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| The Group |
A nice-sized and enthusiastic group showed up to sketch at the reenactment of the Battle of San Jacinto. Not as famous as the Battle of the Alamo, San Jacinto and the Battleship Texas have been a field trip destination for Texas schoolchildren for years. Most of us know the story; Sam Houston arrives catching General Santa Ana by surprise. It is a rout and Texas wins its independence. The reenactors and their families are dedicated and detailed and it is always a fun day for spectators.Many of the sketchers were fascinated by the uniforms and all the paraphernalia on the reenactors. Here you see the general himself and his trusted aide Alamonte.And below is one of the Texians with all his gear. The group puts on a bit of a show all morning, so it isn't just figures parading around in costume. We saw Sam Houston reviewing his troops. Santa Ana drilling his troops. Young "volunteers" being taught to shoot the canon.
Jenn Bui caught a bit of this in her sketch in the header. Santa Ana's headquarters on the left and troops preparing a canon on the right.Our group was pretty evenly split between those who wanted to sketch reenactors and those who wanted an overview of the whole scene.
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| Joel |
Joel clearly enjoyed all the uniforms. The sketch is minimal and the color is limited so the figures really pop. |
| Lisa |
Lisa did a study on toned paper in pastel. The warm brown is a nice contrast to the man's beard. |
| Francisco |
Francisco chose General Cos. This reenactor was very friendly and all of them were willing to answer our questions and curious about our sketching group. |
| Chris |
I tried my hand at General Sam Houston. He had an impressive number of bags and pouches on his saddle and a knife stuck into his boot! |
| Chris |
The Texians had women in their camp. These ladies were patching a quilt or sewing. No aluminum camp chairs. Only wood. And the costumes were simple, as befits a frontier woman. |
| Jeff |
Jeff caught the frontiersman asleep on the job.  |
| Judith |
Another Mexican officer from Judith. The mustache is great. |
| Michael |
We were serenaded by the fife and drum all morning. |
| Jenn |
Jenn couldn't help herself. The sketcher draws a sketcher. This was Jeff and his companion Sam. |
| Carlos |
Carlos wanted to take in the whole landscape. San Jacinto is on a coastal plain near marshland. You can feel that a bit in this sketch. |
| Bruce |
Bruce kept his colors simple. The replica canon is sitting in the shade of an oak tree. Later some of these were actually fired. They are LOUD. |
| Peter |
Peter drew as the troops did practice drills. |
| Richard |
I think Richard was the only one who thought to include the audience in his sketch. These events are well attended. |
| Judith |
Judith included the troops, the fife and drum corps, the treeline and the slightly overcast day. Thank goodness. On a sunny day this place is HOT. |
| Lisa |
More studies in pastel from Lisa. Don't you love the glint of light on the canon?
Lastly something Michael did which we all thought was very clever. If at first.....he didn't leave room for the canon fire. His solution was ingenious. Go to full screen to get a good look.
Of course we had a throwdown of our books at the end.
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| throwdown |
As you drive away and look back, this is your view.
Perhaps looking at this has inspired a few of you. If you are interested in our group we have a presence on Facebook. (answering some security questions will give you access) We are also on Instagram. Consider joining us for our next outing.
