Out of This World

Angel, Martin Zürn 1640, LUMA

In never ceases to amaze  me how much Chicago has to offer- from theater to music to food to sports to art and on and on. This is a sketch done at LUMA (Loyola University Museum of Art) in the D'Arcy permanent collection – a beautiful Baroque, German, wooden angel. I added color at home.

Down by the Riverside, Urban Style

DuSable Bridge-Michigan Ave.

This is a quick sketch I did last Saturday while waiting for the water taxi. I was headed to Chinatown to meet up with Urban Sketchers-Chicago. I love the mad rush to get as much done as you can and not knowing when you'll run out of time. There's no  time for fussiness,  just see, scribble, and paint, see, scribble, and paint some more! This was about ten minutes and I did punch up the color a bit when I got home.

It's also the very last page in my pocket-sized Moleskine that I've been carrying around with me for awhile. Another feeling I love - cracking open a brand new sketchbook!

A Pause in My Running

This was a short pause in this week's hectic schedule to take my granddaughter to cross country practice. It was a nice way to spend some time soaking up a little fall-like sun and fresh air. I did this quick sketch (15 minutes including assorted chat breaks) with a Tombow marker and water brush. It was nice to leave the running to others! Ahh.

Eureka! Watercolor Pencils

Down on the Farm, Piermont, NH

This is a sketch I did entirely with watercolor pencils. They've been around for a long time but I've never really experimented with them before. I've outlined the tips and tricks I used over at the Urban Sketcher - Chicago blog for this week's Tips & Tricks post. After doing this sketch I've added a few watercolor pencils to my regular out and about sketch kit. I love the texture and juicy yet controlled darks that are possible with the pencils.

Saving Summer

Lincoln Park Zoo

Today, our Monday sketch group went to the zoo. It was a perfect afternoon even though I think I spent more time soaking up the sun than sketching! It's hard to believe that summer is over. Even so sketches like this will remind me in January that the sun does shine in Chicago!

When my children were little I would read the book Fredrick by Leo Lionni. It's about a mouse that stored up memories of summer to savor when winter hit. I still love that book! I wonder if my kids remember it.