As July winds down, I wanted to share a few sketches I’ve worked on in the past weeks. I enjoyed road-tripping to Chetek, Wisconsin in June to sketch with Urban Sketchers Chippewa Valley. Small-town Chetek had a fun farmer’s market and a downtown with a flavor all its own. Everyone I met was friendly and nice, especially Melanie and her co-workers at the Chetek Cafe. Reminiscent of an old diner with leather bar stools and a swooping countertop, we were served yummy German food and other eats. I had a veggie omelet with toast and hashbrowns, and of course, I had to sketch my food!
The small farmers market had many friendly vendors. I sat under a shaded area with picnic tables and enjoyed sketching an old tree house, as children played yard games near it. A wooden doll sat on a swing that was attached to the house, which made it fun and whimsical.
In early July, our church hosted a mid-week Blessing of the Animals service. This is the first time we tried it, and we had several families show up for a hot dog dinner and worship, towing their favorite furry companions with them. I had planned to sketch some animals, and before dinner began, I was drawing 2 guinea pigs, Buttercup and Pumpkin. They were nestled in a plastic carrier, although their owner put them on the ground to explore a little bit too. I did quick outlines, added eyes, noses, and then a first layer of watercolor. I deepened colors later and added white accents with a Posca pen.
A pretty dog named Zoe also caught my attention. Her owner was eating and the dog was hungry. She obediently laid down, never taking her eyes off the food, so I did some quick sketching of her outline and added other details as she moved around. I added watercolors later at home. Sketching moving animals is a challenge, but if you get their basic shapes and look for repeated movements, it can quite doable!
A couple weeks ago, I traveled to my daughter’s bridal shower in Wisconsin. I had some time to kill, so I went to the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, outside of Madison. I looked around the museum exhibits (yes, there are mustard seeds that are black!) and found my way to the Mustard-Piece Theater, where you could watch videos about the Mustard Festival. A large costume was tucked by the video screen, and it was a French’s jar of mustard with cartoon hands and everything! I just had to sketch it! I bought a $3 sticker in the gift shop with the fun logo and stuck it in my book. For those who want to know what yellow paint I used, it was Hansa yellow medium, a perfect mustard-y color.
Last weekend I traveled to a wedding in Green Bay. We had time the day before the wedding to go to the town of De Pere, and I sketched some women in Nicky’s Lionhead Tavern. The wedge heels caught my eye, and the ladies were enjoying their time together, so I got in a quick sketch and added paint later.
While staying in Brillion, Wisconsin, we looked for other things to see. Arien’s Museum was unfortunately closed, but we learned about it from signage in an outdoor garden. An outdoor power equipment company, Arien makes snow blowers, mowers, and a lot of other equipment. In the garden was a statue of a man with a snow blower, so I sketched that. I liked his scarf whipping behind him and his heavy gloves and hat.
If you had told me a few weeks ago that I’d be sketching a mustard costume and a man and snow blower statue, I would have thought you were nuts! But that is the beauty of urban sketching– telling the stories of where we live, work, and travel. I always learn something new in my sketches, and love the variety of subjects I come across!