Construction/Destruction
I’ve always loved sketching construction work on the streets, so it’s a treat to get to sketch a process like that right at home. What started as a “maybe we need to fix that broken kitchen cabinet” snowballed into a much bigger project. Here are sketches from the process. Painting the front door before it […]
Sketching the everyday
Sometimes I have to remind myself that I don’t need a big event or exciting travels to be inspired to sketch. Everyday moments are worth recording. Like this quiet weekend morning, where (miraculously) everyone at home was occupied and sitting still long enough for a super-quick sketch. Or these two sketches of my kids practicing […]
Signs of Summer
Some people say it’s always summer in California. But it’s only summer for sure when the Farmers’ Market is loaded with peaches and plums, nectarines and apricots. And all sorts of cross-bred fruit: ever heard of a pluot? or a peachcot? They’re here at the local Farmers’ market in San Jose. And they’re literally bursting […]
Vintage Signs
It’s a recent obsession. I’ve been tracking down and sketching signs near San Jose, California.The nice thing about hunting down these hidden signs is that every so often, someone will write in and tell me about a sign I haven’t sketched, and sometimes it’s surprising how much I haven’t discovered of places that are quite […]
Pinewood Derby racing with my 6 year old
My 6 year old is a boy scout, so we were introduced to our very first Pinewood Derby Race this year. If you grew up in the US and were a scout, or had a scout for a sibling, you probably know how this works ( and might even have a few little pinewood cars […]
What’s missing is the people!
Sometimes I sketch a street, a building, something from the urban landscape around me. And it just doesn’t look right. Usually what I missing is the people. People passing by, crowds, the lone person making their way down an alley- they are all such an integral part of the urban landscape. And drawing them is […]
Drawing (little) people
Sometimes the people in a scene make my sketch come alive. But sometimes, especially kids, capture my attention to where they become front and center of my sketches, and their environment is something that surrounds them and gives them context, but only barely. Which always raises the question, are they Urban Sketches? Some obviously are, […]
The end of soccer season, the start of barbecue season…
Feels like summer is here! Soccer season is over, and barbecue season is here. I didn’t go watch too many of my son’s soccer games this season, but when I did go, I sketched. Little fellows, pretty close to the ground, scooting around a field are fun to draw. They remind me of goblins. Thank […]
Do you know your Dickens?
You know it’s almost Christmas when you find a production of Dicken’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ being performed at your local grocery store. That’s just what happened this Saturday: our neighborhood Whole Foods announced that San Jose Youth Shakespeare was performing the play at the store, so I was there. With my sketchkit, ofcourse. If you […]
Soccer Season is here!
Fall Soccer season is here, and I have a kid that plays with the Dynamites and another that plays with the Broncos, but if you ask me which team which kid belongs to, I’m never very sure. But I do go to practice and games and shout “Go Broncos” and “Go Dynamites”, and I sketch. […]