Mission accomplished: Naco Cafe and Zoots

It's 3am and I'm way too tired to comment on these images coherently. So I'll return to them in 8 hours.

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Good morning all. It's 6.5 later and I'm feeling quasi rested. So as promised I'm here finishing this post. The Naco Cafe is located a block from my place and is owned and run by Julian, a really nice guy from Mexico, I believe. His cafe doubles as an art gallery and constantly has shows running there. I've been there in the past but this was the first time I really looked at the space and how it felt to be in there and it really had a cool vibe. Alot of eye candy going on in the space like the religious icons; a picture of jesus and the small devil's head over the doorway to the back. If you're in Toronto, you definitely should check this space out.

Another cafe is Zoots. It's owned and run by Melanie Janisee, a Detroit native who finally landed in Toronto. I was fortunate that Melanie was curious enough to come up to me to see what I was doing. From this she told me that the name Zoots was the name of the cafe that she worked at while she was in Detroit. So i guess this is Zoots, the Toronto Version. Thanks for letting me idle away a few hours away drawing your cafe, Melanie. (She's also a great artist herself who has a few pieces hanging on her walls, in particular some small vignettes outside the washrooms)

Cafe at 181 Dovercourt Road

I was walking through my old stomping grounds and remembered a cafe on the corner that I always wanted to try out. So I did and I didn't regret the decision.

I couldn't find any name to the cafe other that the word "cafe" painted on the side of the building. Can you get anymore concise than that? I like it.

Amendment: I stand corrected. Thanks to Jen Spinner, the cafe is called, The Luna Café. Thanks, Jen.

Alternative Grounds Coffee House

The trouble with sketching in coffee houses is the seat availability. First come, first serve and so I didn't get the seat I wanted to do the interior of Alternative Grounds. So I had to settle for this view of the coffee grinder. I'll probably head back soon and try to draw a view that captures the window because it seems I've gotten into a pattern with the past two coffee houses of including the exterior facing window. So stay tuned and hopefully another Alternative Grounds image will be uploaded with a window in it.

White Squirrel Cafe

Well, as promised, another cafe interior.

TAN coffee

With the coming of winter, spending more time indoors is not an option, it's a necessity. I've walked by tthis coffee shop many times and always wanted to sketch this bean roaster. So here it is.

Sketchbook

My dad was admitted to the hospital this past weekend and although these are not the circumstances I would have liked to draw him under, these images and this blog try to reflect the experiences in my life.

sketchbook 11/11/09

I returned to the Art Gallery of Ontario for the second time since the Gehry renovation. It's still an inspiring space and I had hoped to climb the serpentine staircase that cantilevers and inhabits the Walker Court, the main foyer upon entering the Gallery. Unfortunately, it was closed due to over use and a ventilation system was being installed (Frank Gehry didn't anticipate the humidity created by the heavy traffic up and down those stairs). So the closest I got was this sketch.

I also went did a sketch of the Henry Moore Sculpture studio. A Canadian sculptor who produced these powerful, primal, bone like figures. Simply beautiful.

sketchbook 10/11/09

I had the entire image laid out in my mind. However, it seldom works out the way I usually see it. The gentleman with the glasses was supposed to be sitting to the right of the gentleman with the English style riding cap… slipped up on the proportions of this piece, but I thing it worked out well in the end. Also i couldn't resist sketching the gentleman with the cowboy hat. Who wears a cowboy hat in Toronto?!

For Andrew

A long time ago, my friend Andrew asked me to draw him an image with a castle and fish in it. He didn't specify anything else other than those two elements. I didn't of course, because I was just too lazy. More recently he asked me to draw the young boy I saw who had ta unibrow (i KNow, very un-PC, but the image stuck in my mind). Well I thought the timing was right so I incorporated his initial request with this request.


So here you go, Andrew.

sketchbook 09/11/09

Took a break from some computer work and sketched at the Bloor Gladstone Library.

I'm kicking myself for not sketching outside because it was such a beautiful day...oh, well.

I mucked the bottom lettering. Was trying to take advantage of the transparent nature of the watercolour to get a duo reading.

sketchbook 08/11/09

I spent an enjoyable, quiet afternoon at Starbucks sketching people.

sketchbook 06/11/09

This is the façade of the old ROM sketched from a walkway that leads to the new Crystal wing. The walkway had a great irregular shaped opening that I thought would be a nice framing device for this view. I wished I got a bit more of the opening



A few things I learned today:

1. Allan Gardens Conservatory is spelled with an "A" instead of an "E"

2. me+watercolour+drawing vegetation don't mix well.

3. sitting on an iron bench for a few hours-- not very comfortable, on several levels.

4. Bring an apple next time.

5. Another great indoor location to sketch for the up coming winter… and it's free.

Sketchbook 05/11/09

The big puddles of ink are covering mistakes. There I said it. One of the rules I've applied for myself for this sketchbook is not to skip any spreads. So I had to do something with the smudges. My initial action was to ignore it, but in the end I liked how these smudges sat in relation to the drawing. The addition of the date was an after thought.


I had made it an objective today to draw 2 spreads. This is the second one and the colour elements were added at home.

There is no rationale for the colour and shape of these forms other than the fact that I wanted them there. I know, I'm a bad ass, a rebel in a cardigan.
Actually, to apply a bit of arm chair psychology, I think it's a willful response to all the rationalizing i had to do as a graphic designer when I worked in an office.

sketchbook 04/11/09

I's so hard sketching meat! Gotta get down to the St. Lawrence market more often to sketch carcasses...hmmmm, dinner....

sketchbook 03/11/09

Dufferin/Gladstone library.