LOCK 6

LOCK 6. This lock is located at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C & O Canal) near Georgetown in Washington DC. The canal is 184 miles long and it goes parallel to the Potomac from Cumberland MD to Washington D.C. This lock and the canal was used from 1831 until 1924 where many goods came in and out. The main principal cargo in the latter years was coal which it came from the Allegheny Mountains. This is a beautiful place very near to South west Washington DC area where engineering meets nature. This fantastic place is well used by the locals for physical activities like running, fishing, or kayaking. The 1st look at the lock give you the impression of ancient ruins that just were recently discovered. The height of the lock is about 12 to 15 feet. I was bless to have the opportunity to sketch inside the canal because the water level at this time of the year is very low. During rainy season I will not have the same opportunity. I strongly recommend people to visit this little known part of the U.S. Capital history. I spend the entire day at this park and it took me 3.5 hrs of sketching with breaks in between. I used black ink on white paper.

Baltimore Comic Con

I've been living in DC for some time now, but only in recent years have I started braving the Baltimore Comic Con.  Unlike a lot of pop culture conventions, Baltimore is straight up about Comic. Books. A lot of comic vendors, spandex, writers, artists & illustrators, spandex, kids, toy, t shirts, did I mention spandex? A whole lot of fun.  So I thought attempting a bunch of sketches on a single page might be appropriate considering the subject.

ATHENAEUM

The Athenaeum is a very old historic fine art gallery located in old town Alexandria, VA, U.S.A. couple blocks west from the waterfront and a block south from King Street. It's a beautiful building that follows the traditions of ancient Greek temples architecture. What I love about the place is the wonderful vegetation around the building as well the very pedestrian friendly streets around the area. It's a very busy gallery as well it's a place for parties or celebrations like weddings. I walk almost everyday in front of this "temple of fine art" and every time I go by I pause to see/enjoy the architecture plus the beautiful harmony with nature. It took me 3 days before or after going to work and I sketched for 1 hr per day for a total of 3 hrs. I used black ink on white paper.

The Urban Elements of Washington, DC

Washington, DC has big stately government buildings. We have imposing office buildings housing lawyers and lobbyists with international influence. There are grand marble statues and memorials. And in the middle of it all there's a big, gleaming white marble spire. Of course, Washington, DC is also a day-to-day functioning city, so we also have newspaper boxes, stop signs, fire hydrants, parking meters, and street lights. When I go out for my lunchtime strolls, I sometimes like to sketch them, and here are some (OK, not to exciting; your nation's capital may not look like ours, but I think our street lights, stop signs, and fire hydrants may actually look quite similar!)

50th Anniversary March on Washington DC

During Wednesday 08.28.2013 was the amazing celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the march on Washington DC by the Civil Rights Movement and Dr Martin Luther King Jr. It was a very rainy summer day here in the mall however it was full of positive energy and diversity. There were so many people from different places around the U.S.A. and the world that came together in order to celebrate this important event in human history. I began the sketch around 1pm and I finished by 3:30pm. It took me a long time because I had to run under the big umbrella of a Ice cream street vendor car in order to continue sketching when they rain started. The owner of the Ice Cream street vendor car was very generous and she let me sketch until I finished. It took me 2.5 hrs and I used black ink and white paper.

March on Washington 2013

This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Tens of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall near the Lincoln Memorial to commemorate the occasion, and to call for justice, as there is still more work to be done. Civil rights and labor groups from around the country marched along the original 1963 route to the Lincoln Memorial, and gathered to listen to speeches from civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King III. There was also music and chanting in the streets. It was a powerful experience, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to march with them.

The Bikes of Washington, DC

Washington, DC has a very active - and at times - very strange cycling scene. Amongst one of the strangest sights you'll see is an interesting array of commuter bikes, which are found locked-up all over the sidewalks of the city. If you know your bikes, you'll see everything from standard-fare commuters to vintage race bikes such as Eddy Merckx, Bottechia, and even a rare Puch with Columbus SLX tubing. Indeed, the classic race bikes of the 80s don't die; they just get reincarnated as commuter bikes here in the nation's capital, and as a cycling aficionado/junkie, I like to sketch all sorts of these velo wonderments during my lunchtime strolls.

Here's a Raleigh Technium from the late-80s, featuring a bonded aluminum frame and first-generation Shimano 105 gruppo. It's in fairly good condition, though the standard platform pedals denote that this race bike rarely sees speed anymore.

SHOWTIME

Worked together with Katherine Tucker on these drawings last week. Two is better than one they say. Check out her blog here: http://katherinetucker.tumblr.com/

Showtime Bar- Bloomingdale
(non-dominant hand)

Showtime Bar II- Bloomingdale

Washington National Cathedral

The Washington National Cathedral is one of my favorite places to sketch. There is a lot of scaffolding on it right now as they repair the damage from the 2011 earthquake. If you look closely, you can see that the top of one of the spires is truncated, just above the flying buttress.

Friendship Firehouse

This Firehouse was built in 1855 and it was remodeled in 1871, later during 1992 was restored to the current look. This building was created for The Friendship Fire Company that was established in 1774, as the 1st volunteer fire company for the Old town in the city of Alexandria, VA, U.S.A. Today the building is a museum that stores the preserved equipment of that era like the old fire engine. I live very few blocks away from this beautiful building so it took me 3 days visiting it and sketching for about 1 hour each day to a total of 3.5 hrs. I used black ink on white paper. 

The Woodrow Wilson Bridge

The bridge starts on the state of Virginia coming from the south west, at the middle passes the boundary on the south corner of Washington DC, and it lands at the state of Maryland on the south east. Under the bridge the Jones Point park is located which is full of beautiful wild life. The sun was starting to set and all these birds were flying around in a crazy fashion. Some of the birds were fishing others were doing some crazy acrobatics moves. There is a lot of aquatic activities going on from kayaking, fishing boats, to sailing boats. The weather was perfect and the sky was clear. This sketch took me 3 hours in a very relaxing environment and it was done with black ink on white paper.

Light House Jones Point and the Southern Stone Marking Point of Washington DC

During the 40th Sketchcrawl I went to Jones Point to sketched the Light House and the Southern stone marking point of Washington DC. This stone was the first Federal Monument of the new created U.S.A. when it was put in place back in 1791. This stone marks the beginning of Washington DC and it is in the South most point of the City at the tip of Jones Point. This is a fantastic park located right under the Eisenhower bridge in Alexandria, VA. The park is full of vegetation as well it has Native America, Colonial, WWI, and today's history. I did this sketch right in the water sitting in a chair and it took me 3 hours and a little extra in between running for cover to the light house because of thunderstorms and as well for the visit of 2 beavers that were inspecting what I was doing close to their territory (that's when I got out of the water for good). 3.5 Hours and I used black ink on white paper.