Art Deco Urban Sketch Weekend in Miami.

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The Orlando and Miami branches of Urban Sketchers collaborated to host a sketch crawl at Miami’s 41st Annual Art Deco Weekend on January 21st to the 14th. It is a long drive to Miami and when Pam Schwartz and I arrived, the sketchers were already finishing up a sketch of a beach side life guards station. Pam and I went down to the beach to dip our toes in the ocean.

When the gathering of several dozen artists moved to a new location, we joined them. I sat down to sketch the Edison and Breakwater Hotels. A vintage orange and white car was parked in front of the hotels. As the sun set, the Art Deco hotels lit up, creating an amazing bright contrast to the dark ultramarine sky.

Pam and I were seated next to a small courtyard where a pink ribbon was tied across the top of a staircase. It turns out we were at the event’s ribbon cutting. South Beach’s mayor came out to cut the ribbon to officially open the Art Deco Weekend. A man started taking to Pam saying that I would sketch so much better if I was high. He opened his palm and offered her some marijuana buds. She declined.

The crowd gathering for the Mayor got in the way of my seeing the scene I was sketching. I patiently looked between people and around butts to draw what I could see at any given moment. The Mayor invited the artist who painted the poster for the Art Deco weekend to the stage. The mayor in a three piece suit, announced the artist saying, “This is how an artist dresses for an event like this.” He got a few laughs from the crowd. The artist, Michael Young from Kansas City, was in khaki shorts and a t-shirt.

First Orlando Urban Sketching Workshop at the Orlando Public Library.

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This is a very quick sketch I did in the Orlando Public Library (101 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32801) at the First Orlando Urban Sketching Workshop. This  first of 10 weekly workshops focused on using simple shaped to place small intimate objects on the page.  We used the magnolia room as a studio for the first two hours.  There we sketched from busts of Abraham Lincoln and small statues of American Buffalo. We experimented with blind contour and using a simple shape to define the shape before focusing on detail.

For the last hour I sett the students free to explore the third floor of the Library. The  goal was to catch an intimate detail and I let the students interpret that as they pleased. I did quick sketches for each student offering suggestions on what to consider as their sketch progressed. Then I settled in and did this quick sketch. There wasn’t time to add color, so on this rare instance I finished the painting back at my studio days later.

We all gathered at the rainbow of books at the end off a hallway for a group photo with everyone holding up their favorite sketch. I am having fun creating worksheets and course materials for these 10 workshops. The Worldwide Urban Sketchers organization was founded 10 years ago and they are celebrating by offering 10 long term workshops at cities around the world. The goal is to encourage more artists to carry sketchbooks and discover the world, one drawing at a time.

The First of 10 Orlando Urban Sketching Workshops.

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The first of 10 X 10 Orlando Urban Sketching Workshops was held at the Orlando Public Library (101 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32801) in the Magnolia Room. The brutalist style architecture of the building makes it feel like it belongs in a futuristic non-Utopian society as in George Orwell’s 1984. Classical music is pumped into the lobby and when the automatic doors open, you can feel a rush of inviting cold air hit you as you walk by.

Urban Sketchers is celebrating 10 years by inviting sketchers from
around the world to attend ten on location workshops with an Urban
Sketching official instructor! The 10 workshops will cover three themes:

1. Little Stories.

2. Medium Stories.

3. Great Stories.

The Goals of the progressive workshops are to:
1. Show stories from Orlando, one drawing at a time

2. Improve drawing skills

3. Learn how to select, frame and design visual stories on a page

4. Learn how writing and drawing can work together to communicate more to your audience

5. Experience the advantages of group learning and seeing the many paths to success

For the first workshop I started with simple shapes like squares, circles, and triangles. We sketched the simple shapes and then sketched them as dimensional objects on the page. The most important building block to understand for me is the cube and we sketched it from all different angles as if it were dice on a roulette table. We then softened the edges of the cube and stretched, bent and twisted the shapes on the page. Being able to sketch that form from any angle is critical.

We then focused on contour drawing by doing blind contours before more controlled contour drawing of Abe Lincoln statues and buffalo statues. We then focused on producing a more finished still life of our art supplies. We used watercolor for the first time and I offered sketch suggestions to each student as their work was in progress.

 The library sketch with all the computers shown above was broken down into simple shapes. We left the classroom and found small intimate things to sketch throughout the library. The goal of each sketch was that the object chosen should have a story. As part of the workshop each student is encouraged to write about their experience and post those articles on the Urban Sketch Workshop Group page on Facebook. I am excited about the line up of venues that is coming up. We will be sketching exhibits and historic building models at the Orange County Regional History Center, the Ticonderoga Museum which is devoted to the humble pencil, a Celebrity Impersonators Convention, Zombietoberfest, the Creative City Project and Skeletons at The Museum of Osteology. By the end of the 10 workshops, I hope to have helped inspire some new Urban Sketch Correspondents.

Artists sketch at the Orlando Skeleton Museum.

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Artists gathered at the Museum Of Osteology

(near the Orlando Eye, 8441 International Drive

Suite 250

Orlando, FL 32819)

from 5:30 to 10:30 pm to sketch skeletons.

Using the skeletons collection of over 500 REAL skeletons as inspiration, they spent time exploring new skills or perfecting figure drawing in the museum. Event sponsor, Sam Flax of Orlando, provided sketching materials that artists could experiment with, but all artists were encouraged to bring your own pens, pencils, and sketchpads.

For this, the second installment of Sketching with Skeletons, the museum extended the event by two hours to allow for more sketching time! Tickets were offered at a discounted price of $12.00. If you brought a valid student or teacher/educator ID, there was an extra discounted price of $10.00.

My plan was to work digitally on my iPad but when Pam Schwartz and I arrived at the Orlando Eye parking lot, I suddenly realized that I hadn’t brought my art supply bag! That has never happened to me. Well, the event said that there were some supplies on hand, so, I decided to go regardless and make do with the materials provided. Sure enough, each artist was given a clip board along with several sheets of 11 by 17 inch paper and bulldog clips. I did have pencils in my pocket and around the venue there were some boxes full of colored pencils.


After walking quickly around the museum, I settled on this view of two artists sketching the big cat skeletons. I quickly penciled in the composition and then Pam found me a ball point pen to finish the line work. I actually liked the ball point pen and might work it into my everyday supplies. Coral Dixon, the museum marketing associate introduced herself to me.  She is heading off to college soon to study to be a museum curator.


I was very pleased and surprised with how many artists were on hand to sketch. Coral is clearly doing a great job marketing the event. She contacted all the local tattoo shops, which quite frankly is a stroke of genius. Once the sketch was done, I walked around the exhibit with Pam to catch the highlights. A skeletal dog still had his collar on, and a raccoon skeleton was rummaging through a box of Milk Duds. The sea otter was lounging with his paws neatly tucked behind his head. Former Disney animation artist Woody Woodman was there with his wife, and we got to catch up briefly. Museum founder and owner, Jay Villemarette and Samantha Tutor introduced themselves and Jay gave Pam and I a personal tour. Since Pam is a curator, she had an amazing conversation about the care of the museum which is just 2 years old. Jay was proud to introduce us to the two glass cases of flesh eating beetles. The spongy cotton bottom of the case was swarming with beetles covering several small animal skulls. Jay went back stage and added some water to the tanks which sent the beetles into a real frenzy. They become most active when moisture is added. I started to itch.

I was highly impressed with the event and the museum in general. Orlando is lucky to have the world’s top collector and distributor of skeletons right here in town. Jay pointed out that no animal was ever killed for the collection but that each animal died of natural causes. Sea World handlers sometimes return to the museum to pay their respects to the animals once in their care. Humans also donate their skeletons to the collection. Jay is often asked during interviews if he would want his skeleton donated someday. He gives the answer that the interviewer wants, but honestly he doesn’t care what becomes of his skeleton. I am hoping that these sketching events continue.  The first one was highly attended with over 75 artists, but the attendance dropped for this second edition to maybe 25 to 30 artists. I hope to introduce the Orlando Urban Sketchers to the venue when I host the Orlando 10 x 10 workshops starting in August.

Music at the Casa.

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The Orlando Urban Sketchers group met at Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum, (656 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789), to sketch. I work on Saturdays, and this was the first time the group met on a Sunday. When I got there, I didn’t notice any other sketches, so I went inside The historic home and set up in the parlor where chairs were set up facing the bay windows. Michael Blumer was just setting up his electric bass. A small amplifier was set up behind his seat along with a recorder that played some supporting rhythm and background music. The tracks were all shuffled and his biggest issue was finding the supporting track he wanted.

I’m starting to really like the line quality I am getting from the digital pencil on an iPad Pro. Color is more vibrant than I would get with watercolor a ad I’m starting to get better judging color and value on the tablet. The digital medium seemed appropriate since the instrument was electronic. It kept the general outline of the traditional instrument, but really he could have played just the central column and the sound would have been the same.

 

Mike Bloomer’s world changed recently when an MRI showed he developed
glioblasoma brain cancer. It came as a shock to those near and dear to
him. Mike has already undergone brain surgery to remove most of the
tumor and has started an aggressive chemo and radiation plan, with
positive results. Fellow
musician and friend Stephanie Doucette has created a compassionate
crowdfunding web page at YouCaring.com to raise funds for Mike and his
family while he is unemployed and fighting cancer. A benefit concert was
recently held to raise funds for Mike, but the fundraising efforts are
continuing. Visit the Mike’s crowdfunding site to contribute funds for his
medical needs, to show your support, or find out more information.

Noga Grosman who organized the Urban Sketchers outing, sat several rows behind me. She finished a quick sketch and left while I was still working. When I was done, I we at outside to see how many sketchers showed up. About eight artists were on the grounds sketching the historic home. They all gathered in the courtyard to share their sketches. In the bright sunshine, my digital sketch was barely visible, another disadvantage of the digital world. One artist showed me how to use a simple sketch program that is integrated into Notes which is on every tablet. Had I known about that program I might have taken up digital sketching a long time ago.We all stood for a group photo. As a new chapter to the international Urban Sketchers organization, the Orlando USk group is growing steadily. The Orlando Urban Sketchers group just passed 100 members! If you know of a friend, a co-worker or anyone who loves to
draw, will you mention our Orlando Urban Sketching group and invite them over? Life is short, capture it with a sketch.

Sketch Orlando Workshop at Lake Eola.

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I co-hosted a sketch outing with Greg Bryla, a Senior Landscape Architect at Dix.Hite + Partners. Viviana Castro
and Kristen Koehnemann helped organize the event. Every artist that attended, got a small travel size watercolor palette, sheets of watercolor paper, a pencil and water brush. We all met outside the Eola House (512 E. Washington St, Orlando, FL). The newly formed Orlando Urban Sketcher’s group joined with landscape architects for a morning of sketching a the Lake Eola Farmers Market. We met in the open field next to the Eola House and all the supplies were placed a folding table for artists to pick up. A bicycle cop stopped by and told us the table wasn’t allowed in the park, so it was broken down and supplies went on the ground. Artists are all about breaking rules.

Greg and I gave short talks about how to catch a quick scene in a sketch. Then we all scattered to do a 20 minute sketch. I usually take an hour to two hours to complete my sketches so I really had to pick up the pace. Luckily the sheet of watercolor paper was small allowing for just a quick thumbnail study. I focused on the BBQ guy setting up for the morning. He had to stoke the fire and put out all his wares. I just sketched him over a over again to populate the scene. There was only enough time to throw in a few light washes before heading back to the base camp.

We all placed our sketches on the lawn to see what worked and what might need improvement. It is always wonderful to see how different and unique each sketch is. Variety is who makes sketching so exciting. Two artiss couldn’t draw the same scene the same way if they tried. Each sketch involves millions of decisions that make each sketch unique. Any advice is just a guiding suggestion. I would never want to change the way an artist interprets a scene. Instruction is just a way to help artists truly see. Most of sketching is patience and perseverance.

Then it started to rain, so we all ran to World of Beer (431 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL) where we sipped beers and sketched on the outside patio. I sketched the artists on the couches refining their sketches. The shower was short lived, just long enough to down one beer and pay up. The landscape architects had one more surprise up their sleeve. Across the lake they had a table set up with a delicious Polynesian pulled pork lunch spread.  I must say that landscape architects really know how to organize a sketch outing. Remnants of the Pulse memorial items still surrounded the lake. There were tons of candle holders and dead flowers everywhere. Had it not rained this emotional refuge would have certainly been the topic of my sketch. A bicycle cop once again stopped to inform us that it is illegal to serve food in the park. The table was broken down and the buffet was dropped in the grass. Once again the artist, anarchists were caught trying to picnic in the park. After the mass murder of 49 people I would think the police might have loftier goals.