It would be so worth it to take a crash course on operating these earth movers. Playing in the mud and dirt on a grand scale. Truth be told, I never learn anything quickly, so a crash would probably mean I crash those behemoths.
In the above sketch, the earth mover on the right has pontoons which help it float.
Drawn with a number of different fountain pens and Pitt Artist Pens.
Went to North Pond late this afternoon to check on the Renovation Project and saw the dredger with pontoons setting partially in the pond and evidence of deep tracks in the muddy banks. Had my subject so got a choice seat in the shade. I was pretty much finishing up the drawing with some background and final touches on the mud troughs in the foreground when I heard someone approach behind me making a call of sorts. I glanced backwards and dude with a backpack on a bike was lookin’ out over the pond. Out on the pond a swarm of Canada Goose paddled in my direction.
“Hey BUDDY!! You’re in their way”, sez the huffy fellow on the bike, whom I had seen throwing some sort of feed at them before.
I knew they had plenty of space to pass to my left, and thought I’d rather like having them troop past. Plus with the late afternoon light rapidly changing was intent on finishing up. He gruffly urged me to move, I insisted he had other places along the bank to call ‘em up so I informed him I was fine where I was. As the geese waddled by he called me a name. Yes, I called him a couple two-three in return, suggested an act he could perform solo and returned to finish my drawing.
I promise I’ll be more agreeable next time.
Fountain pen and Pitt Artist Pens on a Stillman & Birn Nova series Beige sketchbook.
Two gorgeous days, perfect to draw out in the park. So yesterday I headed out to draw more of the renovations at North Pond. That was my intention until I came across the quirky sculpture by Robbie Barber next to the Lincoln Park Recreational Center. An old shell of a mobile camper/trailer mounted on a rusty outsized wheel rims. Channeling Claus Oldenburg a smidg, this very American, iconic mash up, part Conestoga wagon, part baby carriage on steroids glued me to the grass and out came the sketchbook. I started laying out the basic structure a bit after 3pm. At that point the trailer shell was partially in the sun with the raking light casting zebra shadows on the side. But with the sun moving quickly the whole piece wound up in the full shade of the building behind me. Not what I’d hoped to capture. So I worked on the wheels, background & grass and decided the drawing would be finished at roughly the same time today.
Today I headed out to complete the drawing and arrived at the perfect time. Okay, next up, I figured I head over to North Pond as planned the previous day. Well, en route to said pond, I spied the magnificent Eli Bates fountain by Augustus Saint-Gaudens of boys with scaly fin tipped fish legs (merboys?) wrestling with fish. The light was good, I was game and thus out came the sketchbook and pens.
Fountain pen & Pitt Artist Pens on a Rhodia notebook.
I’ve returned to court, principally to cover an ongoing case about a gang that has been pulling off armed robberies and carjackings in my neighborhood. One suspect is in custody with the possibility more may be indicted.
I’m also just randomly going in to get the pulse of what’s doing in Chicagoland with corruption cases et. al.
My friend Stuart, hand to head upper left, is a DA who also is a solid painter and teaches drawing and painting, never even got up to argue his case as it was 
Because of Covid, defendants are given the option to appear in court, or via Zoom sessions, which many are choosing to and hence I had to go to a “Zoom Room” to watch closed circuit proceedings with everyone logged in. You can see my sketch of the computer, my scattered markers, and my reflection on the screen. It was a great work station as I had the room to myself, but it was also hectic as people often turned their cameras off until the judge called on them. So I had very little time to sketch participants. The judge’s screen was on full time and I got the two sketches of her, masked and unmasked, with her fabulous mane of hair.
Fountain pen and Pitt Artist Pens on a Rhodia Dot Grid notebook.
At the Green City Farmers Market Saturday. Intense light and loads of deep shadow beneath the trees. First sketch executed on Rhodia Dot Grid notebook with just one marker. That marker however was the chromium green opaque Pitt Artist Pen Dual Nib Marker by Faber-Castell. The big brush nib allowed me rapid and broad coverage, which would increase in depth and saturation with each pass. Very quick, lite strokes and finger prints produced mid tones and textures, i.e. grass blades. The 1.8 nib added line work on the field for weeds and grass. The idea here was to worked rapidly and economically avoiding fusing over details.