Lunch Line

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan

 

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I often sketch people interacting with each other over a long meal but this sketch is about five individuals who seemed to be on a short lunch break. There was something about their body language that said they were waiting, in a hurry, and not in the mood for chatting  over a slow meal with a companion. I decided to convey this by drawing each person standing in their separate space, holding still, and looking forward toward the server, menu or food.

This is a pen and watercolor sketch on multimedia paper.

 

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Chagall Windows

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan

imageSince sketching is such a great way to really see something, I went to Ein Kerem to sketch Marq Chagall’s stained glass windows in the Hadassah Hospital’s Synagogue. The twelve windows celebrate the twelve tribes of Israel and are arranged in groups of three along each side of the square synagogue.

As I sketched, visitors came and went, often sitting silently and looking up. Just as it was nearing closing time I looked across the room and noticed how deeply the windows were impacting the visitors and so I quickly sketched a row of visitors. Later at home I connected two sketches together in Procreate to give an idea of the experience of sitting in a room beneath the twelve windows. I would like to go back with this composition in mind and work to capture more of the awe I saw and more of the details from the windows.

I used marker and watercolor on the upper sketch and pencil and watercolor on the lower. Both are on multimedia paper. The two sketches did not quite align so the middle area is blended using Procreate.

 

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Yafo Street

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan

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Sunday is a work day in Israel and Yafo Street in downtown Jerusalem was full of activity. There was much to sketch but the zigzag of the light on the buildings, street and people caught my eye and I spent my time working to catch it in this sketch.

This is a  pen and watercolor sketch on multimedia paper.

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Tired Out

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan

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We spent Saturday hiking in the mountains on the coastal side of Jerusalem and returned home with just enough reserve power for one quick sketch or email check apiece.

This is an ink and watercolor sketch.

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What Do Researchers Do All Day?

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Watercolor of man working on computer

What Do Researchers Do All Day?

My brother sent the following note about my February 26 sketch, “What Does It Mean?”

“I like this sketch. It reminds me of an illustration that I saw once that was duplicated exactly into two cells. The overall caption was “What programmers do all day” and the first cell had a caption that had the person asking himself “Why doesn’t this work?”, and the second one said “Why does this work?”. Your illustration would be perfect.”

My brother’s note got me thinking about deliberate practice and metacognition, or thinking about thinking. As it happens, I often do several sketches of the same subject,  and spend a lot of time thinking about the same two questions, ‘Why doesn’t this work?’ and ‘Why does this work?’   I make comparisons and changes as I work through answering variants of these two questions, many times using Procreate, an app on my iPad, to test out options.

I put these two similar sketches side by side because both show attention, focus, wondering, and thinking, which is pretty much the heart of what programers, researchers,  analysts and sketchers do all day.

I wanted to give credit to whomever was the source of the original artwork my brother saw and did some unsuccessful internet searches. If anyone knows the source I would appreciate knowing so I can cite it.

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March 12 update:  Here is a new note from my brother with a citation for the idea he sent. “I love the new side by side. Also, after much searching, I found the comic that I was thinking of. I didn’t quite have the quote right, so that made it harder to find.” http://www.justpo.st/post/7577

Posted in Body Language, Deliberate Practice, Facial Expression, Groups Interacting, People Learning, Story Creation, Telling a Story | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Oh Nana!

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan

 

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I wasn’t close enough to really hear the discussion but from time to time an, “Oh Nana!” would make it to my ears. The body language of their interaction, the intense attention of the young woman, the gestures of the older woman, and the way the older woman sat up straight while the younger leaned forward, captivated me. One of my goals is to tell a story with image and I like this sketch because it suggests that a young woman is learning  something important from her grandmother.

This is an ink and watercolor sketch on multimedia paper.

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Israeli National Flower

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan

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Hebrew University has a nature walk through part of its campus, a raised boardwalk with seating areas perfect for sketching. It is particularly nice just now with all the spring flowers, including the Israeli national flower, the Anemone Kalanit. I spent some time considering options for the nearby grasses and greens before going with abstract colors that suggest greenery.

This is a marker, watercolor pencil and watercolor sketch on multimedia paper. I made some adjustments in Procreate, mostly adding faint lines.

 

 

 

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