Urban Sketching #3 - Cafe View on Granville St, Vancouver BC

Here's a sketch done sitting at a window seat at the Bump N Grind Cafe on Granville Street. I used a mechanical pencil, micron pens sizes 01 & 005, and a light purple ZIG Art & Graphic Twin brush pen. I spent roughly an hour one the drawing.

Distillery District Sketches V - Trinity Street

Here's another sketch from the Distillery District of Toronto, Canada. If you're ever visiting the city, it's a neighbourhood worth checking out.

Moleskine Sketches - St Cirq Lapopie, France

Here's a couple sketches of St Cirq Lapopie, a beautiful French village I had a chance to visit a few months ago. I'd love to go back there some day. It's definitely an inspiring place to wander around.

Not-so-Monthly Maps II

Well, I think my idea of having a monthly post about maps was well intentioned, but isn't something I'm going to be able to continue, at least on a consistent monthly basis. I've discovered that I've been spending way too much time working on maps, and I've completely neglected to do other art. I love making maps, but right now I don't have the time needed for them and my other existing art projects.

That being said, here are a few maps from a little while ago. They're all a bit different from each other stylistically, and I'm not entirely sure what I think about them yet. I was trying to experiment a bit with how I draw in order to figure out what I like and what I think works for me.

The first map was entirely an excuse to try drawing trees in a different way than I normally approach them. I think I like the effect but I won't know for sure until I explore that route a little more in some bigger maps. 

The only thing about the second map that's different than the way I usually draw dungeon maps is the trees just outside the cave. I think I need to come up with some better trees :P 

The purpose of the third map was to come up with a way of drawing waterfalls. I like the way that one worked out.

The last map was really fun to make, but I'm not sure how successful it is in conveying that it's a multi tiered city. I haven't figured out a good way of showing elevations in maps that are so small and so dense. It's also a bit hard to see some of the tunnels, and to make out what's going on without having to stare at the image for a bit. I'm sure drawing bigger would definitely help with some of that.

Monthly Maps I

I've decided that since I like drawing maps so much, I'm going to try to do a monthly post about some of my maps. 

Here's a couple maps of some coastal areas that I drew not too long ago. They are both drawn in a moleskin sketchbook using micron pens sizes 005 and 01. 

A Few More Octopuses

Here's a couple more.

Quick Octopus Sketches

Here's a couple octopus sketches that I did for http://weeklysketchart.blogspot.ca/

Distillery District Sketches IV - Sketch Dump

Here are some more sketches that I've been doing in the Distillery District of Toronto, Canada. The area used to be an old whisky distillery, and at one point it was the largest in the world. It is one of Canada's few pedestrian only historical districts, and according to wikipedia it "is the largest collection of Victorian-era industrial architecture in North America." If you ever find yourself in Toronto, this is definitely an area that you should check out.

Distillery District Sketches III - Trinity Street

And another sketch of some buildings on Trinity Street, in the Distillery District of Toronto, Ontario.

Distillery District Sketches II - Trinity Street

Here's another sketch of some buildings on Trinity Street that I did this morning. There's a lot of beautiful architecture on this street.

Distillery District Sketches I - Trinity Street

Here's a sketch I did the other day of some buildings on Trinity Street in the Distillery District in Toronto. If you're ever in Toronto, it's a cool part of the city that is definitely worth visiting.

More Maps!

Here's a few more maps from my little dungeon map sketchbook.

Octopus Sketch

TLDR: Octopus sketch done in a Moleskin sketchbook (3.5"x5.5") with 4H Staedtler pencil (that I forgot to erase once I was done) and Micron Pens sizes 01 & 03.

I have the bad habit of falling in love with a new sketchbook, buying it, drawing a couple pictures in it, and then never getting around to filling it. Many of my sketchbooks never get more than half a dozen pages sketched on. The same thing happens to me with other art materials. As a result, I've put myself on a bit of a self-imposed art supply ban until I start filling up the sketchbooks I already own and using up my current supplies.

I found this nice little old forgotten sketchbook over the holidays and decided it would be the next one I'd fill. A 3.5"x5.5" Moleskine sketchbook that I would have bought back in college, back when everything I drew was so small that I'm surprised I haven't gone blind as a result. Perfect size for my purse!

This octopus is the first new picture drawn in it so far. Knowing me it'll probably be the only somewhat finished looking drawing that ends up in the sketchbook. The rest will probably end up looking pretty loose and rough like all my other sketchbooks if I ever get around to filling it.

My Little Book of Dungeon Maps

I've started doodling a little book of dungeon maps, towns, countrysides, etc. With these there's no planning or prep, they are just whatever pops into my head at the time. Most of the time I'm making them when I'm out and about and have some time to kill. Here's a couple pics:

Oil Painting Class

A little while ago a friend of mine and I had a conversation about how much we'd love to learn how to paint with oils, so we both decided to take a beginners class together. The first class was today, and it was pretty good so far, even though we didn't get to doing any actual painting yet. I'm looking forward to picking up all the materials I'll need sometime this week, and I can't wait to do some painting next class!

Life Drawings

Here are some more drawings done in the last little while.

Medusa

Medusa sketch I did for http://weeklysketchart.blogspot.com/

Kitchen Sketch

Here's a quick sketch I made of my mother-in-law's kitchen over Christmas. I was relaxing by their fireplace when I was inspired to make this sketch.

Old Sketch

Here's an old doodle that I did back in late February/early March. It's a typical for me to make small drawings with lots of detail, though not always with a lot of success. I particularly like this image though.

Outdoor Sketches

Here's a few sketches of some buildings that are in my neighborhood.


This one is often referred to as the "Flat Iron". It sits at the corners of Front St., Church St. and Wellington St. It's pretty close to the St. Lawrence Market in downtown Toronto.


This is a sketch of a building on Front St., just above the "Spring Rolls" restaurant. I like this image more than the first one because I didn't bother putting as much detail in it or finish it off completely.


This sketch was of the Steeple that sits on the grass to the side of St. James Cathedral. I finally got brave enough to start putting in some watercolour into my images and then a huge rain cloud chased me out of the park. I made it home just as it started to rain.