Coney Island post from Eugene Profanato

Hi Mark,

What a Great Day! Thank You! Here are the Group & Individual Photos. In addition, would it be ok if you uploaded my sketch?

The Smiley Face of Coney Island

I turned the figure (can't remember his name into the Joker.)

Eugene turns the smiley face into the Joker

Group Photo at Coney Island

Thank You & Maria Again!!

Coney Island- Palimpsest Manuscript- Yesterday and Today

Urban Sketchers hit the beaches of Coney Island on a brilliant Saturday, mingling with the crowds seeking sun and relaxation in Brooklyn's venerable fun strip.  We were invited to tour the Coney Island Museum, the Wonder Wheel, and well as attractions on the boardwalk such as the new Carousel with its beautifully restored wooden horses.

The Coney Island Museum

A large painting in the bar area of the Museum

by Marie Roberts

The Wonder Wheel maintained and operated

by the Vouderis family

The Abraham Lincoln horse carved 1909 on the

Centenary of Abraham Lincoln's birth

Bumper cars from several decades, displayed

in the Coney Island Museum

Ephemera from Coney Island's past, 

and Mark sketching in the shadow of

the Wonder Wheel

'Wild' style horse heads from the Carousel- not your calm

beasts of burden, but spirited animals, hair flying, and with their tongues out!

We ended the day taking in the Circus Sideshow at the Museum, a recreation of what such events must have been like in the last century. Urban Sketchers thank Marie Roberts for all her work leading us through the history and attractions of this fabled section of the city.  

Jim W.

Dumbo and Brooklyn Navy Yard Sketching, 6/7/14

On our way to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Mark and I lingered in Dumbo to sketch a few sights:

 This is the little lighthouse that used to guide ships on the East River.

Here is a wide panorama of upper New York Bay- the Bayonne Bridge to the left, Lady Liberty, and the Marine Terminal on the tip of Manhattan to the right.

At the Navy Yard we were directed to a non-descript warehouse on premises where a big crowd was using colored pencils to draw designs on big pieces of cardboard.  They were then shaped by a jigsaw behind the yellow curtain at left.

 Participants assembled their now shaped cardboard into interesting shapes on a platform made up of mini-sawhorses.

Here are sketches of the various participants.

A camera was suspended overhead to document over time the assembly of the artwork. An interesting way to spend a beautiful summer day in Brooklyn.          Jim W.

Freaks, Wonders and Human Curiosities! Saturday June 14, 2014

Freaks, Wonders and Human Curiosities!

The Coney Island Amusement Zone

Event Created by Marie Roberts - life long resident of Coney Island

Meet at 11 AM at Stillwell Avenue subway terminal, by turnstiles.

From there we will exit Surf Ave.  Across Surf Avenue you will see Nathan's on your right, look left. That is West 12th Street. Walk to West 12th and cross Surf Ave. You will see the Coney Island USA building on your right.

First Stop, Coney Island Museum. 11:15-12:15  (1208 Surf Ave, Brooklyn, NY)

General Admission is $5. $3 For students, seniors and local residents.

We will be entering before the museum opens to the public and you will be my guests.

Located in the landmarked Coney Island USA  building on the second floor of the Former Child's Restaurant, the museum holds in its collections antique postcards, ride cars, antique rolling chairs, beach culture memorabilia and two special exhibits; a three d printed model of the famed Luna Park (1903-1946) by Fred Kahl ( who will be operating his Scan-A-Rama downstairs) and the Darkside of Dreamland, an installation by noted local artist Africasso.

The museum has views of the amusement area.

We will then walk south on West 12 to

Second stop, Denos  Wonder Wheel  Park, 12:15 1:15  (3059 Denos Vourderis Pl, Brooklyn)

The Wonder Wheel, built in 1920 is landmarked and lovingly maintained by the Vouderis Family. Riding the Wheel affords vast panoramas of Southern Brooklyn and beyond, you can even sketch on the white stationary cars.

The are picnic tables under the Wheel that are great for sketching.

The park hosts Grandma Predicts, Skeeball, and very drawable rides and attraction.

It also hosts the free exhibit space, The Coney Island History Project.

Lunch:  1:30 - 2:30 - Dona Zita's  (1221 Bowery St, Brooklyn)

Bowery and Henderson ( half block from Wonder Wheel Park )

Inexpensive Mexican food, vegetarian and vegan friendly, outdoor seating.

0ther fast food options, fast food was born in Coney Island

Third Stop:  2:30 B & B Carousel, and Boardwalk

Boardwalk at Parachute Jump

The carousel was restored and installed in its new location on the boardwalk last year. It boasts the  "Coney Island Style" of carved horse, with mouths open and animated. The lead horse was carved by M.C.Illions, one of four he carved in 1909 to commemorate the centenary of Abraham Lincoln's birth and is the only one still on a working carousel.

Last Stop:   4:00 Coney Island Circus Sideshow

$10. For anyone who wishes to see the show.

The last ten in one show in America, pay one price and see 10 acts. Founded by a graduate of Yale School  of Drama, the show is entertaining  and charming.

If you can’t find us

call Marie at 347-733-2934 or Mark at 973-809-9128

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

Near the end of the Draw Now! event, Lynn, Rachel, and I decided to take a break from the frantic free-for-all drawing and sketch outside for a bit. The buildings and public spaces (or lack of) were not as photogenic* as we had hoped, but we were intrigued by the many cranes that overlook the industrial waterfront.

*If there is still no equivalent word for "worthy of being the subject of a drawing," we should seriously come up with one!

Draw Now! at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

The SITU Studio - Draw Now! event was definitely not a typical Urban Sketching afternoon.  First, it was at the Brooklyn Navy Yard which is a world unto itself.   I thought there was a tremendous amount to explore at the Navy Yard and I’d love to go back.  

An interesting place to draw and explore

There was no obvious organization at the event, no one seemed to be in charge and there were no instructions that I heard regarding what to do.  When I arrived there must have been over a hundred people there.  At least a dozen were urban sketchers.  It was a very interesting group. Everyone who attended was passionate about art and it was easy to strike up conversations.

We began sketching on the large sheets

Essentially what we were doing was drawing on huge sheets of material.  As we drew there were faint projections on the surface that you could use or ignore. Everyone did their own thing.  Because we all used the same art materials there seemed to be a unity to what we were doing.  

It was easy to get create lots of detail

The sheets were periodically taken and fed into a huge computer run jig saw that scored and notched our drawings so they could be folded and fitted into various shapes.  As the afternoon progressed and we finished more and more of the sheets a weirdly shaped  sculpture began to form.

The industrial jig-saw 

Assembling the pieces

A view of one tiny section of the assembled sculpture

Although I was interested in the process I was more interested in the intensity of the people working on their sheets.  I did several drawings of the people sketching.

Working on the sheets

It was a different and interesting day.  I appreciated that Mary Lynch proposed the idea of us going as group.  

Thanks for the suggestion Mary.

The DUMBO Lighthouse - Saturday June 7th, 2014

Since the event at the Brooklyn Navy Yard didn't start until noon, Jim and I decided to get an early start and went to the Lighthouse at the docks between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge.  We found a nice place tucked in the shade with a view of everything and did some quick sketches:

Jim - Sketching the view

The View - The Old Lighthouse

Earlier while eating breakfast I sketched the guy sitting in front of me.

Having Breakfast

On the subway ride I ran into the International Man of Mystery playing with the his cell phone wrapped in his hoody.

A famous person on the subway trying not to be recognized.