This past weekend, I was in Madison, Wisconsin, “Home of The Badgers.” While on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, I killed some time while waiting to move my daughter from one apartment to another by exploring Camp Randall.
Camp Randall is the name of the Badgers football stadium, but was originally “the largest staging point for Wisconsin troops entering the American Civil War.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Randall). As I entered the Memorial Arch, I noticed one of the statues had an orange drink with a straw balanced on the brim of his hat, and that made me decide to sketch the arch. There was a sign inside the arch as you passed through, which read:
I went through the arch, and looked back, and I liked the view of the busy street and the arch itself. I used a Sailor fude pen to make a quick sketch first, then applied watercolors for the bricks, sky, and trees.
Next, I looked around the area and saw a cannon. So I went up the hill to sketch it.
I then decided to sketch the statue I had seen as I came in, with the orange drink on his hat brim.
I’ve had time at home now to read a little more about what I sketched. I share more information in my finished sketch:
I now have a greater appreciation of Camp Randall and what its history means to the state of Wisconsin and the University. And, I have some fun sketches to remind me of that history as well!
