The Gardiner Museum

Earlier this month we visited the Gardiner Museum for a sketching session. It's a cute little museum focusing on ceramics. They even offer classes on how to work clay and had a little demo table at the entrance the day we visited. About 20 of us made our way to the museum to sketch interesting sculptures, vases and plates from around the world. Some were as big as 3 feet tall, other as small as a couple inches tall. It's a great place to sketch when it's cold outside. We had a great set of sketches at the end of the session and quite a few subjects as you can see in the photos. 

Toronto Urban Sketchers Exhibiting in the Subway

A couple months ago, I posted about the Sketching the line contest organized by PATTISON Onestop, encouraging sketchers to apply. The purpose of this project is to feature the works of established and emerging artists, as well as those who enjoy drawing as a hobby, on digital screens of Toronto’s TTC subway stations and Edmonton’s LRT stations. Sharon Switzer, National Arts Programmer and Curator for PATTISON Onestop, states that “This exhibition explores the medium of drawing as well as the social context that the artists worked in, and the influences that affect their practice. Sketching in public is not only a useful tool for observation, it is a raw and immediate expression of the artists’ unique vision."

I am please to announce that  3 of the selected 10 sketchers this year are from Toronto! So if you find yourself using the subways in Toronto or the LRT in Edmonton, be sure to check the digital screen to see sketches of the commuters by Marek, Wil and myself, as well as sketchers from Richmond (BC), Newton (MA, USA), Berlin (Germany), Edmonton (AB), London (UK) and Brooklyn (NY, USA). 

For more details on the selected sketcher, be sure to check out the Sketching the Line web page. Also, feel free to tweet @arttransit using the hashtag #sketchingtheline if you snap a shot of the screen too. It's a great way to promote and encourage more artistic projects like these.

Sketching in the Subway on a Cold Winter Day

Despite the extreme cold temperature warning in the city, a couple of urban sketchers left their warm cozy home to go sketch people in the subway. We had a great turnout and a lot of great sketches of people riding the subway on a frigid Sunday afternoon. Torontonians don't usually get temperatures below -20 degrees C, so it was interesting to capture the various ways they bundled up to protect themselves from the cold. Tuques, caps, hooddies, puffy jackets and lots of layers were popular today. An interesting fact that we discussed while observing passengers, is that most people wear black or grey coats. There's not a lot of bright colours for outerwears in the city other than the occasional red Canada Goose Jackets. I wonder if wearing bright colours in winter would bring a bit more smile on people's faces. As you can see in the photos below, many riders seemed rather miserable. 

Sketching at Bampot

A couple of us went back to Bampot for another session of sketching while sipping tea since everyone had a great time the first time we sketched there. It was the perfect day to sketch indoors. This time the place was packed, but it turned out great and we ended up having great conversations during our time there. The resulting sketches, as shown here, were very impressive.  It's always a pleasure to see such great talent. 

Sketching at the AGO

A couple of us went to the AGO to sketch some of the art on display from one of their permanent collections. There's quite a lot to see at the AGO, so we mostly focused on the artwork in the Henry Moore Sculpture centre and the "African room". For some reason, there's no name associated with this room on the map but it looks like most were donated by Dr. Murray Frum. 

The results from this little sketching session are quite fabulous. Most stayed in the area and created great renditions of the what you see inside and outside the AGO's second floor. Some also ventured into other floors and discovered great little gems throughout the gallery. 

I decided to stay in the African room and drew three of the sculptures and masks exhibited. Since we're not allowed to use watercolour in most room, I used an Derwent Inktense pencil (introduced to my by a fellow sketcher not too long ago) and added colour later on at home. I love using this pencil. They are water-soluble and lately far I've been using a black ones to created the shaded area almost like an under painting, and added watercolour after that on top of it. There wasn't a lot of information on the sculptures and the masks other than the material they were made out of, where it came from and what it was. I guess I've been spoiled touring some of the museums and galleries in DC, but it would be great to know what was their purpose was and what they represented at the time the were made. 

Sketching at The Rex Jazz & Blues Bar

Happy New Year! TOUSK started 2015 on a musical note by having its first sketching event at The Rex Jazz & Blues Bar. It's a great little restaurant, walking distance from Osgoode subway station which is perfect on a cold winter day, especially if you're not a fan of the cold.

15 of us gathered in the restaurant to sketch the live bands. The place was surprisingly packed for a Saturday afternoon. I had never been there before and wasn't sure what to expect, but thought it would be a great way to start the sketching year.  It was the perfect location to sketch in a warm and fun atmosphere. While we were there, the very entertaining Danny Marks and Friends were playing various classic oldies, including some songs from Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. It was great to see them interact with the audience, making jokes and taking song requests. It really added to the experience.

The second act was from bassist  Olivier Babaz and friends, who played cool jazz music and create a nice relaxed atmosphere. Everyone did a great job illustrating the musicians and the happy audience. All and all it was a great session and I suspect we'll be back.

Here's a sneak peek at some of the sketchers sketchbooks.

 

 

Subway sketching

I spent a few hours sketching people on the subway. Where else can you get so many models for just $3.00.

Sketching the Line 2015

With all the construction going on on the subway line, I often have to take a shuttle bus instead to get to town, especially on Sundays. It's a little inconvenient, but at least there are shuttle buses and this time there was enough space to sit, so I decided to sketch some of the people in front of me. It's interesting to see how strangers sit next to one another sometime. In this case, the girl on the left was sitting as far away as possible to the guy on the right. I think she was so preoccupied by her phone, that sitting comfortably was not even a question. A older man was standing right near the door in front of them, I really like the contrast of his bright yellow cap and his fluffy grey curly hair. 

Speaking of sketching in public transits, Sketching the Line, an international exhibition of sketches of commuters by commuters, will be happening again next year. Earlier this year, Art In Transit featured 78 sketches drawn by 18 artists on screens in various Toronto subway stations, the Edmonton LRT, and the Calgary Airport. Some of the participants included fellow urban sketcher Richard Alomar and Jason Das from New York, as well as local artists Bobby Chiu, founder of Imaginism Studio. 

Art In transit is currently looking for more sketches for their second exhibition. The deadline to apply is January 31, 2015. If you're interested in participating visit their website to find out more.

Public Sketchbook Project

A couple weeks ago I discovered this neat little project curated by Above Ground Art Supplies store called the Public Sketchbook Project. They a sketchbook and all kinds of art material in various local coffee shops for people to sketch while they're having coffee. There was all kinds of interesting artwork in there already and I decided to add a little sketch of my own of the view from where I was sitting and a shameless plug for our sketching group.