Late afternoon at the evolving banks of North Pond. Got the mini earth mover and most of the landscape done when a workman came along, hopped in, fired it up, and rode off to the level the banks elsewhere. I was attracted to this scene because the tilt of the vehicle parked on the slope of the embankment looked as if it was slowly losing the battle with gravity.
Fountain pen and Pitt Artist Pens on a Rhodia Dot Grid 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.
Had a one-on-one teaching session at the Field Museum yesterday. What with the downpour, it was a perfect day to spend drawing among the incredible dioramas and collection on a crowd free day. We parked ourselves by wading birds for most of the lesson. This little beauty is a Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis), smallest of the Ardeidae family which includes cranes, egrets, and herons. Unlike their larger cousins the herons, which nest in trees, these stealthy rascals nest among the reeds. I’ve seen these patient avians on the prowl at the edge of the pond by the Farm At The Zoo in Lincoln Park. My drawing is most likely a female, the one I saw had a greenish back which I believe is the coloration of the males. But don’t go by me, ask the good folks at the Field Museum next time you’re there drawing. They can be heard making a soft cooing sound (the birds, not the museum staff) early in the day and around dusk and have lovely plumage with a fluffy breast. The satiny sheen on which was part of my lesson where I emphasized awareness of light source and how highlights, shadow, and directional marks help describe form and volume. Perched atop legs scrawnier than mine, with long boney toes tipped with toenails long overdue for a clipping they may at first glance appear petite and bit awkward. But trust me, watch them for a while, they are a study in grace and cocked threat. With chopsticks for lips in constant dine mode; what frogs, fish and small critters won’t live long enough to tell you….these babies are Killers!
I’ve also included a couple quick demo pages I did while explaining my process. Guess you had to be there…
Drawn with fountain pen & Pitt Artist Pens on a Stillman & Birn Delta sketchbook. If interested in one-on-one classes or online/in person group sessions, contact me by leaving a message here or thru email – doc51854@gmail.com.
Noggins. In the drawing above, the two heads were drawn while on the #22 bus using Ochre and Dark Sepia Pitt Artist Pens. Later I added the green blue tints and black. The bottom two were drawn as is in a cafe.
With the exception of the last sketch of my brother Bob, this collection was drawn this August in the Chicago/Evanston area. Bob, was drawn watching the t.v. some 27 years ago in Austin, Texas.
Fountain pen and Pitt Artist Pens, most on a Rhodia unlined notebook. Bob was drawn on a repurposed diary from someone had kept notes in from the Second World War.
Got in a few hours in the magnificent Cleveland Museum of Art. Fantastic buildings, superb collection.
Drawing #1 one of the Biglin brothers from Thomas Eakins’ The Biglin Brothers Turning The Stake.
#2 two views of a bas relief marble head and a quickie of a Adolph Mengs portrait of Infante Don Luis de Borbón one of King Philip V of Spain’s nere do well trust funded brats. The side label/comment mentioned how characters like him were the subjects of interest when rational skepticism in the Age of Enlightenment began to confront absolutist hereditary power. Kind of brings to mind the spoiled brats like D Trump and his offspring.
#3 gored and dying dogs from a hunting scene by Lucas Cranach the Elder. A little bronze of a dog scratching itself. And a wooden carving of St. Andrew
#4 rt to lft the backside of some dude in a print, the still clenched hand of a dead Christ in a wooden Pietá. Many times the hands of the dead Christ are depicted relaxed, but the graphic realism of this one grabbed me. And a difficult to see sketch of a polished bronze figure with a Fu Manchu that resembled Kenny Rogers after he got plastic surgery “face lift”
Drwg #5 the last drawing before leaving the CMA a sketch of a Civil War Union soldier carving a pipe. Dressed in red cap, blue jacket and billowing red breeches the units known as Zouaves were comfortable and looked great but were compelling targets of Confederate sharp shooting snipers. This small painting by Homer is a gem! Well known for his Maine seascapes and his watercolors, he was a monster draftsman who was a war correspondent and combat artist. He’s knocked me dizzy with a number of his drawings and watercolors. I adore this figure and his hands carving the pipe were so accurately dexterous with brilliant brushwork.
Drawn with a Warm Grey IV Pitt Artist Pen Chisel nib and Brush nib because they appear to be pencil drawings, especially on paper that allows you to smudge ‘em, BECAUSE… museums don’t want you to draw with ink.
p.s. the dog scratching itself was drawn with ink from a fountain pen.