friends with

Spent a lovely Friday afternoon enjoying a tea and drawing a few people. Cafe culture is up and running now that Spring is in the air. : )

close up -

I drew this with a 6B pencil then added some watercolour from my Winsor & Newton travel kit. The painting is 6x8", so pretty discreet at a cafe.

close up -

It's nice to see people talking to each other, rather than staring at their computers and iPhones. ; ) 

If you haven't tried sketching at a cafe, I highly recommend it. No one has ever minded that I am drawing them, in fact the few people that notice over the years, have been thrilled! Happy Urban Sketching Everyone.

See more at my Etsy Shop.

on holiday

Today I went to a cafe to do a quick bit of people sketching. I like the way these two figures, from my perspective, had their hands, shoe and legs cross each other. It was like a game of Twister! I drew with 6B pencil first.

Then I added some darks, trying to 'spot' the darks as they say. I used a Micron Brush Pen. By this time, the main featured fellow had put on a scarf, which I happily added.

At home, I added watercolour. I took lots of liberties with their clothes. I wanted the featured man to be wearing red. Lots of fun and I'm happy with the unique perspective. Happy Urban Sketching Everyone!

My Etsy Shop - https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/WatercoloursbyNora

Market Day

Spent the day in Kensington Market today for the last Pedestrian Sunday of the year. No cars allowed, although I did choose to put this parked car in the foreground. I tried to gain some perspective with different sized people, while painting the wonderful iconic fruit market situated right in the heart of the Market.

Drawn loosely with 6B pencil and lots of watercolour added on 90lb watercolour paper.

Favourite part of this was painting the fruit and veggies!

Tons of subject matter in Kensington! I absolutely recommend it for those looking to be inspired by new subjects, shapes, colours and shops!!

Nora MacPhail

a Sunday in April

Today I did an urban sketch of 850 Yonge Street in Yorkville, Toronto. The building was the well known 'the cookbook store' for over 30 years. Sadly, this lovely old building is soon to be a condo. 

In 1885, the building was owned by Charles J. Frogley who ran it as a confectionery and bakery. His name still appears up top! Here is a LINK with some info about the building. 

Also, here is a pic of my sketch box (about the size of a lunchbox) which holds my travel watercolour kit and up to 8x10" watercolour paper. The lid remains propped up as it balances on a table or my lap. I was sitting in the cafe across the street. : )

Thanks and Happy Urban Sketching Everyone.

Nora MacPhail

Commuters' Hairstyles

There are various triggers when it comes to choosing a model to sketch in the subway. For the two drawings above it was the models' hairstyle. The one on the left had a really high bun and I like her way the hair was wrapped above her head. The one on the right presented a great opportunity to study how hair falls in a loose ponytail. She was standing and reading a book. I've also taken a liking to add snippets of conversation I hear in the subway. Coincidentally on both occasion they were talking about a girl. 

Sketching at the Bedford Academy

Some members of the Toronto Urban Sketchers group got together for a brunch and sketch at Bedford Academy. We got a nice cozy spot where the temperature is above zero and there's a lot of natural sunlight. I attempted to take a picture of the room I sketched with my drawing but the reflected light was too bright to show the background. There was a group of four eating and talking together that I was able to capture. They seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Since we stayed there for a couple hours, I also got a chance to sketch a customer (on the left) who was very animated with during his conversation with his friend and had an interesting style. After they left I also captured one of the sketchers sketching (on the right) and bits of conversation we had during our session.

We had a great turnout and the sketchers did a great job capturing various elements of the pub as well as the group.

Immersed in Their Own World Riding the Subway

These are the latest people I sketched in the subway. A lot of people spend their time reading on their electronic devices and it's interesting to see the various postures they have while they are immersed in their own little world. The dude in the middle blocked my view for a little while. His coat had interesting details so I decided to sketch him as well. I can't help but think that he would fit in a manga series featuring a mysterious character, perhaps a secret agent or detective. He had big shades on too. 

Sketching People Sketching Things

There is no lack of interesting events to go to in Toronto. Yesterday I joined a meetup group where the organizer set up a couple fun still life scenes throughout a room and challenged the participants to draw them within a certain amount of time. It was great to see people getting back into drawing after not doing it for several years and how relaxed and welcoming atmosphere encourage them to have a little fun. There's definitely something about drawing that gets people to relax and forget about the day to day stress and be in the moment. You don't need to be a professional to benefit from drawing. 

Keeping Warm in the Subway

I really like sketching people in public transportation. There's a lot of diversity in subject matters and the unknown limited time limit makes for a nice challenge. These are the sketches I did over the last couple weeks. It's been rather cold in Toronto. I'm told, colder than usual, so people are very bundled up and keeping warm the best they can, while adding a little style here and there. The more I draw these people, the more I'm finding myself wondering about them when I look back at the sketches. Some look tired, some look sad, some look fully immersed into what they are reading or listening too or thinking about. As I get better at this, I find myself paying more attention to the emotion that emits from not only what they are wearing, but their posture, their facial expression, their choice of clothes, etc. 

Tomorrow a group of us will join the Toronto Subway Sketchers. I'm looking forward to it. It should be fun.