Balloon Astonishes Man
We were in the kitchen, sketching and eating. I was working on the view out the kitchen window when a hot air balloon went by, surprising us all. I loved the look of astonishment and quickly just drew in the astonished man over the kitchen window drawing. Then I spent an enormous amount of time trying to erase the drawing behind the figure and make the balloon believable.
This is a pencil, paper and iPad sketch.
Umbrellas at the Beer Garden
The umbrellas against the evening sky at this beer garden in Chemnitz caught my eye and I wanted to capture it. By the time I added in people, tables and trees it distracted from the umbrellas against the setting sun but the sketch was more true to the spirit of the beer garden. I like that the groups of people appear to be actively interacting with each other.
It has been awhile since I was in Germany and I had to update my beer garden concept when we went out. I remember beer gardens from 30 years ago as outdoor places with long wooden tables where lots of people sat together sharing pitchers of beer, eating sausages, talking, and listening to lively music. The beer garden we visited in Chemnitz is more like an upscale outdoor restaurant with a full menu and individual tables- no more sharing tables with strangers. But even with the changes, the beer garden is still a charming place to linger and enjoy the long summer evening with friends.
This is a pencil and iPad sketch.
Duel between Curiosity and Sleep
A fight to dominate the mind of this man played out as I sketched. Sleep and curiosity fought each other for control. I think you can see in his eyes which won out in the short run.
This is a pen and watercolor sketch.
A Good Day for Sunning
As far as I can tell, any day with sun in Denmark is a good day for sunning. I passed by this park in downtown Odense twice today and both times it was full of people enjoying the warm weather.
This is a pencil and iPad sketch.
The Reader
We drove around the northern coast of Zealand and stopped for a swim at Tisvilde. Sitting near us was a young reader who could not be coaxed into the water by his family, “In a minute!” he kept saying.
This is a very quick sketch using pencil and watercolor on multimedia paper.
Roskilde Cathedral from the North Side
The Roskilde Cathedral is far more beautiful than this sketch suggests. It sits tall and dignified on a hill and dominates the area. Its interior is rich in paintings, sculptures and especially graves, since most of the Danish royalty have been buried here for the last 600 years.
This is a pen, watercolor and iPad sketch.
“I wouldn’t put it that way…”
Research takes time because clarity comes from considering the nuances of an idea, which is not a speedy process. Sometimes even after forty years of working together it can feel like you are just getting started at understanding an idea.
After dinner, these two friends since graduate school stayed at the table talking for a long time while I sketched on the iPad. Besides exchanging stories, telling jokes, and catching up on news, they kept coming back to an idea they are working on. The body language of the speaker shows idea building. His eyes are looking away into space and his hands are symbolically holding parts of the idea for him. The listener is carefully considering what is said and his wry smile and distant gaze indicate that he does not yet think the idea is stated well. But he waits, holding his arms down, until the speaker throws the idea back at him to hold and consider.
This is an iPad sketch.
Deliberate Sketching 