wednesday.  Let's take advantage of it!  The morning is open sketching.  The afternoon is  figure drawing with a live model. Art supplies, portable stools and drawing boards are provided free of charge (of course you can bring your own!).

Entrance to Robert Wagner Park, Battery Place

DATE:  WEDNESDAY  May 20, 2015

LOCATION/TIME

AM Session 11:00 AM

Robert Wagner Park: located  on Battery Place between the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the newly renovated and reopened Pier A.  We will meet "between the instruments".  the supply cart is parked in the area and we can take materials anywhere we like (Castle Clinton, Pier A, the gardens, the lawns, the waterfront).  The area offers great views of the harbor, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, lower Manhattan skyline, flowers, water and people. 

Afternoon Session: 2:30 to 4:30

The supply cart will move to South Cove one block north  of the Museum of Jewish Heritage.  There is a "circle of benches" at second street where the model will be located.

MORE INFORMATION:

Here is a link to the Battery Park Conservancy web site.  You will find travel info and an interactive map that will show you where the park is located.

 http://bpcparks.org/visit/directions/

Bring your lunch and picnic on the lawn, try one of the new restaurants in Pier A or buy something from one of the many restaurants and vendors in the area. 

PLEASE RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at raylie@verizon.net

Looking for us?  Call Raylie: 201-978-6387

Sketches

The weather forecast was very iffy for the Drifting in Central Park Sketch event this past Saturday.  I got setup and had a good start when it started raining.  The choices were to run for cover or try to tough in out.  I opened up an umbrella and kept going.  A couple stopped to chat and took this photo.  I wasn't sure if I was being ridiculous or clever.  In a couple of minutes the light rain stopped, so , .... maybe not so ridiculous.

A sketch of the new Whitney Museum.  Although I hear it's gorgeous on the inside, the exterior seems more like a factory than a world class showcase for American Art.

The view of the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park.

Escape to Alexandria!

This past weekend I went to a medical conference near Washington, DC and brought my sketch tools.   I didn't do any sketching onsite, but did take a morning to escape to Alexandria, Virginia - a lovely historic old town on the banks of the Potomac River.  For a brief 3 hours I was back in time, sketching as my medical career was light years away.  Then I realized I had to get back to reality, and grabbed the water taxi to the other side.

On the way back I was stuck in the airport for weather delays and managed to get off one last sketch.  So sketchers, keep on sketching!  I hope to join you soon in NYC.

Jeff Levine

SATURDAY - Two Sketch Events:

Saturday May 16th

Two Events Today:

1.  Drifting in Daylight: (early afternoon)
(Outdoors - See Rainy Day Note below)

This Saturday at noon, Creative Time and Central Park Conservancy will unveil Drifting in Daylight, a dreamy springtime pathway of art winding through the world’s most iconic park. From Ragnar Kjartansson’s ship full of brass-playing dandies circling the Harlem Meer, to dancers from Lauri Stallings’ collective glo weaving magically through the North Woods, we promise you a one-of-a-kind art experience you won’t soon forget!

Drifting in Daylight: 

Begin the experience at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center; enter the park from 110th Street at either 5th Ave. or Malcolm X Blvd.  As the centerpiece of Central Park Conservancy’s 35th Anniversary celebration, this free public exhibition aims to draw visitors into the park’s beautiful north end, much of which has been expertly restored by the Conservancy. The six-weekend show will tempt visitors to transcend their busy lives, losing themselves along a playful trail of sensory experiences.

DRIFTING IN DAYLIGHT: RAINY DAY POLICY
We are hoping for beautiful weather, but in the event of torrential downpour Drifting in Daylight will be closed. Please check website for weather updates before visiting:  http://creativetime.org/projects/drifting-in-daylight/

Click to Enlarge

2.  Dr. Sketchy's - (* NUS) (late afternoon)
(Indoors Impervious to Rain!)

Join us to celebrate spring in ancient Slavic style! Our session will be inspired by the pagan traditions and lore of Old Rus and Bohemia, Alphonse Mucha's epic cycle of paintings representing them, and the blossoming of May.

Botanic Lab, 86 Orchard Street.
Doors open at 3:30 PM. The good seats go quickly.
Sketching starts at 4 PM and goes to 6:00.

$12 in advance, $15 at the door, and a 2 drink minimum. As always, Botanic Lab will be hosting a delicious happy hour for our artists.

*  NUS = Not Urban Sketching, but a lot of sketching fun anyway.  Try it out!

Can't find us?  

Call or Text Mark - 973-809-9128

There are no fees or attendance taken. All drawing skill levels are welcome

Out and About by Bethesda Fountain

I had a wonderful day of sketching near Bethesda Fountain yesterday. Of course I had to start with a sketch of the fountain itself. For me it is always a challenge to save the whites spraying and falling water.

Next I moved over to get a view of the tunnel. There was a great cast of characters in addition to the wonderful music coming from the entertainers under the tunnel. I was able to include the Mexican bride and groom as well as the bubble man.

During lunch I was facing an interesting view of one of the staircases, so I sketched that too.

Of course I had to sketch some of the people seated on the edge of the fountain. I sketched these in pencil first...just in case they got up and walked away as is often the case. That way I could change them. All of these were fairly good models and stayed put at least until I sketched them.

Then I got a little braver and did some figures directly in pen...but you know if you work in pen the rule is as soon as you start sketching someone they move on. lol But it is fun to try anyway.

I did get one photo of some of our sketchers busy at work and a few of the area.

Sketching Stools

First question is do you need a stool?  A long time ago I decided that I did need one and I almost always carry it with me when I'm out sketching, unless I know that the seat will be unwelcome or unnecessary.

I can give you two examples when I was grateful to have my seat.  The first was sketching in Central Park the day after a particularly hard rain left everything soggy.  Having a seat kept me dry.  The other time was sketching in an area where people were walking their dogs.  Yes, having a portable seat keeps you clean and dry.  But is it comfortable?

It seems to more portable it is, the less comfortable it is.  I had what I thought was a good solution and then found something better.

Let's start with the better solution:  During the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Brazil Rayle found a great stool for sale in a housewares store near the hotels.  We both got one.   It was light weight and cheap.  As I recall it was about $6 US. The trouble was,  I never found anything similar until Mike Lohn tracked one for sale on Amazon:

Blantex HB-1 Non-Sink Folding Stool

I measured my Brazilian stool:

• Height:  14"
• Width:   9 1/4"
• Length:  11"
• Weight:  29.6 oz

(The Blantex model for sale at Amazon might be slightly different - but they look the same)

My original Stool was the GCI.  A few other Urban Sketchers use it, including Jason, so it's a popular choice.


GCI Outdoor PackSeat - Collapsible Stool

Although when I first had it, I thought the collapsible stool was a good solution, the stool is less stable, less comfortable and more difficult to pack.  On the plus side it only weighs 24.7 oz so it's slightly less heavy than folding stool.  It's also taller - at 19" off the ground.  You'd think it would be easier to get up and sit down using the Collapsible Stool because it's taller, however the fact that it's much less stable makes this untrue.

The Folding Stool design fits  around my backpack nicely.  My Jansport has two clips I use to secure the stool to the top of the backpack.  What would be better is to have four clips - two at the top and two at the bottom.  That would provide a more secure connection and keep the stool from banging into things.

Previously I would stuff the GCI into my backpack.  Its odd shape took up much too much room, leaving less space for me to overpack (probably unnecessary) art supplies.  (I've got to learn to bring less!)

I noticed that the Amazon write-up point out that the Folding Stool has - "Non-sink legs for comfort on ALL kinds of ground".   Having used both designs, this is a good point.


A lot of sketchers are using stools and I'd be curious to hear how you'd review your own solution.

SATURDAY: Sketching Bethesda Fountain in Central Park

Bethesda Fountain

Central Park - New York City

May 9, 2015

Rising from Bethesda Terrace is Bethesda Fountain, with the famous Angel of the Waters statue atop. The statue references the Gospel of John, which describes an angel blessing the Pool of Bethesda and giving it healing powers. The fountain commemorates the Croton water system, which first brought fresh water to New York City in 1842. The angel carries a lily in her left hand — a symbol of the
water's purity, very important to a city that had previously suffered from a devastating cholera epidemic before the system was established. The piece is the only statue that was commissioned for the Park. Created by Emma Stebbins, it also marked the first time a woman received a public art commission in New York City.

The weather for Saturday should be beautiful.  The park will be filled with tourists, and New Yorkers hungry for the open green spaces.  Spring bird migration is at full peak and we'll be sure to see birders, photographers, other artists and lovers.


In addition to the beautiful fountain the entire terrace is sketchable. There are generally musicians playing in the tunnel leading to the fountain.  The lake has boats and is surrounded by stately trees.  Everywhere you turn there will be something interesting to sketch.

DETAILS:

When:  We will meet at 10 AM.  Sleeping late?   Come anyway.  Take the contact number so you can find us.

Where:  We'll be at the Bethesda Fountain.  It's at about 72nd Street half way between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West.
  - By Subway the best bet is the B or C Train to W 72 St,  The 1,2 3 3 train at W 72 St is an extra block further.  On the East side use the Hunter College stop at East 68th St.

Lunch:  We'll be pausing to eat and socialize at 12:15.  Bring food or purchase lunch from the vendors in the park.  We'll look for a peaceful shaded place where we can talk and enjoy our food.

Afternoon:  At 1:15 to 3:15 we will return to continue sketching the area.

Show and Tell:  At 3:15 walk to Riposo, 50 W 72nd St, to share drawings, good stories and a beer or wine if you're so inclined.  We have reservations with Nicole for 3:45 (929) 226-2389

Click to Enlarge

Can't find us?  

Call or Text Mark - 973-809-9128

There are no fees or attendance taken. All drawing skill levels are welcome