Cafe Sante

Salt and Pepper Shakers at Cafe Sante

My dinner was not colorful, so the salt and pepper shakers will have to do. Yeah, I know, they aren't colorful either.  Of course I was hungry, and I am always the last one finished, so doing salt and pepper shakers before the meal comes works out well for me. My husband, brother, and sister-in-law are very patient people, but there is a limit.

I had chicken fricassee, and it was delicious! The place was very crowded, noisy, warm and cozy. Fun!

The paper I did this on is Canson Mi-Teintes in my hand bound sketchbook.  I think it is pastel paper, and this particular color is an olive-y green.  I did the drawing with a Gelly Roll pen, then used watercolor, and added white with a Prismacolor pencil.  Gelly Roll pens are permanent and archival, and an be found in scrap booking stores.  Prismacolor pencils can be purchased open stock in most art supply stores.

Now I'm going to go wrap a couple of Christmas presents.  I'm getting there.  How about you?

Day Twenty-nine

Collections
Sometimes in my journal classes, I'll have my students look around for certain objects that interest them and paint several.  It's a way of "collecting" things we like.  Some of the collections have been stones, flower containers, ginger bread trim on cottages, windows, flags  -  just to name a few.

I have been "collecting" salt and pepper shakers everywhere I go. I do them in restaurants, even if I have done them before, or they are identical to some others.  I guess I am collecting the experience more than the salt shakers. You'll find an even better variety in your friends' homes too.

If you're a little housebound (at least you're probably not out on the beach looking for stones) this time of year because of winter coming on,  there are always things around you that are colorful and fun to sketch.

For example:

January - chairs, interiors
February - fabric folds, lace, patterns, curtains, tablecloths
March - perspective, buildings, streets, doorways
April - trees
May - figures - people and pets
June - lawn chairs, window boxes, planters
July - gardens, gates and fences
August - produce, farm markets, sunflowers

September - clouds, landscape,

October - fall vegetables
November - dishes, silverware, glassware, tablescapes
December - dinner ingredients, labels, bottles and jars

If you have some prompts, themes, or a series you have done, we would love to hear about it.

Weekend Sketch

Salt and Pepper Shakers and a Couple of the Grandkids

We spent a family weekend at a downstate hotel, seeing our son off as he deployed to Afghanistan.   As difficult as that was, we had a really nice weekend together.  Some woman came up and tapped me on the shoulder as I was ordering a Starbucks and said, "There are a lot of weddings here this weekend, but there are also a lot of people here that are deploying. Just so you know".   Just so I know?!  Yeah, I know!  Did I look like I was having too much fun ordering my coffee?

This sketch was done on Nideggen paper in my sketchbook. I did the salt and pepper shakers at dinner, and one of the kids thought I needed the beverage menu as a backdrop. It would have been a good one to do in color.

I have a class tomorrow morning, so I had better go work on some sketches, so my students think I've been doing something.  They keep me on my toes.

Giorgio's

Giorgio's Salt and Red Pepper Shakers

Giorgio's in San Jose is a California tradition with us.  We make it a point to walk down there with the family for dinner once during our visit.  We went on a Tuesday night, and it was very crowded and very noisy, and the food was wonderful.  I had risotto with baked salmon.  Risotto was another first for me.  I am not a picky eater, so how could I have missed risotto, salade Nicoise, and tiramisu  -  all firsts on this trip.

It is in the thirties here in northern Michigan today.  I am getting things ready for a new class to start tomorrow,  and we are going to be working with various ways of mixing color.  I HAD to have some colorful flowers, so I made a trip to the greenhouse  -  the first of the season  -  if you can call this a season.  It is way too early to buy annuals, but I bought some pansies and primrose  -  they'll do okay in the cold.

Getting ready for a new class gets me grounded after a vacation.  I have so much trouble with re-entry.  I always blame it on jet lag and use it to my advantage for awhile, but I think my time is up.

Lunch at Turkeys

Yet Another Lunch.  Yet Another Set of Salt and Pepper Shakers

I am always  quick to say, "Oh, I never eat out."  Looking back through this almost completed sketchbook at the salt shaker sketches,  maybe I DO eat out more than I thought.  My sister-in-law saw I was nearly finished with this sketchbook and she said, "Have you eaten your way through that whole sketchbook?!"

I am surprised at the variety of salt shakers in restaurants.  How many restaurant supply places are there, and how many different styles could they have?  At first glance you might think they are all alike, but when you start drawing them, you begin to notice the differences.

I suppose I could spend my time observing something  - um -important?  Educational? Challenging?  Useful?

Salt Shaker and Mustard

Another Salt Shaker and a Bottle of Mustard.

At the Mitchell Street Pub

We could use a little color here today  -  it is DARK.  It is officially spring now, so sooner or later we're gonna be okay.

Last week I started to get classes, promotions, lessons, events, etc. organized for spring and summer.  The only (probably not the "only") problem is, we had a weekend thrown in there, and it doesn't take much to get me off track.  Actually, I planned to be off track.  I didn't intend to work on it over the weekend, but it always surprises me how much I forget from Friday to Monday.  I use Google docs to keep track of EVERYTHING.  However I spend a lot of time going through everything because I don't remember what "docs" contain what.  Oh.  I think I get it. On the sidebar there is information referring to each document.  Mmmmmm  -  has that always been there?

Saturday night we went with my brother and sister-in-law to the Mitchell Street Pub for dinner - downtown just a few blocks from us. I honestly don't think a thing has changed on the menu in twenty years.  That's a good thing  -  we need consistency in some things.  It was a nice cozy place to sit and talk.  Everyone has left town.  Seriously.  No one comes to Northern Michigan the end of March through April, and a LOT of the residents leave.  If you want to get away from it all, have all the restaurants and grocery stores to yourselves,  and find a parking place anywhere  -  this is the place.

Our 13 year old grandson came over yesterday afternoon for help with a school project.  He has to build a model of the McCormick Reaper!  Are you kidding???!!!  Is this what happens when they get past the poster paint and glitter stage?  Well, no,  he never did do glitter.  But, really  -  we have to build a reaper from things around the house!!!???  Any suggestions?

Tomato Gorgonzola Soup Recipe

Marj has posted her recipe for tomato basil Gorgonzola soup on her blog.  Just click on it to enlarge.  I just made it and it is yummy!  Thanks, Marj.  While you're there, check out her happy and colorful watercolors.

Salt and Pepper Shakers at Applebee's 

I thought I might paint my dinner, but I ordered a messy looking, delicious  salad, and we had to hurry to make the 7:00 show. We saw The King's Speech.  Great movie. And it was ladies' night  -  $4.25!

Today in class we worked on loosening up and letting the painting paint itself.  We painted with clear water and then put in color.  Even though it was a simple geranium stem and blossom on a small piece of paper, it is still hard to relinquish control and let it happen. Watercolor on its own usually does better than I do, so I try to stand back and see what happens.

Sooooo cold here.  The wind is blowing, the Bay is frozen, the sky is gray.  Every year I complain about the cold, but I'm not going anywhere.  I like the slow pace of winter here  -  then I like the fast pace of summer.   Perfect.

Another Salt Shaker

Salt Shaker at the "Sugar Bowl" Restaurant

A few posts back  Michelle asked what the five colors are in my little palette.  The palette pictured here is my seven color palette. I use a very limited palette anyway, so using only five or seven is not a big deal.  Here I have cobalt violet, quinacridone rose, ultramarine blue, hansa yellow, manganese blue, thalo yellow-green, and thalo green yellow shade.  If I were to suggest a very basic palette for sketchbook journal painting, I would say ultramarine blue, lemon yellow, quinacridone rose (or permanent rose), hookers green, and burnt sienna.

Do you find it odd that I am discussing color along with this image using one color?  I do too.

Little Cube Salt and Pepper Shakers

Lunch at the Twisted Olive

This is the journal page from yesterday's lunch. My little palette is so handy.

Tomorrow I will go to the grocery for a couple of things I want to make sure I have before the stores close at 6:00.  For some reason, knowing that the grocery stores close at 6:00 on Christmas Eve makes me a little nervous  -  more than a little nervous.  What if I have forgotten something???!!!  I'm not even the one feeding everyone.  Calm down. 

Here's wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, and a nice weekend just the way you like it  -  peaceful and cozy or bustling and crazy.  Have a good one!

Lunch After Class

Another "Take Your Sketchbook to Lunch" Journal Page

After this morning's class we went to lunch at the City Park Grill.  This is a contour drawing and watercolor of the salt shaker, my biscuit, and butter.  I had a roasted vegetable sandwich with goat cheese. Yum.

This is the last week of classes until after the New Year. I like the structure of a class schedule, even though I only have two classes a week in the winter.  It's not like I don't have anything to do  -  a little Christmas shopping and baking wouldn't hurt.

Sketching, painting, baking, wrapping, listening to Christmas music. Nice!

Family Weekend

Going from One Extreme to the Other

A couple of salt "shakers" from the weekend.   In my quest to sketch the salt shakers or pepper grinders everywhere I go, this is my journal entry from Sunday.

We had a fabulous brunch at the hotel.  I mean fabulous - appetizers, prime rib, cheese cake, and everything imaginable in between.  It was fun! Then after a fantastic afternoon with more family, we headed out into the blizzard.  Because of the weather, the trip that would have normally taken us three and a half to four hours, took six. 


Our kids have a great family vacation vehicle and we stuffed it with seven people, gifts, dishes to pass, overnight bags, and everyone had a pillow, blanket, and at least one personal electronic devise  -  some as large as a laptop (which may not seem so large under other circumstances).  With cell phone calls and texting, we were able to tell our friends and family what it was like out there in the cold, slippery dark.  It is nice to have someone rooting for you.

In these days leading up to Christmas, I hope you'll carry your sketchbooks around and sketch a few memories!

Pitcher and Salt Shaker

In My Sketchbook Journal on Arches Cover, Cream

This paper is a warm creamy color.  The texture is very soft, as if it has no sizing, but I like the way it takes watercolor.

I was having a lot of trouble concentrating on the pitcher. I wasn't really connecting, as you can see by all the lines all over the place. But I like it.  I feel as though I captured it, and some scribbles here and there don't bother me.  It's a sketchbook!

I always feel whatever happens with a drawing in my sketchbook is just part of being in the moment.  I wasn't concentrating at the moment.

Our turkey was up against some pretty stiff competition today at the fourth grade luncheon, and I'm happy to report she won the beauty contest!

Salt Shaker

 Another "take your sketchbook to lunch" salt shaker.

It was breakfast.

Back when I was doing a weekend's worth of salt shakers, I said I would post this at a later date. This is the later date. Day eighteen of blogging every day in November.

Another fun class today!  They worked on painting small studies of a blooming Christmas cactus - keeping it very simple, using as few strokes as possible, and letting the paint mix on the paper.

We had some snow in the air today.  I guess it is about time, although I am certainly not ready for it.  I'm still grieving the loss of summer.  Maybe I'm not cut out for Michigan.  Maybe not, but I'm not going anywhere.

Maybe we should all draw our breakfasts tomorrow?

Chili by the Bay

This is another contour drawing of another salt shaker 

 a colorless page from a rather colorful weekend.

We had two of the grandkids for a couple of days.  I just vacuumed the living room floor a few minutes ago, and it really looks dull now without the colorful hole-punch dots, bits of ribbon, and little bits of dried up cheese - the cheese was surprisingly colorful!  We didn't do art projects in the living room, and we didn't eat in there - I guess all those bits and pieces just worked their way in there from other parts of the house.  You can imagine what those other parts look like.  It was fun!

It's a very gray day - gun metal gray, actually  -  but cozy inside.   We have only made one trip to the home improvement stores.  Does that mean we weren't very productive, or does it mean we were very organized?  I'm not sayin'.

Lunch with the Girls

I Took My Sketchbook to Lunch

This is a pepper grinder that was on the table at lunch today.  It was such a nice relaxing couple of hours with old and new friends. I had a busy day of running here and there, and lunch with friends was a nice break in the middle.

I think this page could use a little more color.  Salt shakers and pepper grinders are always a little colorless, but I could use my imagination and spiff it up a bit.  I'll work on that.

Are you going to sketch something this weekend? Take your sketchbook to lunch?

Lemonade

Sketches on Nideggen Paper in my Sketchbook

"Salt Shaker .  .  .  ." leads to another salt shaker a few pages on in the sketchbook.  I'll post it later.

We spent a nice long weekend downstate, and I came across a lot of salt shakers to draw.  Of course, after a while they become repetitive, and they are almost all dented.  Does every salt and pepper shaker in every restaurant in the world get dropped on the floor?  What's with that? 

We covered both sides of the state with my brother and sister-in-law, meeting up with old friends at Meijer Gardens on the west side and our son at Selfidge Air Force Base on the east side.  We had one whole day of shopping at those fun places that we don't have up here in the "north woods"  -  the paper/bookbinding store, Trader Joe's, Ikea, etc.  Now I think I need a couple of days to recover! My brother claims we drove almost 900 miles.  We could have been past Omaha.  If we had wanted to be past Omaha.

Salt and Pepper Grinder

Take Your Sketchbook to Lunch

Thursday I painted with a summer group that I teach a few sessions for each year.  It was their last official meeting, and we had lunch on the porch after a very informative talk and  beautiful demonstration by one of their members.  She talked about cast shadows, and brought up a lot of interesting points and lots of questions.  It has my head swirling.  She was applying geometry to the placement of shadows, along with obsevation and common sense  - the observation I can do  -  the geometry and commom sense are something else.


Sticking to my "take you sketchbook to lunch" plan, I sketched the salt and pepper grinder on the table.  The salt shaker idea has worked out well for me  -  I'm a slow eater and I talk a lot, so if I were to sketch my lunch, I'd be there all day. Not that there is anything wrong with that  -  sitting with friends on a big porch overlooking a gorgeous lake, eating a delicious lunch! Nice.


The book on the left is my newest hand-bound sketchbook.  

Lunch at the Bistro

The Back Door, Another Salt Shaker, and Lunch

I have these posts of the pages in my sketchbook journal so out of order! I'm going to post them anyway - it is presumptuous of me to even think you are paying enough attention to know in what order my sketchbook pages come in my life. If the pages weren't dated no one would ever know (except the friends that do these things with me) how mixed up they are.

This week I wrap up two of my spring classes, and begin one of my summer classes. They really begin in earnest next week, with seven classes in four days. I love that! I just go from class to class meeting with wonderful people doing painting, drawing, watercolor journaling . . .

Let the fun begin!

If you are local, take a look at the class line up. Maybe you'll see something that looks good to you.

Salt Shaker at the City Park

Another Salt Shaker Added to the Collection

I love to take my sketchbook to lunch - or dinner. I've started a collection of salt shaker drawings just for the fun of it. They can be done very quickly, and I don't have to paint them if it seems inappropriate at the time to get out my little palette and a brush.

This drawing was done while I was having lunch with friends, and I added the color later, just for the joy of playing with color.

Yesterday was my Kick-Off Summer Journal Workshop. We spent the morning outside until it started to rain, and then we came inside, turned up the heat, and made hot tea. Everyone came up with some great sketches anyway. It just goes to show you, there are things to paint wherever we are.

Keep your eyes open and the brushes movin'.

Ketchup

Yet Another Salt and Pepper Still Life

Nothing much to paint on the table at Applebee's. However the food was very good, and it sure wasn't crowded. I think everyone else was home tending to their turkeys.

With the help of Eldest Grandson, I just put the last of the pies in the oven. When we stopped at the grocery store for a couple of things, the check-out guy said people are still buying frozen turkeys. This is zero hour for buying anything. What are they going to do with those turkeys?

This little still life is the first in my new sketchbook. What is it about the first and last pages??!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL!