This was a beautiful Moroccan canopy bed I saw in Ibiza. I figured this would be the only one I’d ever encounter in my life, so I decided to draw it. Very therapeutic. I never set foot in a night club while I was on the island.
Ibiza
In Ibiza, the hedgehogs hide, the chickens cluck, the rabbits hop, the exotic birds swoop, and the lizards scramble. All the while, this squirrel sketched. There were a lot of ancient olive trees where we stayed. Each with their own unique personality. This one actually chose me to draw it, not vice versa. Each morning, I illustrated as much as I could before breakfast. Although the property had many trees, I only had time for one.
Brick House
This building in Bruges must have used up most of the bricks in the country when it was built. The bricklayers must have taken 2 weeks off after finishing this job. It’s now a chocolate shop. I think all the chocolates are shaped like little bricks (just kidding). Each building in town has such a cute personality. I chose this one to represent them all.
The Dam
Spent a few days in Amsterdam. These were buildings across the canal from where we stayed. In real life, these buildings were not lined up like this. I choose random buildings I admired and then placed them in the scene even though they were not anywhere near each other. I stayed hidden from the bike paths when I drew so as not to get stampeded.
Vegan Anniversary
It is my 9 year anniversary of becoming vegan. The animals rejoice.
Quick Draw
My two friends were late for breakfast to the diner. Train meltdowns, So I did something I never do. I accomplished a quick 15-minute drawing while waiting. Not a part of my repertoire anymore. I’m used to going down rabbit holes when I draw these days. Sometimes literally. Can’t say I’m at all impressed with this scribble though.
Edinburgh
We stayed in the Virgin Atlantic Hotel in Edinburgh. Quite a groovy place. I fit right in with the cutting-edge ensembles that I wore. I think the staff mistook me for the xylophone player for Depeche Mode or maybe the bass player for Kajagoogoo. This sketch is overlooking the street behind our hotel. I should have shown my drawing to the Virgin staff members but my mind is slipping and I just plain forgot.
Storytelling
This is a drawing I did of the Scottish Storytelling Center on High Street along the royal mile in Edinburgh. Even though the streets are filled with crazy old medieval buildings, this guy stood out. This section of the center is the John Knox house originally built in 1490. The second I stumbled upon it, I knew I had to draw it. Plus I never painted a storytelling center before.
Scotland
In Edinburgh, I was able to get a few drawings done. Yun was on a knitting retreat in Glasgow, so I was left to my own devices. This is the oldest pub and my first sketching target. I sat out in front drawing as the farmer’s market was in full swing all around me. I was even able to grab a vegan dumpling lunch at the market during a rest break. It was a bit chilly so I wore a glove on my non drawing hand. I never set foot inside the joint. I’m an exterior man.
Draw Like an Egyptian
This is the last drawing I did in New York before I left with my wife on our one month trip through Europe. I’ve done a lot of good drawings I’ll be posting when I get back soon.
Bruges
Recently I woke up in Belgium. I’m not really too clear on how that happened but there I was. First thing I did was find a nice spot to draw the groovy architecture which happened to be the main square. After a few days, our friends, the artist, Jean-Christophe Defline and his wife Valerie came to join us. We ate nice meals and strolled the medieval side streets. There was also fabulous museums where we saw the work of Jan Van Eyck and Hans Memling. Two of the greatest artists to ever walk the earth. Turns out, Bruges is quite lovely.
Monkey Man
A day in my life. Drag myself to Natural History Museum. Begin drawing. Explain to 6-year-old why I chose a monkey to sketch. Show tourist my watercolor set. Explain how I stain blank pages to a teacher. Let 8 people look through my sketchbook. Hand out endless squirrel stickers. Sneak quick 10 minutes of drawing. Have long discussion on urban sketching with a couple from London. Describe what pens I use over and over. Proceed to draw a little. Cover up a few mistakes with trickery. Field incoming compliments. Smile a lot. Head home tired but satisfied.
Titian
I just finished “Titian, His Life” by Sheila Hale. An 860-page biography. It basically tells the story of every single day of his 87-year life. Not sure how you can pack so much information into a single book. The Renaissance painter always maintained a large studio with tons of assistants. He could crank out many paintings with his art assembly line. As a result, he accumulated a large amount of wealth. It was needed to keep the operation going. The parts of the paintings he did himself were very arduous and time consuming. Sometimes he’d do the entire painting himself, depending on the client. Other times, the assistants he taught did much of the work and he added his touches as needed to finish. He was an intense perfectionist. He pushed his style very hard to be compared with his rival, Michelangelo. They lived at the same time but never met. Over time, hundreds of his paintings were lost, stolen, burned in multiple fires, forgotten, damaged, or just misplaced. Luckily hundreds have survived. No one will forget this portrait I did of him though.
