Virtual Sketch Meeting

Today was a San Diego Urban Sketcher Virtual Event. We were to sketch our art corner at home. I sat at my art table and sketched my view, which is the (messy) top of one of my book cases. I used a rapidosketch pen and watercolor. I didn't finish in the 2 hours we were on Zoom so much of this was painted after the event.

The group.

Our sketches after 2 hours.

Mini Book Madness with Seth Apter

A mini-book technique taught to me by Seth Apter. The online class was called "Mini Book Madness". He has more scheduled for June if you are interested, check his website or social media. I absolutely loved the class. 

 I used my own marble paper, my Gelli print papers, magazine cutouts, gel pens, rapido sketch pen, my hand carved stamps, ink, collage papers from my own art and Izink Seth Apter Dye Spray.

Joy Quote

Find joy.
It's a good idea to fill your head with good thoughts rather than sad ones.
Be grateful.

7 minute poses

7 minute poses done with the San Francisco Sketchers via Zoom. The facilitator called on volunteers from the group to pose and we quickly went from one pose to the next. These are sketches in pencil with a bit of watercolor added in during the 7 minute pose. I will probably drop in more watercolor later.

"Creatures" Mixed Media Project

A spread created yesterday during an online mixed media class ("Creatures") with

Roxanne Coble aka ByBun

. She had a pattern for the creatures but I created my own. I have been experimenting with mixed media and this was another fun exercise for me using ephemera, paint, oil pastels, pens and pencils. The entire spread is about 4 x 8 inches in a handmade sketchbook.

Virtual Portrait Party

These are all 6 minute sketches created while I attended a Portrait Party on Zoom. The San Francisco Sketchers hosts these every week or so and we take turns posing. They started out with 30 second poses then went to 1 minute and concluded with 6 minute poses. My handmade sketchbook is about 4 x 4 inches. Working small enabled me to do a quick contour sketch and then enhance with watercolor.

Urban Sketching With a Zoom Gathering

The San Diego Urban Sketchers had a zoom event where we all sketched "together" using our internet devices. The prompt was to draw a room from another room. One of our attendees was a frequent visitor we have had from France. He did his sketch earlier and just dropped in to say hello. I did not catch him in the photo.  : (

 I created mine in pencil, watercolor, and a bit of watercolor pencil. The pages in this little handmade book are about 4 x 4 inches and the first few sheets are thin paper - not really suitable for watercolor but I still liked the effect.

Kitchen Patio

With a temperature of mid to high 70s in San Diego, I have been going outside to draw. This is one of my shelves in the kitchen patio. The cow planter used to have legs but they rotted off. Koh-i-nor Sketch Pen and Watercolor.

Notan Exercise

Definitely not my usual type of work but I have been working through the book, "Composition" Understanding Line, Notan and Color by Arthur Wesley Dow. The first one is a landscape I was to create in 2 values. Oops. The second one is drawing from nature 2 values. It's a drawing of what's left of my birthday flowers. I used an ink cake from Blue Heron Arts and an inexpensive brush.

Orly Avineri's Art Journaling Game

"Conflict and Resolution" Using Orly's Art Journaling Game. There were 3 faces but one was creating conflict so I zapped her out of my art journal piece. In a way this is how I run my life. Hehe I don't hang around people that create conflict and ruin my peace of mind.

Urban Sketch - Cactus Flower and Succulents

 Many of our flowers and succulents are blooming now so I decided to take myself out in the yard to sketch a few. Pencil and watercolor in a handmade book.

Lydia Velarde Sketchbook Flip March 2020 - May 2020

Sketchbook Flip in a Canson, Montval Field, Watercolor Book

March 2020 through May 2020

Zoom Portrait Party

This week my friend told me about a Zoom Portrait Party organized by the San Francisco Urban Sketchers. I only had an hour before another zoom meeting started so I only got to draw 2 people. The leader asked participants to pose and each pose was for 7 minutes. There were introductions before we started sketching and we found out one of the participants was from England. It was a fun experience but it made me tired for my next 2 hour zoom meeting. 

This sketchbook was handmade by me. Most of the book contains mixed media or watercolor paper but the first part of the book has very thin stationary paper. The watercolor just soaked right in.

Done With This

Devil or Angel?

I usually go outdoors several times a day to visit Gary working out in various parts of the yard but it was so hot we stayed inside. We watched a movie and I ate A LOT.

Germs

I have been so cautious around people and isolating that I have no desire to go places that have a lot of people around.

Cotton headed ninny muggins

Aside from wondering who I can call a cotton headed ninny muggins I participated in a zoom meeting that had 6 Urban Sketchers drawing in their homes. The subject was produce.

Part of the Urban Sketchers Manifesto states that urban sketching is not a "still live" but something with its surroundings. It must show context. The first drawing was a still life but after we all shared our drawings I realized that I didn't do it properly. I didn't want to take the time to do another large drawing so I stopped what I was doing and created a small drawing to fit on the same page.

It's my birthday!

Thank heaven for my husband and adult children that gave me a lot of love on my birthday IN PERSON. I also received many digital birthday wishes and had a wonderful happy day.

I have a tradition of creating a poem every year for my birthday and this was my age 69 poem. It is just a bit too close to 70 years old so I had about 4 tries before I came up with a poem that had a positive spin on it.

Something that keeps "us" close together

A full day of meetings and talks with zoom. A great way to stay connected when you can't be around people.