sketchbook... library people

Post work sketch session at the Bloor Gladstone Library.

Family 1: wife/mother/daughter/sister

Q: What makes you happy?
A: My family, my fur babies, knitting, sleep, sunshine, good food, good friends!

Hidetaka

Q: What makes you happy?
A: Knowing that I have people who care about me… or pizza.

Twins: Rick 1 + Rick 2

Q: What makes you happy?
A: The unexpected. Contradictions, broken stereotypes, people out of the norm are what make me smile.

Azumi, the mighty, mighty titan

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.

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Stan the Man, a.k.a, my dad. Everytime I'm up at his place, I try to draw him. However, it never comes out the way I want it to be. I think I'm pressured to get it right, to make it look like him, and because of that, it goes off the rails.
I know it sounds obvious, but at the beginning of this drawing, when I was drawing his eye, I actually saw a bit of me in those small markings. First time that happened.

 Subway people and a Dodge van.

More subway people.

Julia

My largest painting yet. I learned a lot from this process and hopefully my next painting at this size (or larger), will go faster. At times, it was frustrating and other times, I put down some pigment that really made me think I was getting somewhere with it.

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Face accumulation over a few days.

Propeller Gallery Salon Group Show.

Tonight was the opening night of the Propellor Gallery Salon Group Show. I spoke to an artist a few weeks back who is a member of this gallery and she invited me to enter this show. I'm glad I did because I sold one of my pieces. Feels great. It's officially my first gallery sale. Here's to a better 2016, art wise.

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A new year. A new sketchbook. Getting it all dirties up!

On the easel tonight…

On the easel tonight…
I'm revisiting "Fuzo", a piece I started a few months ago. I find this one difficult because there isn't much contrast in his face so defining it by shadows is difficult. Looking hard at the reference photo for any foot hold into his face.

Another piece that's on the go is, "Julia". It's been the piece I've been working on the majority of the time over this holiday break.

Father and Son, finished

 

Process stages including framing.

13x16in. Oil on masonite.

I think I could finally post this. My sister has delivered this to her in-laws, so I think it's safe to post. Neither my sister nor her husband has seen the finished piece, so I thank them for having faith in me to complete it to their satisfaction.

Father and Son

For the last two weeks I've been working on my first official commission. My sister hired me to paint a portrait of her son and I decided to paint her son and husband. It'll be going to her in-laws.

These are the first few in progress shot of this portrait. I think it'll be done in two weeks. Time enough for it to dry.

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I just walked west today on Bloor. I stopped in for a quick coffee at Timothy's and stayed there far too long.

One of the issues of have with sketching people in public is that they move (I say that sarcastically). However, part of my drawing pattern is to draw a farely detailed image of what i see in front of me and moving people don't lend themselves to my way of drawing. So I'm trying to find a way of adapting to "moving people".

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Some post work sketching at the Bloor Gladstone Library.

I have a pattern of sketching in public, especially when I sketch people. It starts with trying to be inconspicuous and as the drawing progresses, the quick peek turns into a longer look, without trying to be inconspicuous... Then when I'm really in the groove, it's a full on, open stare.

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Coffee at Tim Hortons. When I did this sketch of a homeless man, I felt quite conflicted. Normally, it's drawings of other customers. But he was not one, and he chose to take a nap at the table across from me. It felt like Iw as taking advantage of him.

 

Visiting my sister and her family in Milton. Her husband is a gamer and when he's on his laptop, he makes for a perfect model.

I returned to the Bloor Gladstone Library to do some sketching.It's getting cooler outside, so you'll be seeing more of these library sketches in the future.

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I visited Kelowna B.C. this past weekend and on my first day there, it was wet, cold and grey. The perfect conditions to do what I like best to do when I have a sketchbook in hand. I hit the local coffee shop.

Some random people I drew on my way to the airport.

The Smudge, a progress shot

I have been working off and on on this piece for the last half year. Working on this piece has raised a lot of issue s for me. First do I want my paintings to be so tight? If not how do I break away from my natural tendency to paint exactly what I see from my photo references? So, the happy accident of the smudge in a sense liberated me a bit. I chose to smudge the entire painting. It might not seem through the image that I smudged it at all but it was a big, terrifying step for me to even do what I did.

I think I'm onto something new. Or maybe not. Stay tuned for the next step.

The Smudge

Painting is still a painful process for me. A case in point. I've been working on a portrait this afternoon and the only redeeming part about it is this smudge. A smudge that was created, as Bob Ross, would say, by "a happy accident".

The battle continues.

QWAC 2015

Like the start of school in September, my involvement in the Queen West Art Crawl art show in Trinity Bellwoods Park, is another indication that another year is drawing to a close.

It was a grey, cold and wet weekend, marked by a few highlights. One of which was to finally meet a fellow Toronto urban sketcher and to find out yet another one was showing her wares a few booths down from me.

 My new body of work. 21 6x8 in. up close and personal portraits of friends.

 The 21 portraits hung in my tent waiting to be bought (and btw, are still available for purchase if interested. Please email me directly.)

 The sumos. Maybe I'll do a few more since I had so much fun painting them. Stay tuned.

 Bumping into a Facebook urban sketcher friend who I've never met before and excited to see yet another urban sketcher showing her stuff at the same show a few booths down from me.

My best imitation of jazz hands in my tent.

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My first urban sketch in a while. This is the scene in front of my tent at the QWAC show. (who doesn't like a drawing of porta potties!)

Trinity Bellwoods park
Toronto

Jennifer

oil on masonite. 6x8in.

Or as I like to call her, "Iron Woman Tendokai".

I haven't had a chance to ask her what makes her happy, but I suspect one of things and from the glint I see in her eyes, is her beating the crap out of me when we practice together.

This also is my last 6x8 before the QWAC show. I was aiming for 30, but ended with 21 paintings. Not bad.

Mitchell 3

I'm calling this done.

"What makes you happy?"
"Being around happy people."

Frank

oil, 6x8 in.

 
This is probably the quickest I've ever finished one of these small portraits. It's looser than the previous one and I like it like that.
"Frank"

"Besides your family, what are you most proud of?"
"My vineyard."

(Frank works as a fulltime bank teller but hopes to get out of it in a few years to devote all his time to his vineyard.)

Habeeb

 oil, 6x8in.

"Habeeb"

"What's the best part about being a cable technician?"
"The customers."

Clearly a good emloyee toeing the company line but I suspect the answer would have been the same if I asked him what's the worst part about the job... Or it could just be me.

Ray Ray

oil, 6x8 in. masonite board

Mcburney

oil, 6x8 in. Masonite board

Jake

 

oil, 6x8in, masonite board

"What makes you happy?" 

"A happy wife."

Mark

 

oil, 6x8 in. on masonite board 

"Do you have a pet peeve?" 

"Yeah, inconsiderate people."

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I returned to this same spot this afternoon to finish off the spread. It was a beautiful day to finish it on... a tad hot though. Toronto Harbourfront, Canada.