Craftsy with Crew

Got the OK from Craftsy to post this image...we're in an alley, right on the street, sketching on location in Denver!  This was our third spot that day. I felt like a star, surrounded by these talented folks.

Thanks to the amazing team of Brendan, Rob, Ryan, Nick, and back at the studio Danica who saved me with wonderful hair and make up, and Molly who saved me with Acclimate, a drink with electrolytes for the effects of altitude in the mile high city.

It was an exhausting 4 days, but also great fun.  I can't wait to see how the class turns out!

Detour in Denver

This post is not about Italy, but about DENVER, Colorado where I am right now for nearly 5 days, filming an online class on perspective sketching for the amazing CRAFTSY www.craftsy.com  

The folks here are amazing to work with and the class is VERY ambitious...full of
information presented in new ways. We are filming on location in the city as well as in the studio.  I am so thrilled to get to do this, to offer simple information on perspective to such a broad sketching and artist audience around the globe!

Filming on location in Denver for CRAFTSY, wish I could show more
but I can't!  I am surrounded by talented photographers and a great
producer!

Many thanks to incredibly talented artist and teacher, Paul Heaston, for the recommendation to Craftsy...I follow in the giant footsteps of such talented artists like Paul, Shari Blaukopf, and Marc Taro Holmes, whose new Craftsy class just launched this week.

More from Venice, the Piazza San Marco

In Venice, I was constantly pulled to the Piazza San Marco to sketch.  Some say it is the most famous urban space and "living room" in the world, and at the very least, the icon of Venice. It is indeed an amazing space and challenging to capture in a sketch.

The sketch below was done during the blazing hot afternoon, sitting with Marc and Laurel and my husband Rich while we melted, having the most expensive latte and sandwich of our lives...and it was probably worth it for the view (and the music).

This sketch is from the upper level of the Basilica San Marco.  I documented this sketch at various stages and used the photos in my lecture on perspective in Singapore. It is sketched in my favorite sketch book, the Pentalic Aqua Journal.




And finally, for me, the quintessential view of the piazza, done while sitting next to Marc and Sean Andrew Murray.  Thanks to Laurel Holmes for capturing us in action.

OK, here we go...starting in Venice...

My wonderful crazy summer of globe-trotting sketching started with a bang in of all places, beautiful Venice. Although I was there with family, I spent my days sketching with one of my sketching heroes, Marc Taro Holmes and his wife Laurel, who captured everything in photos. 

Marc had just taught a workshop in Cortona, Italy, and I was about to teach a workshop in Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy--so we all decided to meet in the middle, in Venice. Honestly, I was pinching myself on a daily basis.

First sketch of the trip, found Laurel and Marc at the center of Venice, the Piazza San Marco.
Can you see the influence of jet lag in the sinking buildings left and right?

OK, I was absolutely intimidated attempting to keep up with Marc.  He works so fast, so beautifully, using his brush to paint in such a gestural way.  He draws very little and paints a lot, the opposite of me.  His was the one workshop I took in Paraty last year, and he is so good, so clear in his instruction--a really natural teacher and incredibly talented artist. Sitting next to him, I found myself trying to work faster and faster, trying to paint like him, which of course, I can't--although I wish I could! 

Sitting below a bridge, next to Marc and my husband, Rich,
this is the famous Bridge of Sighs.

Eventually, I found my way back to my trusty mechanical pencil and the drawing of architecture I like to do, but it took a few days of sketching before I could settle down. You can see my search in the sketches.  


Having a few days of adjustment to a new place happens pretty much every where I go, and I discovered that this is very common for everyone else too, which is why instructors try to arrive a little early before the USk symposia.

Panorama view of the canal looking across to the famous, Ca D'Oro after a huge rainstorm. Click on the
image to see it larger!

Venice was absolutely beautiful, with glorious color-saturated views at every turn. It was also crowded and hot (or so I thought before I went to Asia...), all adding to the blur and magic of this beautiful floating city. 

Small, quick sketch of the bridge across from the train station, sketched from our hotel,
sipping delicious caffe latte in the morning light, before running to the train. I'm sketching
this view in the image at the top of this blog page!

Next post, sketches of the Piazza San Marco...

Back in Sunny Seattle

I was so happy this morning to join Seattle Urban Sketchers on the waterfront at the University of Washington Seattle campus!  A beautiful, sunny summer day, I sketched the Conibear Shell House designed by amazing architect and friend Bob Hull.  As I sat and counted bays, counted windows, studied the relationships of various elements (drawing something makes you look so closely!), I felt as if I could see Bob's design intent and understand a bit of his genius.

This was an amazing summer of travel...in the next few weeks, I'll be posting sketches and photos of Italy (sketching in Venice with Marc Taro Holmes, teaching the DRAW CIVITA workshop in Civita di Bagnoregio, then Rome), Holland, then off to Asia for the Urban Sketchers symposium in Singapore (where I gave a lecture and got to sketch with such talented folks!), followed by adventure sketching with a large group in Cambodia at Angkor Wat, ending with 5 days in Bangkok, Thailand.  I am so grateful to have these incredible opportunities to travel and learn about what I see through sketching.

Sunny morning at the University of Washington's Conibear Shell House, home
to the famous UW rowers...

Next week, I'll be in Colorado to film my upcoming Craftsy online class called "Perspective for Sketchers"...
...stay tuned!  Lots of sketches to follow~

Last Day in Asia

These past few days in Bangkok have been really fun, mostly walking around and sketching with fellow Seattle sketcher Gail Wong and her husband John, as well as sometimes Suta Lee from Tennessee who also attended the Singapore symposium.

Yesterday we took a great 2 hour boat trip along the river in Bangkok, stopping at the picturesque floating market for a quick sketch.  

Color to follow, but here are a few images.

Floating market, Bangkok, dark and under a train bridge...almost medieval, packed
with people and amazing foods cooked on the spot.

Can you see it?  My quick pencil sketch of the market boats.

 Today, we headed out to the Grand Palace and to see the Emerald Buddha...an complex of temples, stuppas, and various other buildings, they are all covered in tiny mosaics of mostly colored glass or ceramic pieces...and packed with sweaty, selfie taking tourists.

I managed around 8 pencil sketches today--no time to watercolor and it was also too hot and crowded--mostly very quick sketches.  Late in the day, I headed on my own back to the Wat Bawon not too far from our hotel.  It's a very beautiful, comparatively simple collection of buildings, also where we went out first night here to mark Buddha Day, so to me, it's a special place!

Gail, a bit of John, and me at the Temple with the emerald buddha (actually
jade)...it's super hot and humid, and we actually got a bit of sun today for a change.

 Trying to squeeze in so much onto one piece of paper...bells clanging, people everywhere, extraordinary heat, a true visual and audio overload even for me...exhausting and exhilarating!

 Three quick sketches of smaller (ha!) spaces...really complex buildings to draw, especially
at midday.

I'll continue to post images and sketches from Italy, Holland, Singapore, Cambodia, and Thailand in the next few weeks...it's been quite a summer of travel and sketching--I LOVE it and am so very grateful for these amazing opportunities!