sketchbook

Some pre-aikido sketching at Timmies. A 49er? Nahhhh, it's Old Blue... with a tablet.

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Coffee and sketching at Timmies.

I missed a few stops to get this guy down. I should have missed a few more to get his reflection... next time!

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Going up to my dad's place today. I promised myself I'd sketch whoever was in front of me, regardless of whether they were awake or sleeping. (Thank god, they were all sleeping or looking at their smart phones).

I call this spread "subway people and man eating a donut".

Coming back from my dad's place. I have to say, I prefer sketching on the Bloor line vs. the Yonge line because I think it's a lot smoother.

Final sketch on the train (Bloor line). I was tempted to miss my stop to keep on sketching this man because he was a great model! He knew I was sketching him, but he didn't flinch and kept on reading his paper.

sketchbook- library people

"P.S., I Love You"

Acrylic on board

sketchbook... no more steam

Some post work sketching at my local...library. I lost a bit of steam towards the end and my model was getting fidgety. I think he sensed I was drawing him. So I think the signs were all there to call it quits.

sketchbook - water and coffee

It was a beautiful day in Toronto and I had to get out to do my first outdoor sketch in hopes of quickening the arrival of true spring weather... (didn't work because it was still a bit too cool for me). However, I did go down to the waterfront and found a nice spot to sketch some armour rock and a beautiful uprooted tree.

After this, I need to warm up a bit so I went to one of the many ubiquitous indie coffee shops on Roncesvale and had a coffee, scone and some sketch time.

Sketchbook

First time ever I nodded off while sketching. I stopped sketching and went home and took a nap.

painting experimentation

acrylic on panel, 10" x 12"

"You a trekkie? Me too! Let's have some deviled eggs, shall we?"

Painting is still a chore for me. I really haven't figured out techniques, how to work with colour on a full size painting (hence the predominant b+w colour scheme) or just using the brush the way I can with a pen. So after completing this painting, I wanted to get all the residual anxiety out by having fun with the nonsensical title for this painting.

Stay tuned for the next nonsense titled painting.

sketchbook - Bloor Gladstone LIbrary

sketchbook- Bloor Gladstone Library revisited, for a thrid time... or maybe, fourth.

Another go to place for sketching, the Bloor Gladstone Library.

I came to a realization when I started sketching the photocopy machine: I start a details level and work my way out to bigger components. This could be said about how I start any drawing. For the most part it works for me, but the photocopy machine looks like disparate parts drawn side by side. I think I need to start on a large scale, and work down to the details. Broad strokes first.

sketchbook -- Simply Sundays, Tequila Bookworm

I spent two hours today with a group of like minded creatives at the Tequila Bookworm. Some sketched, others braided. It was nice to meet some new faces.
The main subject (I forgot her name) of this sketch was braiding, I think a wrist bracelet.

sketchbook - "Stan the Man #4"

A.K.A. my dad. Another installment in the Stan the Man series.

sketchbook- Bloor Gladstone Library

Some afetr work sketching at the Bloor Gladstone Library. Toronto has been hit with a cold spell for the last few days and there's only so many places along my toute back home that I could sketch in at. The B/G LIbrary is one of them.

sketchbook- at work

It took me two 15min. breaks to get this down on paper. I was sitting on my work table drawing my trolley where I hold all my supplies to frame pictures.

sketchbook- a TTC day

I spent a lot of time on the TTC today. So I sketched.

sketchbook- a day of sketching

Early morning ride on the 505 Dundas East street car to the dojo.

 Some post practice sketching at Cafe Uno in the Distillery District.

 I met up with some Toronto Urban Sketchers for some drinks at the Queen and the Duck (or was it platypus?) pub.

… And then for some dinner.

Sketchbook- Dufferin Mall Food Court

I went to the Dufferin Mall after work to do some grocery shopping and a bit of sketching. Death and taxes are the two things that are guaranteed in life. I'd like to add a third. These retired Portuguese men congregated in the food court chewing the fat. They are the new mall rats.

Sketchbook- Bloor Gladstone Library.

Took a sketch break after work today at the Bloor Gladstone Library. I imagined people who study at the library would make good models, but these 4 guys were the most fidgety. Maybe they were uncomfortable from me openly staring at them. I will never know.

Sketchbook-- St. Lawrence Market

Warm up sketches of people around me.

The man in the foreground sat right in front of me while I was sketching the man reading his paper. Serendipity? Anyways, he was a trooper and didn't fidget, look my way or show any thought to me. I'd say he made the perfect model.

Sketchbook, Jet Fuel Cafe revisited.

I had some time today to sketch at the Jet Fuel Cafe. Here's the other sketch I did of Jet Fuel a few months back.

sketchbook

 

Sketching at a local coffee shop. I wonder what I look like to these people who I sketch?

Sketchbook

Sketching some people while I wait for my train back to Toronto from Ottawa.

Ferme Mariposa Farm

Jana and I spent four days at Mariposa Farm's guest cabin in the woods. It coincided with new year's and the cold spell that hit most of Ontario.

 

Jana catching some sun and chilling with a book.

 

The warmest spot in the cabin when the wood stove was pumping out heat to its maximum capacity. That's where I sketched Jana reading.

The wood stove was our only heat source as well as our cooking source. Now I know how the Ingalls felt... well, not really.
The first two nights hit -20ºC and Jana was a gamer and would get out of bed to feed the stove in the middle of the night. The third night hit -30ºC and that's when I felt an elbow to the rib cage in the middle of the night...

sketchbook

I was waiting for for the GO Train at Union station to get to my sister's place on Christmas Day.

Wanda's Pie in the Sky, Kensington Market.

I went to Wanda's Pie in the Sky to pick up a meringue pie for dessert for tomorrow's Christmas dinner with the family. Sat for a bit and sketched. Some call it a cozy space, I call it small. HOwever, it's nice if you like sketching people pretty much face to face. Makes for huge awkward moments.

On a side note, I didn't realized how delicate a meringue is and on my way home with it, some of the meringue oozed out. I had to shovel it back in but I think it's still edible. Merry Christmas.

Sketchbook

I had some time to kill before I had to make an appointment. So an americano and an hour later, I had this sketch of the Jet Fuel cafe on Parliament to show for it.

As my time to leave approached I was sketching quicker and quicker and I really like how loose the lines were coming out. I'll try to duplicate that looseness the next time I sketch anywhere.

Batman and "Robyn"

This is one component of my niece's Christmas present. Her dad has asked me in the past to do a drawing on this theme and I thought it'd be the perfect time to draw it up. It's been a while since i used watercolors and every brush stroke was like walking on a tightrope. But I'm done and I'm quite happy with it, considering the timeframe.

sketchbook

I started a new sketchbook today and I broke it in with a sketch of people I drew while riding the subway home.

Sketchbook

My first meet up with the group, Sketching Around the City. A group of us went to U of T's Hart House and drew the afternoon away.
I decided to camp out in one of their study halls and caught a group of students and their tutor cover material for a stats course.
The one thought running through my mind was, "thank god i'm no longer a student anymore! "

Sketchbook

Big man, small computer.

I had a bit of time before I met a friend for dinner, which means a bit of sketching at the Bloor Gladstone Library.

sketchbook

My studio, living room, dining room, lounge, office, entertainment centre among other things.
I'd be interested to see what other studio spaces look like.

The St. Lawrence Market

It's been a while since I've been to the St. Lawrence market, so I thought it'd be a perfect day for it. It was super busy but I managed to find a table in the midst of all the action.
On a side note, the only good thing about smart phones when used in public is the fact that it makes their users planted in one spot, motionless. Recipe for a good model.

Sketchbook

Waiting for my girlfriend in a coffee shop. Thank god for coffee shops.

sketchbook

Some people go to a bar on a Friday night. I go to the laundry mat. It usually guarantees a few machines. I was hoping there would be at least another person there so I wouldn't just be sketching a long alley of a room. Wish granted. He was deep into a scratch and win lottery game which gave me the perfect distraction for me to sketch him.

Sumo Crazy

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I just finished the Queen West Art Crawl a few weeks back and it's not only until now do I feel well rested, physically and mentally.

Since last year's show, I had promised myself I would start painting sooner for this year's show (i.e. 2013) But I am who I am, so my painting in earnest didn't happen until a few months prior to the show date. I had nothing at that point. Dry. Nothing in the creative well. In fact, I had many false starts. I was trying to paint landscape, urbanscapes, traditional still lifes etc. But nothing. I think I threw out more half-started canvases than I kept. But as fate would have it, the image of a sumo hit me about 6 weeks prior to the show date. It was time to crank these puppies out. Here are the results:

  

Oil on board, 8x10

Oil on board, 8x10

 

Oil on board, 8x10

 acrylic on canvas, 20x24

 acrylic on canvas, 24x30

 acrylic on canvas, 24x30

 acrylic on canvas, 30x36

 acrylic on canvas, 24x24
(my favourite one of the black and white sumo)

 C'est moi.