May has been a busy month of sketching and new experiences! Early May found me south of the Twin Cities in Winona, a beautiful river town. I attended a workshop by Jim Richards on Travel Sketching. Jim is an amazing instructor and shared all kinds of sketches he had done in various countries around the world. Our two-day workshop consisted of several demos and learning about putting sketches together to tell stories of our travels. As a sketch-traveler myself, I was in good company with friends with the same interests as my own. We set out to tell stories about Winona as well.
One of the first sketches I did was downtown Winona. Beautiful buildings, lamp posts, entryways, and other things caught my eye. I focused on a corner of a building and a street scene, keeping pen and watercolors loose and colorful.
Winona has several alleyways, which are fun to sketch. I focused on the trash cans and the depth of the alley, as well as the many power lines and electric poles. The shadows were also fun to add in, and I love using purple!
Saturday morning found us at the Farmer’s Market. We were studying perspective, so I began with some people close to me and added the tents and other people in the background. Closer people have more details and color, people further away have less detail. These layers of people are important to keep the eye moving about the sketch as well as telling a story about the location.
Some of my final sketches in Winona included sitting behind the Two Fathoms Brewing building to tell a story about that place. I chose the metal kegs on pallets, dead plants (it is spring after all), and other paraphernalia to tell the story. I then sketched people at picnic tables in front of the brewery and got a cardboard coaster to tape on the page as well.
I also enjoyed sketching with Urban Sketchers Twin Cities at Doors Open Minneapolis on May 9th, which was a bit closer to home. In this amazing weekend event, 75 venues in Minneapolis open their doors to the public, to get an inside look and learn about the history and culture of the place. Learn more here. Over the past few years, I have sketched at the IDS building, Foshay Tower, Peavey Plaza, Open Book, Minneapolis Grain Exchange, Hudson Jewelers, and more. This year I sketched at MacPhail Center for Music. Here are a couple sketches I made of some of the musicians who were playing for the public.
I captured one of two bassoonists who were playing, and later captured a young woman playing a guitar with a piano player. Finally, I sketched two men who were playing several songs on the piano. They were a little easier because they sat in the same place for several minutes!
Whether I’m close to home or farther away, there is always something new to sketch and learn about. I had been to Winona last year, but saw it with new eyes this year. And sketching musicians was also a wonderful way to enjoy the music and their talents, especially that bassoonist!