greetings! this is a random post full of blathering. example A. i was going back through old iphoto albums in search of photos of old mexico to practice random street scenes i am likely to encounter in guatemala. this activity was curtailed when i began to wonder why i had never made a blurb book of any of my 3 trips to san miguel de allende. so i set about to create one of my most recent visit to that lovely city in 2007. surprising even myself, i knocked out a 137 page book in a couple of hours.
then i went back to sketching.
except finding nothing i wished to draw in my old iphoto albums, i headed to google maps.
which is when i learned that antigua is not in google maps street views.
by the way i’ve loved hearing from all of you that have traveled to antigua and had glowing things to say. i’m even more excited than before by your confirmations that it was a wise travel choice.
in between finding suitable sketch scenes i went outside to draw with my gouache. as usual i find labels an indispensable way to guide the viewer. by that i mean, if they have no idea what you’re attempting to depict.
i have no label for the next photo.
or this one.
but they really need no labels as it is v.v. obvious that they are people.
i found this excellent urban sketching lesson by marc taro holmes. i’ve been trying out his single-line approach to sketch scenes.
he has a tips & tricks category on his blog that is invaluable if you love learning about sketching.
this is a collection of quicky continuous line sketches intended as warm-ups.
in between my bouts of sketching i stopped to read the latest brain pickings.
which is when i decided to stock up on road trip reads. they really deserve a separate post there are so many.
i finished one book and have started a much-anticipated other.
waving from los angeles to wherever in the big wide world you happen to be. i’ll just be here. doing stuff.
Vanessa (she of the Hong Kong studio peek of days past) and I will be heading back to SMA in about 9 days time, can’t wait! Love seeing these one line sketches of yours, will definitly check out that link! The sketch photo second from the bottom looks very much like SMA to me, I love those coloured buildings!
Sketchbookery has been a blast of freedom. I enjoy coloring outside the lines. I am in LA too, so the temperature has kept me away from Lacy Park, and “car sketching.” (I thought that lesson was going to teach us how to draw Chevys and Fords.) When I get it together I will post my work on the lesson sharing pages. Right now, it’s too hot to bother. Love your work, style, and music choices. What a great class. I will try another.
I have to tell you how pleased I am to have signed up for Sketchbookery. You are so real and you have given me permission to paint outside the lines. I have quite a portfolio now of your lessons and my attempts. All fun. Since I live in LA too, the weather has kept me from visiting Lacy Park and “car sketching” a few old homes in our area. (I thought that lesson was going to teach us how to draw Chevys and Fords.) At some point, when the temperature drops, I will post my work. Look for my portrait of a steer that I drew with a Tombow from a Consumer Report magazine cover. So fun. THANK YOU!!!!!!!
I have his book, and several free downloads that came from taking his class. Citizen Sketcher is his blog…
I love every one of these continuous line drawings. So spontaneous and fresh, nothing stiff or “perfect” and precious, which I love.
We will do Single line drawings everyday while we are on the California odyssey. And buildings and seascapes and flowers and and and….
so glad you commented on Carol’s post. reminded me that i must not have been switched when you changed servers for the blog. missed your musings for the past week. checking out the tips and tricks this afternoon. thanks!!
Hi Mary Ann–I love the continuous line sketching idea and I will try it! You sketches are really cool. I’m behind on reading my Brain Pickings emails. I usually read only what catches my interest, though. Enjoy your next trip!
I love being able to subscribe to your blog, and I love the one-liner drawings, they are so fresh and full of action! Can’t wait to experience Guatemala through your eyes, either!
Your line sketches are divine Mary Ann as are your ramblings about your day in the sweet shelter of Moss Cottage. Your reports from the western front are one of the delights of my daily blog roaming.
Waving at you from my northern perch. 😉
I love the line drawings! And you finished a 137 page blurb book??? My, aren’t you prolific! Have you finished “A Man Called Ove” already? I am halfway through. I want to say things about it but can’t , lest I ruin it for the next person who wants to read it. I just got done reading a few chapters of that, and went out to get my horse in for the evening. My golden retriever dog, Tucker was out nose to nose grazing with the horse. I kid you not. He must have thought it must be really good to eat if the horse does it for hours. And the dairy cows.
I am still sort of stuck on that one mixed media collage canvas and started another project last night, which I worked on right in front of the unruly one. Let that be a lesson to the troublesome canvas. Take that!
In a few minutes I am going to start dinner….a new recipe. Maple roasted chicken and acorn squash. Sounds fall-ish, doesn’t it? It has been very cool here today. Need comfort food! Thank you for sharing with us, all of the wonderful things you do, Mary Ann. You are a delight!
the blurb book was super easy the pages just went right where they should automatically and i only had to make a few adjustments. not kidding.
ove was so sweet. i really did enjoy it. i finished this morning and started on the 4th in the series (but written by a different author) “the girl in the spider web” i love lizbeth salander. another swedish book for me! your maple chicken sounds delish.
yum yum yum
I am amazed by you everyday, and the invaluable information you give us just by your blog posts, and they are so beautiful! You rock!
I love hearing about your tangents. I’ve been very very sidetracked with reupholstery. I found 2 chairs at Salvation Army for $4, and have set about recovering them in teal velvet because I, apparently, NEED two teal velvet chairs: one for art, one for writing. I plan to draw them too. Also, it’s freaking hot here in SF, which I’m done of. Send rain; me and the succulents are parched.