Tired Tourists at the Tower of David

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan

 

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The misnamed Tower of David is a museum that relates the 4,000 years of history of Jerusalem’s Old City by showing the different uses the site had over the ages. It is wonderful, huge, and exhausting, as can be seen in the body language of the three tourists at the bottom of the page who had to stop for a pause in the sun. The enormity of the scene overwhelmed me and this is the best of my three sketches today. To give a sense of the scale, the figures are about halfway across the site from me.

This is an ink drawing with watercolor wash, with a few adjustments made in Procreate.

 

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Street Drummer

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan

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At nearly five in the afternoon Yafo Street in central Jerusalem was full of hurrying people. A street musician began to play the hang drum and people stopped to listen. I was lucky to be already sitting across the street drawing and so began to sketch this scene as quickly as I could, using a gesture style for my line and just a simple wash for color.

This is a pen and watercolor sketch on multimedia paper. I made some adjustments to it in Procreate.

 

 

 

Posted in Groups Interacting, Telling a Story | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Highway Sketch

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan

 

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Driving back from the Ben Gurion Airport we encountered a long traffic jam, due to construction I think. Fortunately I was in the passenger’s seat with my sketchbook and the trees were lovely and inviting. I have been wanting to try adding white lines to my black lines for emphasis and this was the perfect opportunity.

This is a marker, pen, white gel pen and watercolor sketch on multimedia paper.

 

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Saturday Afternoon at the Park

Posted on February 27, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan

 

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It was a beautiful spring day and perfect for sketching in Jerusalem’s Beit HaKerem neighborhood, where we are staying for these three months. The park I visited today is a long, narrow green-space along the Begin freeway. The walls, archways, and benches are made of stone and line the paths, playgrounds and flowerbeds.

One of my goals is to tell a story with image. I did several versions of this sketch before I included the figure on the bench, which made all the difference. The relaxed figure, who was leaned over writing on a sheet of paper, added a focus to the park scene.

This is a marker, pen and watercolor sketch.

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What Does It Mean?

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan

 

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The body language of thinking often involves sitting up straight, staring directly at a person, computer, or text, and a hand gesture that shows surprise or attention. I believe I caught all three of these this morning in this pen and watercolor sketch.

 

Posted in Facial Expression, People Learning | Tagged | 1 Comment

Cafe at Ein Karem

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan

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We walked through the Jerusalem Forest to Ein Karem, a ancient village where Saint John the Baptist grew up. It is a beautiful town full of stone buildings, small parks, cobblestone lanes, monasteries, churches, and a central area where we stopped for lunch.

This is a pen and watercolor sketch on multimedia paper.

 

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In the Jerusalem Forest

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan

 

imageI watched two adventurers scramble on the rocks across the way from me in the Jerusalem Forest, a gorgeous green space along the west side of the city. I noticed how much fun the pair seemed to be having in the dazzling light and wanted to capture it.

This started as a simple pencil sketch on multimedia paper but soon became muddied with watercolor. I worked on it in Procreate, trying to recapture the the bright airy feel of the forest.

 

Posted in Telling a Story | Tagged , , | 1 Comment