Conference speaker (10-05-13)

I really enjoy working on caricatures and to draw out the odd elements in a plain face (in this case, the rigid pose, the small eyes and the felt-like hair).

A not-so-good portrait (09-16-13)

This is what happens when I draw with my arm outstretched, rather than bring the sketchbook closer to me: the results are distorted and look almost caricatural.

What shoes to choose? (09-13-13)

Since the store group I belong to has had a 180 days' safety record, we get to choose a pair of Keen shoes. A difficult decision to make!

And now, for something different... (07-24-13)

Here is an image that I created, reworked in Photoshop CS4. To not get too specific in details, this image was part of a large event board, with text underneath. I erased the text, copied the upper border, reversed it, reduced its size and added it to the bottom of the image, carefully erasing the text underneath.

Hawthorne Bridge and the Blues Festival (07-04-13)

We went to the Waterfront Blues Festival planning to end the 4th of July with a concert by MarchFourth Marching Band followed by fireworks.

Major chaos! The crowd at the waterfront was so dense we barely were able to find a place to sit; Valérie and Patrick were forced to go someplace far from us. Not to be picky here, but although we were relatively close to the stage, it was difficult to hear the concert, to the point that I felt distanced and inattentive, When it was time for the fireworks, we realized the stage was blocking our view of most fireworks save those that were high up in the air...

There was no room to move or do anything, so I pulled my sketchbook out and worked on this watercolor of the Hawthorne Bridge.

Stained Glass Window (04-21-13)

Valérie came up to Portland to sing in a fundraiser concert for the Oregon State Choir at First Presbyterian Church downtown. We sat upstairs at the balcony level and I had a close view of the beautiful workmanship in the interior woodwork (how different from the stone interiors of cathedrals in Europe!). Rather than draw the singers during the concert, this time I painted the south rosetta window.

Self-Portrait in Watercolors (07-10-12)

I struggle every time I use my watercolors, but I like the results this time...

New Sketchbook (07-08-12)

I started a new sketchbook, and decided to introduce some other colors than the usual black pen, and work on patterns for the signatures.

Random Designs (07-03-12)

I was trying to work on some forms and shapes that would suggest fabric patterns; I used a black brush pen and a silver and a gold gel pen.

Cruise to Alaska: Tracy Arm Fjord (07-03-12)

The Inside Passage and Tracy Arm Fjord were the most beautiful part of the cruise... At the risk of sounding cliché, -and I am not one to start posting vacation photos-, but really... WHALES! We saw whales!

 The water was an exquisite opaque green, and looked like Jade-ite.

So I spent the day inside one of the ship's restaurants, trying to paint what I saw.

Tracy Arm Fjord in early afternoon

Cruise to Alaska: Skagway (07-02-12)

The cruise ship's second stop was in Skagway, a spectacularly beautiful natural area.

Cruise to Alaska: Juneau (07-01-12)

I used my old watercolor pencils to record my first impressions of Juneau as the cruise ship entered the city...(there isn't much).

Finishing my sketchbook (06-27-12)

When I complete a sketchbook, I sometimes add some finishing touches, such as color, collages, whatever strikes me as interesting. Since we are leaving on a cruise very shortly (this, despite my absolute fears of ending at the bottom of the ocean), I decided to do something that would indicate a them of voyage, without tipping over into scrapbooking.

This is the title page of the sketchbook.

A house, in the style of Flemish architecture (06-26-12)

During the first session of the Cartooning class I teach at the Milwaukie Center, I gave the kids the assignment to draw something without letting the pen leave the page. While they were busy, I decided to work along on the whiteboard.
It's funny, but as I started drawing a house, the style that immediately came to mind was that of Flemish architecture, tall houses with crenellated gables and small windows, as one commonly sees in Belgium in such cities as Brussels, Bruges, or Ghent...

Left: As drawn from memory           Right: A random example of the real thing

OSU Commencement (06-16-12)

What a long and exciting day!

Valérie just graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with options in Choral Music Education and Piano Performance. And so, she participated in that necessary rite of passage, the Commencement ceremony...along with 3,500 to 4,000 other graduates from Oregon State University. 

What made the day a unique and especially challenging one was that Michelle Obama gave a speech at Commencement. Consequently, in addition to long wait times, access to OSU's Reser Stadium was subject to all the expected extra security measures, such as airport metal detector gates, unsmiling people rummaging through bags and purses, even sharpshooters on the stadium roof! 

The speeches were good, the graduates were happy, and the 30,000-strong audience consisting proud parents, relatives and friends was supportive. All in all, it was a nice day.

We sat on a sunny side of the side of the stadium closest to the College of Liberal Arts (and could see Valérie from afar), but as the afternoon wore on, shade came on our side while the other side of the stadium was still sunny, and there was a nasty little breeze that made everyone wish they'd brought a warm jacket...

Watching the ceremony

 To distract myself from the chilly weather, I pulled out my color pencils and worked on painstakingly trying to match the colors I saw; but I didn't quite finish my drawing...

Meeting of the Dreamers' Club (05-06-12)

I got an intriguing invitation via email for a meeting of the Dreamers' Club...

This took place at TaborSpace on SE Belmont, but I wasn't in the best frame of mind... In fact, I was right in a such deeply depressed state of mind that made it impossible to even think of any project in my life that would be of any worth to even think about.

So I wrote down other people's dreams for the group.

Members of the Dreamers Club, with miserable me, on the right

Crystal Springs (05-02-12)

I have driven through Eastmoreland for years, always wondering about Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens. I finally decided that since this was a day when the entry was free after 4 PM, I might as well put my inner questions about the place to rest.

Yeah, it is pretty, but kinda boring. There were lots of people, actually too many, some of whom were jerks, like the guy who was showing his kid how to pester a duck, and the couples who blocked the way with bulky strollers.

I can see color variations, shadows, etc., in a photo, but I struggle with real scenery. So I made a valiant effort, even though the result looks static...

Hmmm...

PDX Urban Sketchers at the Chinese Garden (04-21-21)

The Portland Urban Sketchers met at the Lan Su Chinese Garden as a group, to sketch or paint. As usual, I got there so late that I might as well have not bothered going (and that's exactly why I make myself go, even if late...). I was so late, that it was almost closing time, and a nice man at the gate let me in for free; he probably felt sorry for me...

I don't feel very confident with color, but made a valiant effort to paint with my small portable watercolor kit.

Entrance Gate 

Tablecloth Sketch (02-23-12)

I went to Romano's Macaroni Grill with my friends Suzanne, and we had a nice time talking... 

Doing so, I drew this face; it's a bit distorted because I wasn't drawing it close to me, but almost at arm's length...

A Food Cart on 82nd (02-16-12)

I was driving by the Cartlandia food cart lot on 82nd Ave. in the rain, when I stopped on an impulse, thinking it might be fun to draw a food cart. I parked the car and decided to try my hand at watercolor pencils for a change from the usual black pen.

Cute little food cart