just be there!

In case you're wondering why we've been so distant lately...it's us, not you.

I promise :D

All joking aside, we've got more on our plate than usual this week as we prepare for the Illustrated Journaling Workshop this Sunday at Just Be. We're thrilled to have a full house/store! As of last check, however, there ARE a couple more seats if you're interested in attending. No drawing skills required, just enthusiasm!

Call 336-274-2212 to sign up!

bruegger's babies

We eat breakfast at the Bruegger's near our house so frequently [almost everyday during my 1st trimester when nothing else tasted right] that we've joked we're going to need to name our babies after our friends that work there: Travis and Blake.

Well this afternoon we go in for an ultrasound to find out if our two are Travis and Blake; Travisette and Blakeini; a combination of the two...or just bagels!

Wanna place a bet? If there are indeed bagels...what kind would they be?!?

before

As I mentioned last week, I've been sketching quite a bit the past few days. Perhaps it is this extra exercising that explains why I committed to completing this marathon 5K of drawing yesterday. Typically I have no patience...which is why most of my sketches take no longer than 30 minutes. Yesterday I took two and a half hours on this one, which qualifies it as a biggie in my book.

[click here to see image larger]

So, to explain: a year ago this week Edgar and I moved into our dream house...not Barbie's dream house, mind you, but our dream house. And, sadly, for that entire year, while we've worked on every other space in the house, our guest bedroom has been a disaster...a DISASTER.

That all changed this weekend, when Edgar and I emptied the contents of the bedroom into my studio, which is now the DISASTER. However, I am hopeful that things will get back to being organized soon, at which point I'll post 'after' images, and let the OCD sufferer inside me sleep.

alumni housefly

If you were a fly on the wall...or an attendee in a seat...at Tuesday's Office of Leadership and Service Learning Community Partner Breakfast you might have seen this:

See the bigger picture here.

welcome to moe's!

If you've been wanting to draw more out in public, but feel nervous about doing so, might I make a suggestion? Sunday afternoon at Moe's. This is where I sketched and painted [the little clear cups for salsa also work well for watercolors] for nearly 45 minutes yesterday, going almost completely unnoticed with the exception of Jonathan and Grayson [left-side] and a curious gentleman to my right [not pictured] who would quickly look away every time our eyes met. There were SO many children and SO many parents...all blissfully unaware of my existence. It was great. Quite possibly the perfect drawing scenario.

See the sketch larger here.

the writing on the wall

Before leaving Florida, we made a quick pit stop here. And while I don't think I have any readers in Tallahassee (do I?), I want to continue to play the 'where am i?' game with this sketch.

Here's a hint: this eccentric chain is found primarily in college towns.

amsterdam part 4 : my frog prince

I think this was the highlight of my sketching experience in Amsterdam: the mind-bending experience of sketching the scene behind me as revealed in the mirror in front of me --including my own reflection and Edgar, who unfortunately, turned out to look more like a frog than a prince. Oh well. You win some, you lose some! I guess this is payback.

amsterdam part 3 : time to defrost

These drawings were from unexpected breaks...

in little cafes...

that looked cozy.

Coziness was the only prerequisite in identifying when and where to stop.

studying scale at starbucks and salsaritas

Last week I asked my first year students to sketch 5 interior environments with people.  The results of the exercise were mixed, with many focusing more on individual portraits and less on the space.  The reason for the assignment is to understand the importance people play in making spaces active and the sense of scale they provide to a drawing.  To better explain this in coming weeks, I set out to complete the assignment for myself via stops at Starbucks and Salsaritas.

working backwards

Recently, I had my students to complete a self-reflection in which I asked 'what is one skill you would like to walk away from the semester with?'  One of the best answers I received was 'to draw like Candice Olson of Divine Design'.  Wow...me too!  Of the many designers making a career on television, Candice stands out in her ability to represent design ideas on paper through incredible hand renderings.  This, in my opinion, makes her the real deal.

Below is a demonstration I gave students, based off a drawing method featured at the end of Divine Design, where a space is rendered from a photograph.   In the assignment that grew from this demo, I encouraged students to draw one space several times, experimenting with color combinations to see what works and what does not.

:::::one:::::

For this exercise, we'll work backwards.  I'm beginning with an image from a magazine, but you can work from a photo or digital model of any space you would like to see 'updated'.

:::::two:::::

The first step is easy.  Place a sheet of translucent paper over your image and trace what you see.  Don't worry about having rigidly straight lines.  Exactness is not the goal, but rather expression.  You'll notice, especially around the painting hanging on the wall, my lines extend beyond the boundaries of what I'm tracing.  This aids in the crispness of the drawing.  Feel free to change elements of the room at this point.  There is no reason you can't make your own design decisions.  Go ahead, add some tchotchkes!

:::::three:::::

Once finished with this step, I add some thicker lines using a wider tipped pen.  I choose to add these thicker lines to surfaces and edges where I assume shadows will be.  I've identified these areas based on the assumption that light is coming in through the window.  However, this is where a photo reference can help.

:::::four:::::

I then begin applying color with a Chartpak AD marker.  I work quickly as the marker dries fast on the trace paper.  It also helps maintain the loose look I'm working towards.  

:::::five:::::

Say what?!?  As this drawing was serving as a color study in my interior design class I'm bold with the color, attempting it to use combinations in unexpected [and often unsatisfactory] ways.  But why not?  It's just a drawing...

:::::six:::::

I like to embrace the process that goes along with this type of drawing.  As a result, I test out the markers along the side of the rendering, with the intention to leave these trials in my finished presentation.  I also joke with students about my unruly hand which can't help but leave marks all around the outside of the image.

:::::seven:::::

With the base colors down, it is time to add some shadow.  Because of the nature of the paper and markers, if I were to try to add shadows on the front of the paper, the strokes would become diluted.  Instead, I flip the paper over, adding dark areas to the backside which while shine through to the front.

:::::eight:::::

The result is a loose and quick vignette.  This one took about 15 minutes from start to finish.  A great way to present ideas in a hurry, this drawings can be further enhanced (and toned down a notch...or two) in Photoshop.

Find this helpful?  If so, please share the link with you friends!

See a past, tighter marker tutorial here.

a virtual open house invite

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend! Much of mine was spent visiting open houses (we're on the market) which was big fun--so much so that I'd like to do it every weekend. It helps fulfill a childhood dream to go inside others' homes and learn their story.

Speaking of which, here's a glimpse into my story. I like to watch TV...waaaahhh, waaaahhhh! Oh well...we all have our vices.

With this post I'd like to challenge you to share a bit of your own story through a drawing of your living space. Why?

1 : Because it's fun.
2 : And because, selfishly, I'd love to visit your home and learn more about you.

If you choose to 'open your house', simply leave a link to your drawing in my comments section no later than midnight (Eastern Time) on Thursday 8 am (ET) Friday and I'll post your drawings [and photos] here, along with links to your blog/website. How does that sound?

And while we're on the subject of houses, I've also happy to announce that a favorite store of mine, All Modern, has a wonderful giveaway in the works for An Open [Sketch]book readers!!!! All Modern, part of CSN Stores, features a fantastic selection of modern and contemporary furniture and home accessories from many iconic designers, including George Nelson, whose bench our TV is on, and whose Swag Leg Desk is on my wish list! Yum. Stay tuned for more details about the giveaway...

t.a.l.l.a.h.a.s.s.e.e

graduation

Yesterday marked the end of one chapter in our lives and the beginning of another. As Edgar joked, "we are now both adults."

See this image much larger (and in living color rather than as a black and white memory) here.

waiting for "minnie"

Need your car taken to the shop? I'd be happy to help out.It sounds crazy but I can honestly say that I enjoyed every single minute of the four hours I spent waiting for my car to be serviced at the Mini dealership this morning. It was so refreshing to be "stuck" somewhere with nothing to do but draw.

little people, big space

There is nothing better to me than drawing "on location"...especially when "on location" includes a mozzarella and tomato panini :) However, I always find it a struggle integrating people into the spaces I draw. It's strange because I feel comfortable drawing people....and I feel comfortable drawing spaces....just not the two together. I think it all boils down to not knowing how detailed the "scale figures" should be. For instance, I ADORE the figures José Louro puts in his spaces but when I try something similar in my own drawings they come out much less successful.  In essence, they don't "agree" with the rest of my lines. This is something I want to continue to work on.

Any words of wisdom? Do you share a similar drawing "struggle"? If so, tell me about it. Perhaps we can help one another.

conscientious objector

There is something so satisfying about visiting the mall this time of year, in the midst of all the madness, and not participating in it, only observing it. Too bad I'll probably get sucked into the participation part of it in a matter of days.

would you like some dirty socks with that salad?

How does that old saying go..."renters can't be choosers?"
This must be the case as I really, REALLY, REALLY dislike my kitchen. There are multiple reasons for this, not the least of which is bad fluorescent lighting that makes everything look green, a linoleum floor that is impossible to keep clean and rusty metal cabinets (yep, that's right...time for an update). But, the thing that grates on my nerves the most is that this is where the washer and dryer hookups are conveniently place. Tada! How convenient! My disdain is compounded by the fact that laundry is my least favorite chore (and, apparently, Edgar's as well :).

That is why, well, my kitchen looks like this today. The only thing that could make it worse is if this was the situation on the other side.

delineating space

I'm getting to practice what I preach...uh, make that "teach"...this summer via several architectural illustration assignments. I enjoy this type of work as it reminds me of the areas I need to pay special attention to when helping students learn to draw interior environments from imagination.


This sketch will be used to illustrate the vision for Lexington Home Brands' new Las Vegas showroom. I really enjoyed this project as I was given a wealth of information about the details of the space. This makes the process of getting the designers' ideas down on paper much, much easier.

no more cubicle!

I really enjoyed drawing my living room earlier this week, so I decided to start the day off my sketching my new office at school. I'm lucky to have a nice, tall space with plenty of natural light and an extremely big work surface. My desk is around 10 feet long! There is also a wall of pin-up space, which will be terrific place for layers of inspiration to start piling up.

the gift box

As the project moves forward, Gwen and I have made some light studies for the gift shop. As you can see in these sketches, I ran into some problems in trying to communicate our lighting intentions. Oh well, after all we are always in a learning process!