Friday, May 15, 2015

USk Chicago Sketch Seminar's Registration is Open!



If you're looking for a fun weekend in July join us at the USk–Chicago Sketch Seminar! You can register online on the 2015 Seminar blog

I want to say thank you to our generous sponsors: Stillman & BirnWinsor & Newton JetPens.com, Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Arts, Nock Co., DeAtrementis Monkeypencil Screen Printing & Apparel. Your support for Urban Sketching is much appreciated!

I promise I'll post an update on Every Day in May soon!

Friday, May 8, 2015

EDM Installment 3

6– Something with Bristles


7– An Envelope

Something with bristles, # 6 on the Every Day in May list is my old workhorse paint brush. I use it all the time. Trees, splatter, texture, you name it, it does it!

The next one, # 7 an envelope, is a more sentimental choice. It's an envelope from a letter my father sent me a long time ago. He was in the navy and when ever he was out to sea he would send me letters filled with love and his Popeye cartoon sketches. There were no stamps on these letters. Since they were mailed from Navy ships the postage was free. I think it was these sketches that inspired me to keep on drawing even as I hit that adolescent stage when many kids stop drawing for fun.





Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Every Day in May, Second Installment

2. a tree 

4.  herbs/spices in a jar or bottle 

5. something hot
I'm continuing the effort to use less pencil/line drawing and more paint. The process of letting the paint do the work is fun though I'm not always thrilled with the product. That's not the point, right? I'm using odds and ends of paper that are floating around the studio. The different types of paper add a surprise element to the process!


  • May 2 – an evergreen on our back deck that looks like it made it through the Chicago winter.
  • May 4 – vanilla pods
  • May 5 – Happy Cinco de Mayo!

OK,  where's May 3 – curtains? I'll get back to you on that one. It has me stumped!

Friday, May 1, 2015

You Know What They Say About Good Intentions



I've joined the Every Day in May, 2015 group on FB. The intention is to draw on item on the EDM list every day in May. I'm usually not good at these things. I can be like a magpie chasing after the next shiny thing but here goes! Today's item is a favorite food. It doesn't get more favorite than pizza for me.

My other intention for this project is to draw more with the paint rather than pencil. I don't want to eliminate pencil marks (they're almost on the favorite scale with pizza) but to use them more selectively.  Wish me luck!