Buttnekkiddoodles

Well, one thing’s for certain….I’m no architect. I really don’t dig drawing large wall after wall after wall of windows. Got back today to finish yesterday’s sketch of the pall over Chicago from the Canadian forest fires. I have a great vantage point of Lincoln Park as I sit by my north facing window. An interesting challenge of sketching the light at that time of day is that because of the haze, the buildings and trees in the distance resemble distant mountain ranges on hazy days; the top profiles are darker at their crest and lighten as they fall below the closer mountains. As each mountain range or ridge gets closer, its crest is darker than the one more distant. But, as the trees got closer to me, the sun lit the tops so that the closest trees had to be darker than the crest of the tree in front of them and closer to the viewer. The reverse of distant trees and features. So the challenge was to still get the sense of a pall from the smoke, the atmospheric perspective, and the raking afternoon sun striking the tops of the trees. One obvious trick is how you use contours, edges, contrasts, lines and details. Drop the use of line as you move into the distance, more clarity and detail in the foreground, greater contrasts in the foreground. It’s such a great view we have of the city and lake from our apartment but you might guess why I don’t perch by the window more often drawing these views; because it’s such a fun pain in the arse.

Last night was date night with G Babe (second night in a row). We went to the Harris Theater to hear the Grant Park Orchestra perform Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, Carl Maria von Weber’s Overture to Oberon, Ralph Vaughn Williams Serenade to Music, Shostakovich’s Suite from the Incidental Music to the film Hamlet (WOW!! I enjoyed this the most of the evening’s offerings), and Tchaikovsksy’s Hamlet Fantasy Overture after Shakespeare which conductor Carlos Kalamar introduced by saying,” after you have had your fill of a big meal, sometimes you’re in the mood to have a big piece of chocolate cake, with lots of whipped cream.”
I managed a few sketches throughout the concert. Which, included the couple in the row before us. The lady in the hat appeared most drowsy and even let her head sag onto her companion’s shoulder while resting her chin on the palm of her hand. Given the way her mouth drooped open I feel confident in posting that my subject took a kitty nap. Yeeeeesss you did dear. YES YOU DID! Disinterested or exhausted from a fatiguing day taking in the delights of downtown Chicago, and a flute or two of Prosecco, (I’m permitting harmless speculation here), our patrons of the arts chose to leave early. Harrumph! They didn’t even make it to Mendelssohn’s rousing Wedding March!!!! Not to mention Shostakovich truly fabuloso ????????? !!!! film score.
Well, me and the G Babe, and the bald dude two rows in front of me, as well as the stylish lady (more speculation) with the satin top and page boy haircut more than made up for our tuckered twosome in enjoyment. Props to the seasoned cellist in the orchestra.
 
Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens on Japanese Mulberry paper in a sketchbook made for me by Eugene Wooddell Jr. I especially like the new Fude nib Pitt Pens which have a bit of flex to them and were used for all the contour work.

 
Surgery to remove kidney stones kept me from traveling to Italy with my wife. So it has been me alone to warm and miss the bedsheets. This coming Wednesday she returns and a good case of jet lag should mean I will capture her recharging her batteries and catching up on dream time.
Drawn with an Essentio fountain pen, DeAtramentis Document ink, and Pitt Artist Pens on Japanese mulberry paper in a sketchbook handmade by Eugene Wooddell Jr.

After glimpsing the Dali exhibit thru slow moving packed lines at the Art Institute of Chicago, I skipped across Michigan Ave to draw in the calm lobby of the Chicago Athletic Association.
I got much of this fellow and some of the background knocked in and was working on the tabletop reflection when he left. So, as I had most the the structural elements behind him in place it made it easy for me to put the finishing touches in.
Now, as to this WordPress platform, I’m quite frustrated with trying to upload images from my picture library only to have the image dropped. So I begin again, wait a couple minutes and it’s dropped again. After two more attempts, same thing. Ticked off so I logged off my blog. I open it up today to see if I have more luck and behold! …. the very image is now in my WordPress library, which allowed me to post today. This image is in fact in Quadruplicate. Wasn’t there at all when I tried to post before!!!! Why??!!!

Pitt Artist Pens on Tomoe River Paper.

A return to Rush Hospital Human Anatomy Lab after a three year hiatus due to the pandemic. Excited to be back at this remarkable facility thanks to the interest and generosity of Rush and Dr. Chris Ferrigno.

During the interim I contacted Coronavirus and lost my sense of smell. It’s been a year plus and I have regained a fraction of my capability to detect smells. As a result, the nostril shocking smell of formaldehyde was at a bare minimum. So, there’s an upside to infection???
Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens on Hanemühle Cappuccino paper.