How to Choose a Model for Sketching

Saturday was Worldwide SketchCrawl. It was also the regular gathering of Urban Sketchers – Chicago. We originally planned to meet at Cloud Gate, (a.k.a. The Bean) Anish Kapoor's iconic sculpture in Millennium Park. Chicago's weather being what it is forced us indoors at the Chicago Cultural Center on the other side of Michigan Avenue. 

There is so much going on at the center that it's hard to focus. After viewing two art exhibits on display I settled down in the center section on the first floor. Despite the glorious mosaics and architecture, I was pulled toward the floral arrangement that added a touch of spring to my tired-of-winter-gray eyes. Then Jodie, another USk–Chicago sketcher, came along and sat next to the flowers and began to sketch. Perfect! That settled it, two lovely subjects to sketch that weren't going to move for a while! Just before it was time to reassemble as a group in the main lobby, Mary Beth came along and sat on the other side of the table. I managed just a quick sketch of her. 

Thanks to Alex Zonis, here's a panorama of the motley crew.

Happy Earth Day!

These are a few quick sketches I did  at the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool in Chicago a few summers ago. I like the no pencil approach in them. It's a style I rarely use but I've begun playing around with it again. 

Sketching a Bird's Eye View

What a glorious afternoon! Thanks to Carole Hennessy, the Illinois Artisans, our Monday sketching group had the opportunity to sketch in the Cook County Law Library in the Daley Center. The views were magnificent, so magnificent in fact that I abandoned my usual people mode and went for the vista. The colors of Lake Michigan were almost like the Caribbean and the variety of architecture was overwhelming. I wish I could have sketched the smell of being surrounded by books. It added a cozy feel to the wild blue yonder.

Since it was a library we curbed our usual chattiness. Interestingly, we all got a lot more sketching done. What fun a day!

Coming Attractions!

A Room with a View

Just a heads up for all of you Urban Sketchers and Would-be Urban Sketchers, Urban Sketchers-Chicago soon will be announcing the details for the July 2015 Sketch Seminar. Keep your eyes open on FB, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter! I'll be teaching a class for beginners in Urban Sketching. Come join the fun!