Staying Cool at the Kinder

The Group

If this month's group photo looks a little odd, it's because it is. We posed in front of William Forsythe's video exhibit "City of Abstracts". Paired with a computer program, your body twists and morphs as you move in front of the screen. This is a big hit with kids big and small.

Seventeen sketchers decided that a cool afternoon in the new Kinder Building at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston was just for them. A lot of the public had the same idea; the museum was busy.

Water media is forbidden inside of the museum. Our sketchers worked around this in various ways. Lisa, whose work is in this month's header, used pastel on toned paper. It makes the art on the walls just glow.

 Susan DeCourcy did her watercoloring OUTSIDE the building.

Susan

Then she moved inside the museum where she saw all the folks in front of the video screen.

Susan

Kate avoided the problem entirely by using her IPAD and ProCreate.

Kate

As Judith pointed out later, an urban sketch may need to be done on site, but that doesn't keep you from adding to it later. Britt took this approach. The "before" and "after" are instructive.

Britt

Or, you could add a splash of marker or colored pencil.

Peter

The red mobile draws your eye up the stairs to that unusual opening to the next floor.

Judith

Judith went to the opposite end of the same staircase and added a bit of yellow as well.

Michael and Francisco went over into the Beck building to see Leandro Erlich's exhibit "Seeing is not Believing". This clever play with optical illusions is another crowd favorite.

Michael

Francisco

Jeff discovered a Magritte he liked and went full color with his colored pencils.

Jeff

I liked the contrast between the very dark sculpture and the lush, green landscape outside the museum window. Colored pencil kept the green soft so it didn't overpower the scene.

Chris

Carlos stuck with grayscale, but he really worked it. Marker, I believe.

Carlos

Cassidy liked a gallery view and some gentle shading for tone.

Cassidy

Joel did something similar. One of his sketches is the same mobile as Peter's and Judith's sketches from one floor up.

Joel

Cyan did very simple pencil sketches in one of the sculpture galleries.

Cyan

Peggy chose a rather complicated three-dimensional wall piece. She broke it down to its simplest parts. The framing helps the sketch come together. Washi tape?

Peggy

And new sketcher, Rebecq, chose simple subjects for her first sketchout. Framing each piece on the page helps.

Rebecq

And finally, Britt's second sketch of a woman in one of the galleries intently studying the art. Somehow I think this needs a caption. It reminds me of a New Yorker cartoon.

We had a throwdown in the lobby and then lunch at the café.

If you have been lurking here at the blog or on the Facebook page, now is the time to step up.

In late August we are having a day called Urban Sketching 101. Everything you always wanted to know about tools, techniques and urban sketching.  Follow us on Instagram or join our Facebook group for more information.