Get 'em while they're hot! They're going fast!!!

Congratulations to own UskTx member, James Richards!  Way to go Jim!

http://www.amazon.com/Freehand-Drawing-Discovery-Sketching-Designers/dp/1118232100/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359485563&sr=8-1&keywords=freehand+drawing+and+discovery+urban+sketching+and+concept+drawing+for+designers

Sketch Crawl 38 Houston

I joined the group of Houston (and surrounding area) sketchers for World Wide Sketch Crawl 38 at the Julia Ideson Library in downtown Houston. A marble bust, architectural detail and sketcher Chris. 

Strathmore toned sketchbook, ebony pencil and white Conté pencil. I like this sketchbook it was a gift from the sponsors of USK in Santo Domingo this past summer.

Houston. 38th SketchCrawl

Some sketchers meet Saturday 19 at Julia Ideson Library, in  DownTown.

SKETCHCRAWL!

We actually had 12 people show up for sketchcrawl in Houston today. I think that's a new record. We met up at the Julia Ideson Library downtown and sketched both inside and out. I've mentioned before what a lovely building it is and it is inspiring to sketch. I showed up rather late, so only got dribs and drabs of the Ideson. After lunch on the way home I tried something new. If you follow the main Urban Sketchers blog, you may have notice a post a few days ago from Shiho Nakaza. She challenged herself to do a sketch every day directly in pen. No pencil or eraser. No fudging. The results are so simple and yet they capture so much! Check it out! So after lunch, on my way home, I tried a little myself.

I think I like it!

19th Street-Houston, Texas

In my ongoing quest to loosen up and make my sketches more spontaneous, I filled one of my waterbrushes with walnut ink. My intention was to use it with quick gesture drawings of people, but I've found it has other advantages as well. I didn't spend my teenaged years drawing racecars in the margins of my schoolwork, so drawing cars is a pain for me. To my delight, the walnut ink makes these cars at the 19th Street shopping district look pretty good. It also took some of the tightness out of the architecture and made me focus on values.

The Mast/White House, 1925-Lubbock, Texas

The Mast/White Home, 2301 Broadway, was orginially located at 2219 13th St. It was constructed in 1925 for C.S. Mast, a member of the original faculty at Texas Tech.

It was purchased by L.O. “Pop” and Ercil “Mom” White in 1948. The Whites, who were active in youth work, were instrumental in founding the Baptist Student Union for Tech students.

The home was acquired by First Baptist Church in 1978 and donated to the Lubbock Heritage Society for relocation. It was moved to its Broadway location in 1981.  

This sketch was done on location with Lamy Safari and Platinum Carbon Ink. Watercolor added later.

West Texas Wind Farm

On Nov. 10 at 10:21 a.m., wind gusts faster than 45 mph combined with a growing amount of wind turbines in the state to set a new record for the most wind power Texas has ever produced...about 26% of the demand.  This was enough to power about 4,000,000 homes.  The problem:  When the wind is calm they produce enough electricity to power zero homes!
Wind is a highly variable resource, however, and with proper understanding it can be readily incorporated as a part of the state's electric utility generation mix. This fact has already been recognized by Texas wind developers and electric utilities active in the state's nascent industry. The Panhandle, mountainous parts of West Texas, and perhaps even the lower Gulf Coast, contain areas with winds presently suitable for electric power generation. The number of commercially attractive sites will only expand as development costs continue to drop, wind turbine technology improves and government tax incentives exist.

Robert Bruno's Steel Sculpture/House

“Robert Bruno began his sculptural home in 1973, with a very fluid and organic plan. Trained as a sculpture, he moved to Lubbock from Mexico to teach at Texas Tech. A bit dismayed by the flat local landscape, he soon discovered an anomaly at Ransom Canyon. Even as you near the canyon, you can't truly see it, as it is carved into the flat landscape. But here you will find a vista with more drama, while keeping all of the incredible vast Texan sky. This proved to be a perfect setting for his home. Over the years, the look and structure of Robert's home has changed dramatically. Originally intended to be 1 story, he kept adding on, carving away, adjusting walls, etc. All of the walls in the home are either welded metal, or original glass/stained glass creations. All designed to optimize light and his visual experience. Walls were removed to increase visual vistas, stained glass added to create contrast to the rusted metal (with a subtle nod to his love of catholic iconography and visual language, as well as the old churches of Mexico). Not limited to expressions in glass and metal, Robert also created a beautiful wooden entry table of fluid lines and delicate grace. And he does it all himself, setting this home apart from a typical architectural project with other draftsmen and craftsmen contributing.”  Excerpted from:

http://www.artificialowl.net/2008/05/robert-bruno-steel-house-ransom-canyon_15.html

For additional photos, visit Mr. Bruno’s website:

http://www.robertbruno.com/

Sketching in the Galleries MFAH, Thurs. Jan 3

Hi Houston sketchers. First Thursday Sketching at Museum of Fine Art Houston. 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. 

Thursday, Jan 03, 2013   Anyone interested in meeting up this Thurs? This month's theme is European Portraits.

On the first Thursday of the month, sketch works of art in the galleries during this free, informal program. An MFAH teaching artist is on hand with paper, pencils, and clipboards to get you started. This family program is open to adults, kids, couples—everyone's invited!