Category: Berkeley

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Art supplies Berkeley Book review Building Drawing Ink and watercolor wash People Places Shop windows Sketchbook Pages

Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore: Mockingjay District 12 Window Display

District 12 at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore, Ink & watercolor
District 12 at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore, Ink & watercolor

Since I’d read, and surprisingly enjoyed, The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins’ first book in her dystopian futuristic trilogy, I understood why this display was in the Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore window: it was advertising the third book in the series, Mockingjay.

The Hunger Games trilogy is about a boy and a girl struggling to survive an annual contest where teenagers from 12 impoverished districts are forced to fight for their lives in the ultimate televised reality show, with the winner bringing honor to her district. When a reliable friend recommended this young adult novel, I was highly skeptical on so many levels. But I found it to be a good read (or listen really–I borrowed the book on CD from the library).

Goorin Hats, Berkeley
Goorin Hats, Berkeley

Before sketching Mrs. Dalloways, this little brown craft-paper sketchbook from the UC Davis college bookstore (a gift from my friend Pete Scully) was perfect for warm-up sketches with a brush pen. College Avenue is full of interesting, upscale little shops like this hat shop.

This previous sketch of Mrs. Dalloway’s is one of my favorites. It’s a wonderful bookstore with a special focus on books about gardens.

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Berkeley Drawing Ink and watercolor wash Landscape Painting Places Sketchbook Pages

Sketching Berkeley’s Northside

UC Berkeley Library at Sunset, ink & watercolor
U.C Berkeley Library at Sunset, ink & watercolor

The past two Tuesday nights we’ve taken advantage of the absence of U. C. Berkeley students to sketch in the area known as the Northside on Euclid between Hearst and Ridge Road. The first week I wandered onto campus a bit and sat on the balcony of the Asian Studies building with this great view of the library. I spent the entire evening there on this one sketch, having a blast with all the details as the sun was setting.

Northside Berkeley (Hearst & Ridge), Ink, watercolor, colored pencils
Northside Berkeley (Hearst & Ridge), Ink, watercolor, colored pencils

Since I was so late getting there last week after going home from work for dinner first, I went directly to the Northside this week. But I still only managed to get in these two sketches. I was intrigued by the window above on the left and the view of all the signs stacked behind each other looking straight down Euclid towards campus.

The highlight of the evening was hearing Cathy’s tales from the Urban Sketchers International Symposium last weekend in Portland and seeing her sketches, notes from the panels, and how inspired and excited she was by the event.

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Berkeley Colored pencil art Drawing Ink and watercolor wash Painting Sketchbook Pages

Elinore’s Birthday Mimosa

Elinore's Birthday Mimosa; mixed media
Elinore's Birthday Mimosa; mixed media

Last Sunday I went to a lovely birthday brunch at Elinore’s favorite restaurant, Liaison Bistro in North Berkeley. The food was absolutely fabulous, the service was excellent, even with the large group, and the company was delightful.

After we ate and the plates were cleared, the waiter walked around the long table with a big rubber stamp, printing the dessert menu on the papers covering the tablecloth. When he came to me, I said, “Wait!” and pulled out my sketchbook, asking him to stamp the book instead.

The stamp became the frame for my drawing of Elinore’s mimosa. I had my mini-sketching kit with me so used a couple watercolor pencils and a waterbrush for color. Then people wanted to see the book, passing it around and looking through it, but being polite about not reading the personal stuff (I hope).

Later I used a gold gel pen to title the page and pasted in the wrapper for the little chocolates they put at each place.

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Berkeley Drawing Ink and watercolor wash Landscape Life in general Painting Places Plein Air Sketchbook Pages

Berkeley’s Clark Kerr Campus (aka School for the Deaf)

Clark Kerr Campus Building 14, ink & watercolor
Clark Kerr Campus Building 14, ink & watercolor

Tuesday night we sketched at UC Berkeley’s Clark Kerr Campus. Built in the 1930’s as a residential school for the deaf, it now serves as home to hundreds of university students and 200 low-income seniors in a peaceful setting of mission style architecture, courtyards and sunny lawns, located just behind rowdy Fraternity Row.

Clark Kerr at Sunset, ink & watercolor
Clark Kerr at Sunset, ink & watercolor

With the students gone for the summer and few of the elderly out and about, we had the place to ourselves. We met at Derby and Claremont and tried to stay in the light, moving west to follow the sun as it set. I enjoyed painting on site, trying to capture the light instead of making many drawings and adding color later as my sketching pals like to do.

Read this brief, wonderfully scandalous “get-even” tale by one of the facility’s elder low-income residents about her earlier life as a mistress to a rich, powerful man who was a member of the Bohemian Club (as was Bush). What a story and how bizarre to find it while Googling for info about the campus.

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Berkeley Colored pencil art Drawing Ink and watercolor wash Interiors Painting People Places Sketchbook Pages

Gilman Auto & Pyramid Brewery: Berkeley Sketching

Gilman Auto Berkeley, ink & watercolor pencil
Gilman Auto Berkeley, ink & watercolor pencil

After Barbara and I took a walk, she picked up her car at the Smog Zone (behind Gilman Auto in Berkeley) and I sketched the car repair shop. I got tricked by the angle of the overhanging roof on the right but I drew it in ink so there it is, wonky as can be.

While drawing I sat in the middle of a planting bed on something not meant as a seat in front of the fancy new McDonalds across the street. I wanted to hurry since I kept expecting to be asked to get out of there (plus the scent of their burgers frying always reminds me of the smell of the boys’ locker room at the high school gym).

So instead of messing with watercolor I used the watercolor pencils I’ve started carrying for quick getaways when it’s not convenient to use water. I was surprised how much brighter and more saturated the color was after I added the water later at home and so wiped some of it off.

Pyramid Brewery, ink & watercolor
Pyramid Brewery, ink & watercolor

That evening Sonia and I met at Pyramid Brewery for Tuesday night sketching. We were both a little out of sorts so it was great to unwind, chat over dinner and a beer, and of course, draw. These guys (above) were wonderful models. They barely changed position and didn’t leave until I finished them. When Pyramid turned the lights down at 9:00 we headed home feeling much better than when we arrived.

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Bay Area Parks Berkeley Drawing Ink and watercolor wash Landscape Life in general Outdoors/Landscape Painting Places Sketchbook Pages

Indian Rock Park, Berkeley, Sketches

View from Indian Rock, ink & watercolor
View from Indian Rock, ink & watercolor

For our Tuesday night sketching we met at Indian Rock Park in North Berkeley. It was so cold, windy and foggy at my house that I put on a turtleneck, a sweater, a down vest, and my winter jacket before leaving the house. I live in the fog belt but just a few miles away, the weather at Indian Rock was lovely with no wind or fog.

My first sketch was of the giant rocks (below), a favorite site for rock climbers and sunset watchers. For the non-climbers there are stairs carved into the rock, and I climbed halfway to do the second sketch (above) where I was entranced by the idea of dining on that wonderful deck complete with white tablecloth and spectacular view.

A new trend for rock climbers is to carry a huge, specially designed backpack that looks like a giant suitcase. It is actually a folded cushion they put on the ground below where they will be climbing. I find it fascinating how there is an endless amount of specialized stuff to buy for every possible interest.

Watching the Sun Set at Indian Rock, Ink & watercolor
Watching the Sun Set at Indian Rock, Ink & watercolor

I really enjoyed drawing the rocks but why did I make the stupid drinking fountain so prominent? Oh well.

There were quite a few people enjoying the park, including a multi-generation Japanese-speaking family who all climbed the stairs, some hippies smoking pot behind the rock, young sturdy rock climbers doing the spiderman thing, and some girlfriends and couples who like me, perched on the rock to enjoy the sunset. Everyone seemed to be appreciating the quiet, peaceful, night and awesome view all the way across the bay to San Francisco.

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Bay Area Parks Berkeley Drawing Flower Art Ink and watercolor wash Landscape Outdoors/Landscape Painting Places Plein Air Rose Sketchbook Pages

Berkeley Rose Garden

Berkeley Rose Garden & Rose Practice, Ink & Watercolor
Berkeley Rose Garden & Rose Practice, Ink & Watercolor

When my plein air group met at the Berkeley Rose Garden last Saturday I arrived even later than usual: at noon, only an hour before the session was to end. I found a spot to sit and quickly sketched and painted the complicated, terraced rose garden, finishing just in time for the 1:00 critique.

Berkeley Rose Garden, Ink & Watercolor
Berkeley Rose Garden, Ink & Watercolor
Rose Grid, Ink & Watercolor
Rose Grid, Ink & Watercolor

After the critique I took some photos of the roses that most intrigued me, while guys set up white chairs for a wedding there later in the day. Once home I made a grid in my journal, and displaying the photos on my monitor, tried to understand their design and draw them.

I’ve bound my next journal and named it “Rosie” and want to decorate her with a rose design so this was practice for the rose I’ll draw on the cover. I’ve finished my journal “Froggie” but still have a bunch more pages to post.

I’ve updated my blog template. What do you think of the new design?

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Berkeley Drawing Ink and watercolor wash Painting Places

Sunset Sketching on Gilman Street, Berkeley

Berkeley Bagels' Umbrellas, Gilman St., ink & watercolor
Berkeley Bagels' Umbrellas, Gilman St., ink & watercolor

Berkeley Bagels was closed but their café tables and chairs were conveniently chained to the sidewalk, creating a nice spot to sit and sketch as the sun was going down a couple Tuesday nights ago.

I had so much fun drawing as more and more of the landscape revealed itself to me. First I was just going to draw the umbrella , but then there were the chairs behind it, and the next table and umbrella. The telephone pole appeared and had to be drawn and then the elevated concrete BART tracks and the electric pole behind it. When a BART train streaked by I added it, trying to remember what I saw.

Corner of Gilman and Northside, Berkeley
Corner of Gilman and Northside, Berkeley

I sketched this standing in the street on Northside, my back to Berkeley Natural Grocery. The street lamp must be left over from some previous incarnation of the corner. There are two of them, standing incongruously on each side of a funky little car repair shop. It took so long to draw the lamp that my sketchbuddies were ready to move on before I could draw the buildings on the next corner beyond the fence so I just threw in some paint for the sunset and the “distance.”

I’m enjoying using the stronger color I can get from adding some more opaque colors to my palette, such as cadmium orange, cad red light and cerulean blue. I used to have a “rule” about using only the most transparent colors but after working with oil paints I wanted to be able to get some of that “body” in my watercolors too.

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Berkeley Drawing Ink and watercolor wash Interiors Painting People Places Sketchbook Pages

Picante Restaurant Sketching on a Rainy Berkeley Night

Picante Peach Iced Tea and Bar, ink & watercolor
Picante Peach Iced Tea and Bar, ink & watercolor

Another rainy Tuesday night, another indoor sketching session for the Tuesday Night Sketchers. We emailed back and forth today, negotiating for an agreeable place to sketch. Finally Picante came to mind and everyone agreed it was perfect, with their great food and friendly neighborhood feel.

Usually we move around sketching from different viewpoints, even within a restaurant. But with four of us tonight ( Micaela joined Sonia, Cathy and I) we parked ourselves in a comfy booth to eat and ended up staying in the same spot all evening. I started by drawing the iced tea in front of me and then turned to the right and drew the bar 10 feet away, putting it behind my tea. In reality, Sonia was sitting across the table from me and she was behind my tea.

Everyone else made several sketches but I spent the whole evening on just one. It felt luxurious to take my time and savor each visual discovery, line and color. But then I felt a bit sheepish when I realized it was 9:00 and everyone else was done and waiting for me to finish so we could do our end of evening show and tell and go home.

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Animals Berkeley Drawing Gardening Ink and watercolor wash Landscape Outdoors/Landscape Painting Places Plants Sketchbook Pages

Barbara’s Baby Chicks and Garden

Auracana chicks, 9 days old, ink & watercolor
Auracana chicks, 9 days old, ink & watercolor

My best friend Barbara ordered baby chicks by mail. She’d built a little hen house from scrap lumber and had it all ready for them. So she was surprised when the bundle of chirping chicks arrived with instructions to keep them indoors at 90°F for several weeks. Instead of being in the garden when we came to sketch they were living in the upstairs guestroom/studio in a big box with a heat lamp.

We were greeted at the garden gate by Gertie, her big, old, sweet Sharpei/Mutt.

Gertie the Garden Greeter
Gertie the Garden Greeter

I tried to get her to pose for me but she was a bit unclear on the concept.

Garden path with cactus, ink & watercolor
Garden path at sunset with cactus sculpture. Ink & watercolor

Barbara’s garden (photos from previous post) is abundant with flowers, vegetables, fruit trees, wild birds, her ceramic sculptures (the 3′ tall cactus above is actually made of glazed ceramic), her mosaics and the fabulous scent of healthy growing things. It’s a small garden in North Berkeley, but feels like a visit to the country far from urban stress. Her next door neighbors are musicians and so our sunset sketching was accompanied by birdsong and live music playing softly next door.

Elephant, sun/moon plate and potted bamboo
Elephant, sun/moon plate and potted bamboo

One of Barbara’s many garden still lifes. Every few steps in her garden (and in her jewel of a cottage) there is another such treasure, but she is the best treasure of them all!