Maira Kalman and the Pursuit of Happiness

Sketchbook drawings from the Maira Kalman talk Nov. 30th in the Montpelier Room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C

Solo commuters on the Blue line toward Largo

Sometimes I make notes of how long I spent on the sketch, and what metro I'm on (BL = blue line). Both of these were done in three stops, but on two separate days in October, 2010.

Thanksgiving Holiday in New York City

I took the bus to NYC and visited friends and family over the Thanksgiving holiday. I took my sketchbook with me and tried my hand at my first sketches for Urban Sketchers DC. Normally, I sketch with pencils but I'm trying my hand at quick sketches with a pen.

Bryant Park 11.28.2010


The Met 11.26.2010


Below the Astoria Blvd stop of N/R train 11.26.2010

Two women commuting

I drew these two women on the way home on two separate occasions -- the younger woman on the metro, and the older on the bus.

Colorized sketches

East Indian man in a business suit June 3rd 2010

High Schooler reading NYT June 11th 2010

I have been a urban sketcher on DC's metro for a number of years. I enjoy drawing bumps and all, to fill the time 'on off peak hour' trips around town. I use a fountain pen and hand made pocket sized sketch book which travels easily. After studying my friend  Michael Nobb's illustrations. I figured he must be using the flat colors in Adobe Photoshop to color his pen drawings and I was interested to give it a try on these two metro rider sketches. It is fun to add a cartoon look to my sketches but not something I would do with most of my work because it takes a lot of time at the computer. 

Georgetown

A view of Georgetown from across the river in Rosslyn.

I was on my way to a figure drawing session which ended up being canceled. This unexpected turn of events "opened my eye" to the landscape depicted in this drawing.

DC Sketchers Class @ Trapeze School of New York - DC - Saturday, 11/20/2010

The DC Sketchers class from Capitol Hill Arts Workshop met at the Trapeze School of New York in DC. I introduced the challenge of gesture drawings while we observed the brave and talented students of the school's Intensive Flying Workshop. The sketchers captured the dramatic movements of the flying trapeze.

Gesture drawing proved to be a challenge for all. This mode of drawing is very quick and intuitive and not easily understood in an intellectual way. It needs to be experienced and practiced. At the end of the session, the sketchers gathered to share and discuss each others work.

Kent Gay - Teaching Artist

maurice after surgery

this is a sketch i made back in august after my dog had emergency surgery. it was very scary because we thought we were going to lose him, and i was a total wreck. shortly after this, we discovered a large mass on his leg that that was obviously rapidly growing that had to be removed 3 weeks later. luckily it was not cancerous, and he has made a full recovery from both incidents.

the paragraph in the sketch is transcribed below, and explains a little more:
"on 8-13-10 (friday) maurice had emergency surgery for bloat. luckily andy acted quickly + was on the way to the emergency vet as i came home from work. he got through surgery okay but vomited all day yesterday. today he started eating again so was allowed to come home. i am sitting in the bedroom with him so he will rest + digest + hopefully make a full recovery. he won't be in the clear until at least the end of the week, but i am thankful for more time with him."

Gate B67, Dulles International Airport

I did some traveling this week for work, and had a bit more airport downtime than usual, due to delays, missed connections, and canceled flights. But in the end, I got where I needed to go, and got home safely, which is the important thing.

Meet the sketcher: BETHESDA, MD > Robin Mahler

"I have been a graphic designer since the days of type spec’ing and wax paste-ups, but now keep myself gainfully employed using my computer and Adobe software. Sketchbooks are a way to get my hands on the basics again—paper, pencils, paint and ink. I have been experimenting with different styles and materials as well as differing subjects in my sketchbooks.

A workshop on traveling with a sketchbook turned me on to Sketchcrawl and I immediately loved the idea but it was a while before I finally found the time to join in. Tackling the art and architecture of Washington DC is in its nascency for me but I look forward to taking on this new challenge."

Robin's Flickr

Tryst Coffee House

DC Sketchers Class @ US Botanic Garden - Saturday, 11/13/2010

The DC Sketchers class from Capitol Hill Arts Workshop met one more time at the US Botanic Garden. And once again, we were working on contour drawings, with an emphasis on developing a sensitivity and responsiveness to the relative hardness/softness of an edge as observed and recorded. We worked with pencil and varied the pressure of the stroke to create a range of soft to hard edges.