"In The Field IV - Protective Embrace"
Graphite, Watercolor and Acrylics on Archival Bristol Board.


"And so, at last, you sleep, in the circle of my arms
that push back the shadows so that you can rest-"

~Pablo Neruda

Live Sketching - Sadowski's Cafe, PA

More live sketching this weekend. This time at a small corner bar in a town about a 1/2 hour away from my studio. The St. Patrick's Day celebration was alive and well at the bar and there were many interesting people to draw. My favorite of the night was the band. In particular, I enjoyed trying to capture the lead singer. His hands and forearms were beautiful, both of which I botched terribly while drawing. It's back to the Bridgeman book and constructive anatomy lessons for me I'm afraid.

Here are the sketches from the night.

"The Wish"
Acrylic, Watercolor and Graphite on Archival Bristol.

Live Sketching: The Lighthouse Inn, PA

Saturday found me sketching once again at a dart tournament at a local bar. The bar was pretty seedy but the people to draw most interesting. I have found that I'm able to capture likenesses much quicker now and that is a relief. I struggled with this for a long time. Next sketching goal? Handle more full scenes and perspective.

Repair: Head

Custom who lost his head.
I've been offering repair at live model horse shows recently and it's been going over very well. Seems there is never a lack of repair that is needed on show horses.

This show horse came to me in sorry sad shape and he has been the worst repair Ive seen to date. But everything can pretty much be fixed if you have the right materials at hand. Such a repair is actually done with two simple items: Zap A Gap glue (its like Crazy Glue) and regular household baking soda.

The glue and baking soda come together and form a very strong bond. The rest of the repair is just lots of sanding and matching paint, which is always the fun part.

Glue, baking soda and lots of sanding help put
the head back on the body seamlessly.
Gesso repaired area to help see areas that need
more sanding or repair.
Paint using acrylics, oils and pastels to match color.
Finished and ready to go back in the show ring.

"The Kite II"
Graphite, Watercolor and Acrylics on Archival Bristol.

Live Sketching- Bankos

Tonight I enjoyed good company, good food (amazing crab cakes!), good drinks and good sketching at a local bar. Although I promised myself I'd sketch full scenes I just couldn't resist jotting down only the faces once I started. My favorite from the night was the guy with stash!

Here are sketches from the night.













This looks nothing like
the guy but it developed good line quality.