Category: Places

Sketching Dinner at Zaki’s Kabob House

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date January 21, 2010
10 Comments on Sketching Dinner at Zaki’s Kabob House

Jerusalem Lemonade and Lentil Soup, ink & watercolor

Last Tuesday night we met at Zaki’s Kabob House in Albany for some delicious Mediterranean food and sketching. It was a cold rainy night but the restaurant was busy. Sonia had called ahead to confirm it would be OK for us to spend the evening there sketching. We were further encouraged by the bumper sticker on the door that said “Make Art Not War.”

If you wonder why this sketch has a note saying “Paste Menu Here,” it’s because when I said I’d ruined the composition (pre-watercolor) by adding that glass on the right, Cathy said, “Just paste a piece of the menu over that spot.” I solved the problem by just not painting the glass and leaving the note instead.

Sonia and I painted at the table but Cathy didn’t like the dim restaurant lighting for painting so made many more sketches instead. I was happy that my colors turned out well despite not quite being able to see them while working.

Usually when we’re sketching in cafes we are unable to avoid eavesdropping on nearby conversations, always a source of amusement or amazement at what people say in public. But shortly after we sat down, Ellen, a member of our plein air painting group, arrived to join her realtor for dinner at the next table. After some introductions, and passing around of sketchbooks (including an invitation by the realtor to show them in their office “gallery” which we declined), we returned to sketching while they dined and chatted.

It was odd eavesdropping on someone we knew. Cathy appreciated it though, since they were talking about sofabed shopping, and Cathy is in the market for one too.

Tags Albany, cafe sketching, Drawing, eavesdropping, Food sketch, Glass, Ink and watercolor wash, Micron Pigma, Pen and Ink, People, Sketchbook Pages, Zaki's Kabob House

Landscape Oil Painting Painting Places

Corsica’s Port Centuri Harbor (Virtual Paintout)

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date January 17, 2010
20 Comments on Corsica’s Port Centuri Harbor (Virtual Paintout)

Centuri Port, Corsica, Oil on canvas, 9x12"

I painted this from a Google Earth street view photo for the Virtual Paintout blog. For the month of January they are painting Corsica, France from images on Google Earth. I’d heard of Corsica but had no idea where it was so it was fun to learn a little about it. And I’d never really explored Google Earth before (except for looking at my house) and was amazed. You pick a spot and then click the arrow to move further down the road, not knowing what you will come to until you get there, just like real travel. You can also swivel the view to see what’s off to either side. A town named “Mute, Corsica” intrigued me so I started there for my virtual travel.

I spent way too long exploring Corsica and only had a couple hours left to paint last weekend once I’d picked an image. But the painting went really well and I probably should have just left it as it was. But I came back to it today to do some “finishing.” But I’d lost my focus so did some painting, wiped it off, painted, wiped off. Finally I gave myself a pep talk: Focus and Finish! I did.

Fini.

Tags Corsica, Google Earth, Landscape, Oil Painting, virtual paintout

Berkeley Faces Ink and watercolor wash People Sketchbook Pages

Berkeley Main Library and Peets Coffee Sketches

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date January 10, 2010
5 Comments on Berkeley Main Library and Peets Coffee Sketches

Berkeley Public Library, ink & watercolor

The Berkeley Public Library is a beautiful old building that was lovingly preserved and added on to a few years ago. We met there to sketch last Tuesday night, enjoying the ambiance and craftsman furnishings in the lobby of the old section. I experimented with trying to get the perspective from where I sat in a room filled with wood, metal filigree screens, brass door frames, carved ceilings and handcrafted furniture.

I asked Cathy to take a picture of me sitting in the high-backed chair with diagonal arms so I could sketch it later. I messed up my face (in the sketch) so I just pasted on a fresh piece of watercolor paper and did it again.

When the library closed at 8:00 we headed across the street to Peet’s Coffee, hoping that their manager (who looks like Harry Connick Jr. and dresses in fancy 1950s suits and ties and an Elvis pompadour) would be there for us to sketch. He was there but he was wearing a different costume: suspenders over a tight white t-shirt and a fedora. I asked him why he wasn’t wearing a suit and he said he hadn’t known in advance he would be working that night so wasn’t dressed for work.

Last time we were there I asked him if he was in a band and why he dressed so cool. He said he just liked to, and that years ago when he was in a band he dressed much more sloppily. (My dad was famous for starting up conversations with strangers and asking similar questions which used to embarrass us kids but I guess I inherited his curiosity.)

The manager never stopped moving and was often out of my sight but one of his buddies who seemed to be channeling Keith Richards (only looking much more alive) hung out for a while and he at least stood in one place long enough to sketch him.

Cathy was facing a tiny, ancient man in a weathered, WWII leather aviator cap who parked his 1940s era bicycle behind me in the store’s entry way, giving her a perfect view for sketching him and the bike. He was selling bike parts to a young man. When he left she showed him the sketch of his bike (but not of him because it was just too funny) and got the information about his bike for her sketchbook.

Before they closed at 9:00 I was able to get in a quick sketch of these people at a nearby table.

Tags Berkeley, Drawing, Faces, Ink and watercolor wash, ink sketch, Peets Coffee, Pen and Ink, People, Sketchbook Pages

Berkeley Drawing Faces Food sketch Ink and watercolor wash Painting People Sketchbook Pages

Tuesday Night Sketching at Brennan’s Berkeley

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date January 4, 2010
8 Comments on Tuesday Night Sketching at Brennan’s Berkeley

Brennan's Bar and Restaurant, ink, watercolor and logo

I stood outside on a dark, drizzly night in front of Brennan’s Bar and Restaurant last Tuesday night, drawing until my sketchcrawl buddies arrived. Brennan’s recently moved to a new building, a former train station a block away from their former location under the University Avenue overpass in Berkeley.

I’d propped up my sketchbook on the hood of a truck parked nearby and immersed myself in figuring out the building. “HONK! HONK!” Suddenly the truck honked at me. I jumped, and moved away, thinking someone was approaching and would get in their truck and drive away. But nobody showed up so I went back to drawing. But then every few minutes the truck would HONK at me again.

Each time I jumped and then I heard guys laughing. One of the three silly, half-drunk men joking around near the bar was using his remote to play around with me. He came over to see if I was drawing him, as his friends said I was doing. Uh, no. But I told him he could pose for me. He declined and they left just as Cathy and Sonia arrived.

Brennan's Turkey Leg Dinner, ink and watercolor

We went in and ordered dinner. I have a thing for turkey legs so while Cathy and Sonia each ordered half turkey sandwiches, I got this huge plate of turkey, mixed veges, boiled cabbage (yuck, what was I thinking?) and boiled potatoes. The turkey was great and I took home enough for two more meals.

I switched to using a Pilot Varsity fountain pen, adding water over the lines with a waterbrush to make washes. It was so convenient sketching at Brennan’s. The light was good, the atmosphere full of energy, and we sat right near a water and condiments station so we could fill and empty our water containers a few feet from our table. Since it’s cafeteria style dining there was no waiter to care how long we sat there.

Cathy suggested we do some contour drawing so I drew the condiments at the next table.

I used to go to Brennan’s back in the 70s for their Irish Coffee (and for pitchers of beer with my women’s softball team after our games). Now that I’m not consuming sugar or much caffeine that wasn’t an option. But I did get a cup of decaf and it was worse than our office coffee so I figured I probably wasn’t missing much.

This couple was pretty good about moving between two poses. I found that if I just waited a bit they would return to the position I was drawing.

These guys at the bar were soooo nerdy. The guy on the left was actually wearing orange pants.

This week we’re going to the Berkeley main library to draw.

Tags Berkeley, Brennan's Restaurant, Drawing, Faces, Ink, ink and watercolor, Ink and watercolor wash, ink sketch, Pen and Ink, People, Sketchbook Pages

Berkeley Ink and watercolor wash Interiors People Places Sketchbook Pages

A Sketchy Christmas

Sketching at the Claremont Hotel, ink & watercolor

The Claremont Hotel in Berkeley is all decked out for the holidays and a good place to sketch when it’s cold outside. We met there Tuesday night and had our choice of comfy places to sketch. That’s Sonia in the sketch above, drawing a piano that is just off to her left.

I found a spot near their fancier bar and restaurant with another grand piano where (I thought) a talented jazzy piano player was entertaining the diners. I really liked the way he riffed on holiday music (although his repertoire seemed not too extensive as he began repeating the songs after about an hour).

At the end of the evening I walked into the bar to thank the piano player, having imagined what it must be like playing holiday music in a bar, night after night, the same tunes over and over, while people celebrated. The bench was empty! The piano was playing itself, the keys popping up and down on their own.

I liked both of these sketches more as ink drawings before I overworked them with paint. I’ve been really tired this week which often leads to mucking around when I should be moving on to the next page.

Tags Berkeley, Claremont Hotel, Ink and watercolor wash, Interiors, Pen and Ink, People, Sketchbook Pages

Drawing Ink and watercolor wash Interiors Life in general People Places Sketchbook Pages

Quickie Dinner at Whole Foods, Oakland

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date December 19, 2009
7 Comments on Quickie Dinner at Whole Foods, Oakland

Dinner at Whole Foods, Ink & watercolor, 8x5"

Last night I needed to grab a quickie dinner between work and a 7:00 meeting so I stopped at the nearby Oakland Whole Foods. I looked over the salad bar, passed up the make your own trail munch bar (?!) and the soul food bar with pulled pork, black-eyed peas and greens, seriously considered the Indian and Chinese bars but settled on some pretty, steamed organic veges and some Mexican items.

The dining area was hopping with activity, filled with a perfect sampling of Oakland’s demographics, with people of all ages, races, preferences, and functionality. I ate quickly so I’d have a few minutes to sketch the view from my table. Then I ran out of time and had to leave, so I added watercolor at home.

And now I’m on vacation! Yay

Tags Ink and watercolor wash, Oakland, Oakland, Pen and Ink, People, Sketchbook Pages, Whole Foods

Berkeley Ink and watercolor wash Painting Places Sketchbook Pages

Sketching at Berkeley Bowl Market

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date December 16, 2009
7 Comments on Sketching at Berkeley Bowl Market

Berkeley Bowl Soup Counter, Ink & watercolor

My Tuesday night sketch buddies and I met at the old Berkeley Bowl (named for its former location in a converted bowling alley). We didn’t realize when we made our plans that they closed at 8:00 so we only had a little over an hour to sketch (and shop). It was cold inside the store so the soup counter seemed like it would be a warm spot to sketch (it wasn’t, being right between the front door and an open refrigeration area).

Potatoes and Xmas Wreaths, ink & watercolor

I was amused by the juxtaposition of Christmas wreaths with bagged and loose potatoes piled high in ex-banana boxes but I didn’t enjoy the spot where I was drawing. The florescent light overhead kept flickering and a small, yappy dog just outside the door barked furiously non-stop.

Although there were at least 40 kinds of citrus fruit and nearly as many varieties and sizes of apples on display, this visit made me feel better about shopping at the stores in my neighborhood. Since I don’t like shopping to begin with, I would rather have fewer, higher quality choices in a more peaceful setting. (I’ve heard tales of grocery-cart road rage at Berkeley Bowl on Saturdays but everyone seemed reasonable tonight).

At my favorite produce market, Colusa Foods in Kensington, there is enough variety and everything is hand selected by the Japanese family that owns the store, and the prices are great. At El Cerrito Natural Grocery, everything is organic, it’s very clean, they play classical music, and the staff and shoppers are all super-nice and polite.

Tags Berkeley, Berkeley Bowl, Drawing, Ink and watercolor wash, Pen and Ink, Sketchbook Pages

Berkeley Drawing Food sketch Ink and watercolor wash Painting Sketchbook Pages

Sketching at Saul’s Restaurant and Deli, Berkeley

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date December 9, 2009
8 Comments on Sketching at Saul’s Restaurant and Deli, Berkeley

My sketchcrawl buddies and I met at Saul’s Restaurant to sketch tonight. Saul’s was really nice about letting us hang out for 3 hours and the food was delicious. It takes such discipline to draw it before eating it! The owner of the restaurant does wonderful drawings herself, as can be seen on their menus and website.

Pickles, Ink & watercolorPickles, Ink & watercolor

Except for breakfast, a meal at Saul’s always starts with their dill pickles.

I had a plate of grilled trout with a bright green sauces and very colorful veges: kale and purple cauliflower.

Then I got into a fight with a macaroon. I drew it, painted it, messed it up, and started over. Cathy and Sonia were ready to leave, having both done some really nice sketches, but I wanted to keep fighting with the macaroon, feeling like a flop. So I asked for a take-out container and brought the macaroon home. After drawing it several more times at home I finally won the battle with the macaroon which I’ll post next time.

Tags Berkeley, Drawing, food sketches, Ink and watercolor wash, Pen and Ink, Saul's Deli Berkeley, Sketchbook Pages

Berkeley Drawing Ink and watercolor wash Life in general People Places Sketchbook Pages

Sketchcrawl at Shattuck Plaza Hotel

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date December 3, 2009
9 Comments on Sketchcrawl at Shattuck Plaza Hotel

Shattuck Plaza Hotel details, ink & watercolor — Shattuck Plaza Hotel, ink & watercolor

(Updated) We met at the newly remodeled Shattuck Plaza Hotel in Berkeley to sketch on Tuesday night. The lobby of the historic building has been transformed from an old-fashioned residential hotel with good”bones” to something entirely different. The walls are covered in a variety of black and white patterned wall paper from florals to paisley to stripes that seems to vibrate. The floors are a patchwork of checkerboard marble in between sections of rug the designer describes as “red and mauve 1960s flower-power pattern”. There are two huge crystal chandeliers, a red one that was newly created and the other, an original, that is 100-years old.

I was going to try drawing all of the different patterns on the walls, floors and furniture, but couldn’t stand looking at them, as reminded me of watching the patterns behind my eyelids during my migraine of only a few days prior. So I sketched a few of the lamps, sconces and furniture I could see from where I sat. Then we headed out into the cold for our next stop.

We went to Peets Coffee across the street and relaxed to the classical music while we sketched people. The monk knew we were drawing him and when they were leaving, came over and asked to see our sketches. I told him he had a beautiful smile.

He looked a bit embarrassed by my comment, but said thank you, and told us he doesn’t usually get out much, that he was here visiting with his grandmother and brother after living the past ten years in Thailand. He seemed so genuinely happy and at peace and made me want to return to my long-neglected Zen meditation practice

Tags Berkeley, Drawing, Ink and watercolor wash, Peets Coffee, Pen and Ink, People, Shattuck Hotel, Sketchbook Pages

Art theory Drawing Gouache Ink and watercolor wash Life in general Painting Places Sketchbook Pages

Sketchcrawl at Pastime Hardware

Post author By Jana Bouc
Post date November 12, 2009
19 Comments on Sketchcrawl at Pastime Hardware

Who knew it could be fun to sketch at the hardware store? There were laughs (see end of post) and artistic discoveries galore at our Tuesday night sketchcrawl, now forced to go indoors for the winter. When I first arrived I started to ask one of the helpful employees that Pastime Hardware is famous for, about the part I needed for my toilet. Before he could show me where to find it, my phone rang with the ringtone I made from the Cake song “Never There” (click below to hear the ringtone).
An employee who was standing nearby said, “Hey! That’s Cake.” and then began whistling it. Throughout the evening I could hear him whistling the tune from all around the large store, which gratefully, is one of the few stores in existence that does not play annoying music 24/7 over the loudspeakers.

I had no idea how many differently shaped toilet seats there are. I discovered that looking at the negative shapes between the seats helped me to better find the shape of each seat. Then, looking more deeply and trying not to generalize, I discoverd the piles of boxed and/or wrapped toilet seats on the shelves behind the display. And then I noticed and added the pegboard behind that. I fell in love with the pretty color I mixed from cerulean blue and yellow ochre for the pegboard. This, to me, is the joy of sketching in a nutshell: seeing more and more deeply and the fun of making lines and dots and shapes and playing with color.

Next I faced the opposite direction and drew and painted these large metal watering cans up on a tall shelf.

Watering Cans version 1, ink and watercolor

When I got home I glued a bit of my receipt (from the toilet flapper I bought) to the edge of the page in my sketchbook (above). Tonight I thought the page might look better with a dark background so I added some ink, didn’t like that, and then painted with gouache over the ink to get more what I had in mind. (The receipt is still there, I just didn’t scan that part below).

The last sketch I did was of Cathy sketching a row of hand trucks in the room filled with bins of nails. I messed up her face but fixed the FAIL by pasting another piece of receipt over her head.

I would have liked to sketch more but it was nearly time for the store to close. It had been a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the comments and questions of passing employees and the few customers shopping on a very quiet Tuesday night. Cathy said that when she was sketching outside the employee break room she overheard employees talking about us and saying, “There’s a lady out there painting… TOILET SEATS!”

At 8:45 a man announced over the loudspeakers:

“Good evening customers…and… ART STUDENTS [giggle]. The store will be closing in 15 minutes so please bring your purchases to the [giggle giggle] cashier …[giggle]…”

…and then laughter ensued throughout the store, employees, customers and us artists alike! It was a slow night at Pastime, with twice the employees as customers, so I’d like to think they enjoyed our company as much as we enjoyed theirs.

Tags Art theory, Drawing, El Cerrito, Gouache, Ink and watercolor wash, Pen and Ink, Sketchbook Pages, Still Life