Quick Sunday Sketch

We went to "First-Pres" for church this morning. The Pastor surprised everyone and used an empty casket to illustrate his message from Ephesians 2:1-10 titled, "Dead Man Walking". It was a very good challenge.  

I enjoyed sketching this scene and trying the capture the size of this auditorium. The stain glass windows and high ceiling made me miss my Basel Cathedral. 

A Saturday morning sketch

Sandee and I went for coffee about 3 miles from our home here in Colorado Springs. This particular shop has an incredible view of Pikes Peak and the "Front Range". Good thing the views are free!

I enjoyed sketching again. I find it incredibly relaxing.

Some people left after started sketching them.

Wow! The coffee tastes even better with views like these. We find ourselves saying "Wow" and "Thank you Lord!" a lot these days.

It's been a while

Sketching in the hospital

Keeping my bad arm elevated

the view of my bed and out my window

the view out the window

Sketch in Kayserberg, France

A fine day for a sketch.

A sketch at the coffee shop

Sandee and I went to a coffee shop (a well known coffee shop that starts with "Star...") in Basel after church. We had a nice time sipping our drinks, talking, and reading books. I finally got out my sketchbook and drew the two friends talking to each other across the room.

Sketch at the Stuecki Mall, Basel

What a nice start to the day: a double tall late with Sandee, followed by a quick sketch from the overflow seating area at Starbucks.

Making a sketch is a perfect way to unstring the bow. Very much needed right now.

Concert in Venice Sketch 09

This was a fun sketch to do. I liked the fact that the musicians are off to the side making in this drawing given it an unusual perspective. The concert itself was simply amazing.

This is a shot of the hall just before the musicians came out.

The Calm

Sandee and I went in to Basel early this morning (8:00am) for breakfast. As we sat, sipped, and talked, I sketched what I saw out the window of the coffee shop.
The city was just waking up. In just a couple of hours this corner would be jammed with shoppers. That's why I called this "The Calm".
Can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning after a full week of heavy meetings.
My favorite part of this sketch is the tram wires overhead. I like details like that.

Sketch of the day

Just a quick pencil sketch of our living room. That's skynews on the TV.

Mistletoe Makeup

The other day I wrote the "rest of the story" about the mistletoe (see below). To make up for that bit of fun I am re-posting a drawing I did about a year ago of mistletoe. I like the effect I achieved with this drawing. I used lines to outline the object - the rest of the shading was done using only dots from my pen. I used a uniball signo rt get 0.37 pen.

Coffee quietness during shopping season

A quick sketch from...where? You guessed it. Starbucks. It's amazing how you can tell these places no matter where in the world you are.

This was sketched in the lower floor of one of the Starbuck's shops in Basel. Sandee took a picture of me while I made this little drawing.

Sunday Sketches

This Sunday I attended the worship service at Basel Muenster. These two Moleskine sketches were done freehand during the service. I added the detail later when I got home. They are a bit unfinished, but I wanted to get something posted this week. I really enjoyed making these. I enjoyed trying to draw the Pastor's black robe and white collar. This was another one of those combination things - worship and drawing. I won't forget this day ever.

Obviously, the entire service was in German, so I only understood about 1/2. Still I found the entire service inspiring. The architecture, the organ, the echoing voice of the Pastor in this huge cathedral all contributed to lifting my thoughts to God.
So, I admit that I am not used to this kind of service, but I think our modern contemporary worship lacks some of the grandeur and awe that you experience in a Muenster. Worshiping in a cathedral is indeed a special experience. I want to do it more. I found myself looking up a lot during the service trying to take in the entire space.
The Basel Muenster is a Protestant church part of the Evangelical Reformed church. Centuries ago, it was a Catholic church, then came the Swiss Reformation and all of the Catholics were kicked out of Basel. Click here to visit the church's website.
Oh, and the church bells!! I have to mention those. As you walk toward the cathedral just prior to the service, the bells are amazing - calling you to worship. Nothing like it. And the cool thing is how the bells stop pealing right at 10am. Then there is this moment of quiet, and then the booming organ begins. Stunning! I never experienced anything like this growing up in Summit County.
See the little 7 second clip below to hear the bells on the walk to church.

Sam Rotman in Concert

Last night Mr. Sam Rotman gave a piano concert here at our school. What a treat that was. While Sam played the piano I drew in my Moleskine. It was a great combination of music and drawing. The hour and a half seemed more like 15 minutes to me.

This is a close up of Mr. Rotman at work. I loved the curve of his back and neck as he played. He certainly was "into" his work.
I couldn't help but notice how Sam methodically took off his glasses and put them on the piano just prior to playing each piece.



















Click here to learn more about Mr. Rotman.

A little holiday sketching

I was looking for something to sketch recently. Both of the following items were found right outside our door.

These were drawn in my moleskine sketch book. I used my uni-ball signo RT gel 0.38. Both sketchbook and pen are a pleasure to use. Thanks Jim for recommending the 0.38 to me.
If you click on the picture you will see that I primarily used "pointillism" for defining the leaves. That means a million little dots were used in making this drawing. (No dots were injured, abused, or hurt in the making of this sketch.)