Plaid and flowers

Posted: April 29, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | 13 Comments

I have such great memories of this quiet morning in Hoi An, sitting at my favourite café with some of the sketchers in my group.We had an ideal view of a spot in the central market where the vendors were just beginning to set up. I loved the interesting mix of patterns that many of the women were wearing: plaid shirts with flowered pants.

To paint the section of the sketch that’s under the awning, I laid in a wash of pale lavender. The purpose of that is to take away all the white bits in that dark area. The lavender is light enough that I can paint over it with brighter or darker colours, and it works to push back that whole section into the shadows.

When I was almost done sketching, I was surprised to look up and see that I was surrounded by police. I think that our very hospitable café lady had moved her tables a little too far out onto the sidewalk, and the police were doing a market sweep. Fortunately they let me grab my sketching gear before they pitched a few of her tables and chairs into a flatbed truck.

The space between two buildings

Posted: December 9, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | 17 Comments

What fun to go back to one of my favourite winter sketching spots: Église St. Joachim in Pointe Claire. In this -15C weather, of course I sketched from my car. It’s always a little difficult to balance the mechanics of it all. If I wear my warmest coat, it’s hard to keep the puffy sleeves from grazing the wet palette. And even with heavy boots on, I know I only have a limited time before I start to get too cold. But I guess I was well prepared because I was able to stay long enough to get the sketch done.

I don’t remember how often I’ve painted from this same vantage point but I’m always attracted to the patch of sky between the church and the presbytery. If you were to walk through that bit of snow-covered lawn, you would see a frozen Lac St. Louis just beyond it. The vast open space behind the buildings, as well as the brightness of the snow-covered lake creates a wonderfully lit backdrop for the buildings. Sketched in my Hahnemuhle 100% cotton sketchbook.

Toasted on both sides

Posted: November 3, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | 7 Comments

Alice likes her spot in the afternoon sun so much that she will even sleep on the hard floor, which she rarely does. Her old bones prefer the comfort of her bed. I get it.

Today I noticed her on the floor, looking up at me, pleading, I imagine, for her bed. I brought it over and she immediately fell asleep. I barely had time to do one drawing before she flipped herself over so she could toast the other side.

I sketched in my Hahnemuhle A4 portrait book today, using my Pilot pen and carbon ink. Always a satisfying experience!

At my feet

Posted: May 16, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | 11 Comments

I’m catching up on stuff in the house and garden today, and of course Alice is at my feet. I’ve been checking her after our walks on the trails because I found two ticks on her after our walk on Tuesday. Luckily she’s blond so those nasty critters are easy to spot on her light fur and neither of them had attached themselves to her. Of course I have to keep her on a leash now instead of letting her run free in the long grasses since that’s where they are likely to be, but it’s still a beautiful walk for both of us if we stick to the middle of the trail.

I drew her today using my new Pilot pen in my Hahnemuhle cotton sketchbook. I just love a fresh ink line on white paper so I didn’t do a preliminary drawing with pencil, but that can sometimes get me in trouble. Her hindquarters weren’t wide enough and I had to go back and move the line for her tail, which is why she looks like she might have stitches on her leg. Corrections like this used to bother me, and cause me to start over, but now I just keep going. That’s what sketchbooks are for.