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What turned out to be an attempt to sketch more often has turned into an attempt to sketch every day this month. Trying to do more art every day and make a jump in my art practice, be it in technique, subject matter and mind set.

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I've heard of a saying where the more messy a person is the more creative they are… or at least, I console myself with this idea.

One half of where the magic happens… or as many other people call it, a messy table. This place also doubles as my living room, dining room, entertainment area, and if need be, a place where a person could crash.

The other half of where the magic happens. Yes, I'd like to think I have aminimalistic design sensibility.

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Colder temperatures makes for tighter quarters. Sketching at Tmothy's cafe in Bloor West Village.

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Some time to kill before an appointment so I chose to sketch at the Oakham Cafe, Ryerson University. This student was kind enough to pose for me, but he did recross his legs a few times, which threw me off a bit.

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Another day. Another sketch.
I remember the days when there wasn't any wifi in coffee shops and you could actually talk to a someone adjacent to you who didn't have their nose deep inside their smart device. Those days, unfortunately, are gone and Gabe and Marlow are my unsusupecting guest models for my brief sojourn at the Second Cup coffee shop. I tip my hat to you gentlemen and thank thee.

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Sketching at the John St. Roundhouse this afternoon. Wearing black might make me look artsy, but it is not good attire for sketching especially without cover. Spent a few hours getting this down and burning my head.
The great thing was this sight was so close to the Skydome that I heard the roar of the crowd when the Jays did something good (they won over the Boston Red Sox and we're one game behind. The rubber match is tomorrow.)

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The last day of a beautiful Labour Day holiday weekend and I spend it indoors at Future Bakery. (insert eye roll here)

I noticed this person totally engrossed in drawing anime so I thought I'd draw him. Win win.

(Note to self: When hand lettering, pay more attention to spelling and grammar)

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A lovely afternoon sketching at Timmies with an iced coffee.

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This was a first today for me at the Bloor Gladstone Library.

As many of you know, the Bloor Gladstone Library is a regular haunt for me to sketch at, particularly the users of the library. Today, as I have done many times in the past, I went after work to sketch library people. Midway through drawing a lady (see below), a librarian came up to me and asked me to stop drawing her because it was an invasion of her privacy. She also mentioned that library policy prohibits taking pictures of people… architecture is good. People, not good. Technically, I wasn’t photographing anyone.

I understand the librarian’s issue with it, but 99% of the time I’m drawing people who are so engrossed with reading, fiddling on their mobile devices or sleeping, that they don’t realize that they are being sketched. Whenever I was “caught”, I’d show them what I did. For the most part they were flattered that I had drawn them. I’ve posted past drawing sessions from the library (all people) on my twitter feed and “likes” have come from the Bloor Gladstone Library account multiple times. If this was an issue, perhaps raising it then would have been the time to do it. I know the account is probably controlled by some tech guy somewhere else, but it gives me mixed messages.

As an artist, this is how I interact with the world. I’m drawn to people and sketching them is my record of that time. Some people write in their journals or keep small momentos from a special moment. This is my way to remember. In the entire eight years I have been sketching in public, this is second time I’ve been asked to stop sketching a person. When asked, I have stopped and apologized. That’s all I could do. I won’t stop drawing people in public, but I guess the Bloor Gladstone Library will only be a place where I borrow books from.

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Trying to work in a larger size sketchbook at the Bloor Gladstone Library.

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The domestic departure lounge at Pearson International Airport. Headed to Kelowna, B.C.

Some passengers within sketching range of me. Beware. I like the mid range distance the best.

The gentleman beside me was sleeping for most of the 4.5 hr. flight. Fortunately there was no one in the middle seat, so I had a full view of him the entire flight. Thank you good sir, for modelling for me.

The quad in which three of my friends and I stayed in at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus. Beautiful place.

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Stan the Man, aka. dad.
One of the most generous people I know with a gentle soul to match.

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Trying to squeeze everything I can out of the Bloor Gladstone Library, in particular, the people. Thank you, my unsuspecting models... except for the sleeping subway guy.

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I decided today to broaden my horizons and sketch at the Yorkville Library. It definitely has a different vibe from the Bloor Gladstone branch. One thing I noticed immediately was the toddler's sing along program that was happening as I was there. I would hear the lyrics (scribbled on the bottom of the page) sung by the librarian and the kids singing after her.

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Some after work sketching at one of my regular haunts. I chose to sit in a seat that would allow me to sketch anyone in front of me in profile… an ideal sketching position, I believe!

Answer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzlK0OGpIRs

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Post work sketch session at the Bloor Gladstone Library.

Urban Sketching, Toronto: T.D. Gallery of Inuit Art

I went with the Toronto Urban sketchers to the T.D. Inuit Art Museum. I didn't realize it existed, but it's tucked away in a quiet corner of the TD Tower. It was nice to be around liked minded people for a few hours.

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Oakham Cafe. Ryerson Uni. Cheap eats. Decent coffee. And a lot of people who don't move too much.

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Unsuspecting subjects at the Bloor Gladstone Library. A nice way to unwind after work.