sketchbook

I was waiting for for the GO Train at Union station to get to my sister's place on Christmas Day.

Wanda's Pie in the Sky, Kensington Market.

I went to Wanda's Pie in the Sky to pick up a meringue pie for dessert for tomorrow's Christmas dinner with the family. Sat for a bit and sketched. Some call it a cozy space, I call it small. HOwever, it's nice if you like sketching people pretty much face to face. Makes for huge awkward moments.

On a side note, I didn't realized how delicate a meringue is and on my way home with it, some of the meringue oozed out. I had to shovel it back in but I think it's still edible. Merry Christmas.

Sketchbook

I had some time to kill before I had to make an appointment. So an americano and an hour later, I had this sketch of the Jet Fuel cafe on Parliament to show for it.

As my time to leave approached I was sketching quicker and quicker and I really like how loose the lines were coming out. I'll try to duplicate that looseness the next time I sketch anywhere.

Batman and "Robyn"

This is one component of my niece's Christmas present. Her dad has asked me in the past to do a drawing on this theme and I thought it'd be the perfect time to draw it up. It's been a while since i used watercolors and every brush stroke was like walking on a tightrope. But I'm done and I'm quite happy with it, considering the timeframe.

sketchbook

I started a new sketchbook today and I broke it in with a sketch of people I drew while riding the subway home.

Sketchbook

My first meet up with the group, Sketching Around the City. A group of us went to U of T's Hart House and drew the afternoon away.
I decided to camp out in one of their study halls and caught a group of students and their tutor cover material for a stats course.
The one thought running through my mind was, "thank god i'm no longer a student anymore! "

Sketchbook

Big man, small computer.

I had a bit of time before I met a friend for dinner, which means a bit of sketching at the Bloor Gladstone Library.

sketchbook

My studio, living room, dining room, lounge, office, entertainment centre among other things.
I'd be interested to see what other studio spaces look like.

The St. Lawrence Market

It's been a while since I've been to the St. Lawrence market, so I thought it'd be a perfect day for it. It was super busy but I managed to find a table in the midst of all the action.
On a side note, the only good thing about smart phones when used in public is the fact that it makes their users planted in one spot, motionless. Recipe for a good model.

Sketchbook

Waiting for my girlfriend in a coffee shop. Thank god for coffee shops.

sketchbook

Some people go to a bar on a Friday night. I go to the laundry mat. It usually guarantees a few machines. I was hoping there would be at least another person there so I wouldn't just be sketching a long alley of a room. Wish granted. He was deep into a scratch and win lottery game which gave me the perfect distraction for me to sketch him.

Sumo Crazy

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I just finished the Queen West Art Crawl a few weeks back and it's not only until now do I feel well rested, physically and mentally.

Since last year's show, I had promised myself I would start painting sooner for this year's show (i.e. 2013) But I am who I am, so my painting in earnest didn't happen until a few months prior to the show date. I had nothing at that point. Dry. Nothing in the creative well. In fact, I had many false starts. I was trying to paint landscape, urbanscapes, traditional still lifes etc. But nothing. I think I threw out more half-started canvases than I kept. But as fate would have it, the image of a sumo hit me about 6 weeks prior to the show date. It was time to crank these puppies out. Here are the results:

  

Oil on board, 8x10

Oil on board, 8x10

 

Oil on board, 8x10

 acrylic on canvas, 20x24

 acrylic on canvas, 24x30

 acrylic on canvas, 24x30

 acrylic on canvas, 30x36

 acrylic on canvas, 24x24
(my favourite one of the black and white sumo)

 C'est moi.

Sketchbook

Dropped by a local coffee house to do some sketching. I sat next to a gentle who might be a potential "patron". He expressed interested in a pen portrait. Who says sketching in a cafe isn't profitable!

Sketchbook

I stopped by the Bloor Gladstone Library today after work to do some sketching. What isn't captured in this drawing is the guy who was sitting in the seat next to me, humming and swaying to himself.
Some interesting characters can be found here.

sketchbook

I was craving some pho yesterday and I was in the neighbourhood of Pho Tien Thanh. Some consider the Golden Turtle, which is just on the next block to be the better pho house, but I usually go to this one because it has greater ambiance, as you could see. Who wouldn't want a sleeping employee in the front of house?! (Actually, I think he was the owner.)

By the way, order the no. 24. It's  pho with rare and well done beef with tendon and tripe. Delicious, but they did skimp on the tendon and tripe. Satisfied and feeling jipped all at the same time.

Red Onion

Red Onion. Oil on masonite. 5x7 in.

Blueberries.

5x7ins. Oil on masonite.

Trying something new with this one. I've really admired painters who basically use oils as a thick paste and just smear it onto their painting surface. This was my attempt at that approach. It's not yet at the "thick, spread on the peanut butter" point, but I like my first attempt.

Apricots

5x7 ins. Oil on masonite.

Mango. mango, mango.

I think it's harder for me to paint a small painting like this than a bigger one because there's a finite space to paint within. I tend to over think and go over the same area over and over again.

5x7 in. oil on board

sketchbook

I was feeling slightly nauseous before I started sketching at the Bloor Gladstone Library after work today and after I finished this spread the nausea disappeared. Something was reaffirmed today: sketching is my meditation.

Avocado

oil, 5x7inc. on masonite board.

Sketchbook

Some more random people on the train and at the mall.

Duck Duck Goose

What should have been a small, quick oil turned out to be a marathon session of a painting that I revisited several times.
I tend to over think these paintings and knit pick a lot.

Ottawa Airport Grounds Crew

 Final painting. Oil on cradle board. 11x17 in.

I took a trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia this summer and there was a stop over in Ottawa. I thought the view out my window would make a perfect painting. Here are two images of works in progress prior to the finalized painitng.

A pig's head thank you...

I thought this would be an appropriate thank you gift for my cousin when I stay at his place for a few days. He follows the Paleo diet, so I thought some a pork image would be right up his alley... Plus, I was born in the year of the pig. Totally unintentional, but I like the multifaceted meaning of this image.

Broccoli

I like to eat broccoli and paint it as well.

oil on masonite, 5x7 in.

Oil Experimentation

Peter the Dog, oil on cradle board. 

A belated birthday present for my sister. All it needs is a frame now.

Surprised, oil on gessoed mat board. 

I was trying to use a predominately warm colour palette.

Portrait Party, part deux

I hosted another portrait party tonight and I had two friends come over. Great fun had again.

Marc showing his final drawing of me.

Karoliina's final painting of Marc.

Marc deep in concentration while drawing me.

My drawing of Karoliina.

Karoliina painting me.

Karoliina showing her final painting of me.

My painting of Marc.

Portrait Party

I invited an artist friend over to do some sketching. We modeled for each other and it turned out to be an awesome night of drawing and food.

My take on my friend.

My blind contour drawing of my friend, who is so amazing at this style.

My friend's take of me,

My favourite drawing of her's of me.

My friend's take using a tighter drawing style, not a blind contour.