A bunch of updates at once!

I haven't updated in a long time, probably because I don't have much free time at work to type away...unlike at my previous job. Also my seat is along the main walkway, so there are people walking by all the time...not exactly an ideal situation to work on one's personal blog!

Below from July 27th, when attending a calligraphy demo / exhibition at the SF public library. SF City Hall is always a challenge to draw. I find the curve and subtle blue hue of the dome especially hard to capture. This time I decided to forgo the color and focus on the shade and shape, which had some pretty good results.

Below from Aug 4, when attending a sketch meetup with SF Sketchers at Mission Dolores Park. I remember it was supposed to be a Caturday event, but as far as I could see, there was no single cat in the entire park. (Mind you, the park was full of people!) I did a panorama first then headed somewhere with noticeable shadows.The lady in the silhouette was playing with her infant kid, but I was too lazy to include more figures lol.

Below from Aug 18, also attending a meetup with SF Sketchers at Fisherman's Wharf. Unfortunately I was terrible at finding parking at high traffic areas, so I gave up after 2 loops and headed for empty Fort Mason (thankfully there was no event that weekend). The parking is not free, but hey Flax art supplies is right there!

After finishing the first one I headed towards Fisherman's Wharf and did another one at Maritime Historical Park. I actually had to stop midway and head for the show-and-tell, then came back to my perch. Thankfully the light didn't drastically change (phew

Putting People in the Foreground, a few snapshots in the city

I don't usually put people in my landscape watercolors, mostly because by the time I finish with the scenery I'd be too exhausted to include any people. This time, however, some figures managed to find their way into the foreground of my drawings.

This one is from Fort Mason, before I went into one of the buildings for a figure drawing session. At first I was captivated by the silhouette cityscape in the background and palm trees, but as I worked my way down the page into the greens, it felt a little empty... then I noticed a couple sitting by the curb! Generally I don't sketch people too close to me in fear of being mis-interpreted as a stalker (which unfortunately has happened before) but this time it seems the figure is simple enough that I only need a couple of minutes actually looking in their direction.

I was initially unsure of the result, but the more I look at it the more interesting it becomes... it feels like the figures are almost adding more complexity to the drawing, like it's actually telling a more complete story.

The next figure-in-scene I attempted was before my visit to Asian Art Museum in Civic Center. I usually draw the building from the front, but I decided to change things up a bit and draw it from up close and angled. The light revolves around the dome as the day progresses, so the building never quite gets boring to look at. There were a few people on the plaza in front of the building (I assume some are homeless, some are resting), so I decided to include in the man sitting at the base of a light pole.

Since I was standing next to the paid parking lot (while using its stand to put my water jar) I was also semi-observing the parking situation at Civic Center. For the record, no spot was left empty for longer than a minute.

City Hall reboot, with food this time!

Went along with the SF sketchers Meetup group again, this time to the Asian Art Museum around the corner from San Francisco City Hall. There was a long line for the museum when I arrived (I thought it was because of the free admission Sunday, but it turns out they were lining up for a special Indian performance in the museum). Anyway, I decided to avoid the crowd first and worked on the City Hall. I vaguely remember that my previous and first time drawing the same subject was pretty nerve wracking because the plaza was eerily empty and only had people who were aimlessly wandering about...The statue in the foreground represents Plenty, part of the Pioneer Monument.

Maybe because of the farmers' market happening nearby, the place felt much more cheerful this time! I also grabbed a hefty bag of grapes (which took me a whole week to finish) and a nice bag of mushrooms.

SF City Hall

Extra windy at the San Francisco City Hall! (which made talking on the phone almost impossible) Nice Giants banner!

Osaka Centre Public Hall