WHAT A CRUMMY MAY we are having so far in the Pacific Northwest. Cold, overcast. Let the sun come, warm my body, give me light! It's cold in Chicago, too - almost frigid, wind blowing like a small hurricane at Wrigley Field. I'm ready for Sunday mornings on the deck with the NY Times and nothin' else to do.

Metro to Sound to Community Transits "Take the Bus"

I've been riding the bus to work a few times. Actually, the busses. It makes for a longer day and little longer trip because I have to transfer 2-3 times, riding 3 different bus services, and there's waiting time. Only when it's light enough at 7 a.m. in the morning am I interested, but I do enjoy not having to drive, wait in traffic, use the gas - really expensive now - and be able to read the paper, take a little snooze, draw....

One Thing Leads to Another

...and you find that you have (not only used about 5 hours of your life you'll never get back) found the most incredible place, resource, or eye candy, and how is it you never knew about that before? A page from my journal from Feb 07. Actually, I filled two pages with these webbed distractions! (The drawing is not mine.)

Another more recent typical "journey" that happened yesterday:

Checked recent postings on e-mail from Everyday Matters and went to Karen Winter's site who linked me to Daily Paintings from new Hampshire who told me about Russell Stutler and his amazing sketches and sketchbooks who sketches in Japan and who lists good resources for sketchers. Among them are some Japanese sketchbooks which led me to search for "Japanese bookstores," thinking some of these gems might be there. Lo and behold, I find there's one in my own city connected to Ujiwama - Kinokuniya Japanese Bookstore. So my day's plans changed (one reason I love Saturdays). I headed down to the International District. I didn't find any of the sketchbooks, however, but it was a fun diversion anyway. I'll go back later and get some of their amazing giant "sketchbooks" with heavy watercolor-like paper in them. (They were called Spiral...) I'll also get the twisted bamboo from Ujiwama - I love those and forgot about them until I saw them there.

Anyway, New Hampshire led me to "from Maine" blog who led me to Library Thing. I've been using something similar (Bookpedia) to keep a record of art books I own, but the features in Library Thing - which is FREE - called me in. I'm keeping track of books I read and checking out the lists of others. Sort of a "Delicious" for readers.

Tops and Bottoms and Insides, too

One technique I learned in Caroline's workshop was this one. It worked well with a photo of five ladies waiting at a marina with their backpacks and purses nearby. I drew a contour line of just the top part of the photo, looking at the shapes the bodies made. Then a drew a blind contour line of the bottoms parts, including their legs and feet. It worked! I could then fill the inside details in if I wanted. (( rather like just this much, too!)



This is a sketched version of the same scene as Tops and Bottoms but as sketched from a photo. I loved the women's various sitting and waiting shapes.