Larry D. Marshall's Blog, page 50
July 27, 2016
Sketching On Ile Aux Grues
Ile aux Grues (Crane Island) is the largest islandof an archipelago in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, near the point where it widens into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It can only be reached by ferry and then only when the tides are favorable enough to provide enough depth for the ferry. The few children that live there go to school on an airplane every day, which sounds pretty cool to me.
Last Wednesday, though, it was sketching day and five of us went sailing to Ile aux Grues for a day of sketching. It was an ideal day. As we learned late in the day, this included a breeze which kept the mosquitos away from us.
The hike across the island is 1.2 km through oat and corn fields, with church steeples sticking up out of the greenery and everywhere you looked was a sketching subject. There is just one idyllic scene after the other on the island and it was hard to decide where to stop, until we came to the location of this scene. All of us wanted to draw it so we spread out to our favorite perch and point of view and set to work. Next time I do this scene I’ll get closer. Maybe I’ll also be better 
July 25, 2016
July Croquistes De Quebec Sketchcrawl
A month ago I wrote about sketching at Jardin botanique Roger-Van den Hende. That incredibly long name is attached to a very large arboretum that is a really, really great place for a sketcher. And this month’s sketchcrawl, organized by the Croquistes de Quebec was held at this little piece of heaven.
What was fun this Sunday was that in addition to a dozen sketcher, we shared the arboretum with a group of watercolorists and another group of people doing crochet. If that weren’t enough, a large group of students came to the garden. They were a group of French immersion students who were on a mission to use their vocabulary to talk about plants and flowers.
All of this is to say that I did a lot more talking than I would at most sketching sessions and so my sketching time suffered. Still, I found a place that was out of the crowds and I plunked myself down in front of this neglected potting shed and drew it.
Stillman & BIrn Alpha (5.5×8.5), Esterbrook J2048, DeAtramentis Document Black
We had some new people at this sketchcrawl and so there was a lot of sketchbook sharing so we could get to know one another better. This is one of my favorite things about sketchcrawls and they seemed to enjoy it as well.
Stillman & Birn Alpha (5.5×8.5), Esterbrook J2048, DeAtramentis Document Black
It was getting late when I sat down to draw some lilies. I only got the ink drawing done by the time it was time to leave. I thought I’d show you that as well as the sketch after I added some color to it at home. Do you ever get a chance to sketch in botanical gardens?
July 22, 2016
Backyard Urban Sketching
You don’t have to go far from home to do urban sketching. All you have to do is get a wife that’s an avid gardener and scenes worth sketching just pop up around your house. I have one and this is a sketch I did one afternoon.
Stillman & Birn Alpha, Esterbrook J-2048
New Pedestrian Bridge Over The St. Charles River
A really nice addition to our city, from the perspective of people like me who walk everywhere, is the new pedestrian bridge over the St. Charles River. It provides a direct link between one of the major shopping areas and a path up the hill (big hill if you’re old like me) to the older part of Quebec.
I finally got around to drawing it, approaching it as a pen only drawing. Maybe it would have benefited from color but I like it just the way it is.
Stillman & Birn Alpha, Esterbrook J-2048
July 21, 2016
Trinity Church Entry Gate Sketch
Yvan and I had been quick-sketching people at Place d’Armes in Quebec City when the sun just became too much for us so we started walking around. We decided to sketch the entry gate to the small parking lot in front of Trinity Church. Mine is rather spartan as my arthritis was acting up and I was having some difficulty directing my pointy device. Thought I’d share it anyway.
Stillman & Birn Alpha, Esterbrook J-2048
July 20, 2016
Posing People Sketching
Stillman & Birn Alpha, Esterbrook J-2048
People are not my favorite subject. Don’t get me wrong; I like people, though modern society causes me to question that regularly, but what I mean is that I don’t like sketching people. I do it because they’re everywhere and it’s good pointy device practice, something I need to do a lot.
Every year a local portrait group holds outdoor sessions where people get together to do quick portraits of each other and anyone they can entice from the park where it’s held. I go because I like the people and the ambiance of the sessions, but prefer to draw whole people rather than floating heads. This requires that I work pretty fast, faster than I’m comfortable doing. Maybe that’s a good thing. Here are a few of the ones I’ve done.
Stillman & Birn Alpha, Esterbrook J-2048
Stillman & Birn Alpha, Esterbrook J-2048
July 19, 2016
Summer Sketching On The Plains Of Abraham
The largest park in Quebec City is officially called Battlefield Park. It’s just west of the “old city”, the walled part of Quebec City and it was named Battlefield Park because this is where the British climbed the cliffs and fought the French for control of the city in a famous battle.
But we locals still call it the Plains of Abraham because, well, that’s what it’s called. Abraham was a farmer who farmed the land before the Brits came along and it’s not likely that we’ll start calling it Battlefield Park anytime soon.
On this day, however, we were there to sketch, near a large open area that has rollerblade and running circuits that measure, I think, a kilometer around. I sat in the sun and made this sketch of what used to be the natural history museum before it was decided that we didn’t need one 
July 17, 2016
Nouvelle France People Sketches
Yvan and I went to Galleria Margelis-Paradis in Trait Carre because the Charlesbourg Watercolorists were having an event to promote the gallery, their group, and their upcoming participation in Quebec’s annual Fete de Nouvelle France celebration.
I’m not much of a people sketcher, particularly when the targets are moving, which was the case as the watercolorists were talking with visitors, showing them period items and paintings. But, practice makes perfect and I’m sure I only need to draw a couple thousand more before I figure it out. Anyways, here’s a few of the sketches I did that day. All were done in a Stillman & Birn Alpha softcover sketchbook with my Platinum 3776 pointy device.
The Trials Of Creating An Urban Sketch
Many artists never do their art on location. They’re happy sitting in a studio, laying out drawings, tracing the layout onto their watercolor paper, and then painting from a photo, or some such approach. For me, sketching is all about the chase. I have to go somewhere. It might be just down the street or even into my backyard but I’ve got to actually ‘discover’ my subject.
There are compromises in this approach. Anyone who does it knows them. Time, weather, interruptions and sitting on a tripod stool balancing your sketchbook are among them. Some times are better than others, however, and I’d like to share a couple “oops” sketches with you.
The first is a train engine. I’ve wanted to sketch this small switch engine for a long time. It’s tied to our large grainery and is responsible for moving the grain cars around. I saw an opportunity to draw it and sat down to draw. It was going pretty well until…well…it drove away. I could follow its tracks (pun intended) and did, which allowed me to complete, sort of, the engine but the mood was broken. I became disinterested in completing the sketch by including some entourage behind and in front of it. So here it is, as is.
Stillman & Birn Alpha, Platinum 3776, Platinum Carbon Black
Last week we were supposed to meet on the Plains of Abraham for a group session. Only three of us showed up because it was raining. We ended up huddled under the overhang of a building with only a single subject, the realty business across the street. So we drew it. It was cold and I had a hard time keeping my mind on drawing and I worked fast – too fast. Sometimes urban sketching isn’t what it’s cracked up to be
July 12, 2016
Tugboats Are Cool
When I was a kid, one of the characters, in books and later in a Disney series, was a tugboat named Little Toot. I don’t remember anything about the stories and don’t have a clue whether it was as good as the modern maritime character, Sponge Bob, but in some strange way I was touched by that character as I have an undying affinity for tugboats.
This is really odd because I’ve spent most of my life living in places like Phoenix, Arizona and there aren’t any tugboats in the Sonoran Desert. But there are tugboats in Quebec City and I love to draw them. They all live in a basin with an opening to the St. Lawrence where they push and pull large ships in and out of port. Here’s my latest effort.
Stillman & Birn Alpha (5.5×8.5), Platinum 3776, Platinum Carbon Black
