Thank Heavens for Mild Texas Winters!

WIP image from the first bonus video (Fort Worth Botanical Garden)

Last week my film crew and I began shooting a series of four online workshop lessons (to be followed by several "bonus" videos) for Strathmore Artist Papers.

Because of the tight schedule some of the lessons will, no doubt, have to be filmed indoors. But, thankfully, we have an abundance of mild (if not continuous) winter weather here in Texas. So, my crew and I will take advantage of every bit of sunshine, and every bit of warmth, to go out "on location." (And, so far, we're having a blast!)

The workshop will run from early March through the beginning of April and registration is free.

Underwood/Pridmore House, built 1940...restored 2012

The Underwood Home in Lubbock, Texas was designed in 1940 by Hal O. Yoakum, a Dallas Architect.  It had been vacant and neglected for many years until Tim and Melissa Pridmore purchased and restored it in 2012.  I am fortunate to be have been selected to design and implement the landscape enhancements and restoration.  Congratulations to the Pridmores for preserving one of the iconic and historic homes in Lubbock!  (sketched on location in pen and ink/watercolor)

Stealing a few minutes to capture the raw beauty of west Texas

Took a few minutes while working on the Glass Ranch in Blanco Canyon near Spur, Texas to try and capture some of the incredibly rough, rugged and raw beauty of the place.  Big skies, big country and incredible beauty!

A Sense of Place

How much do you really know about the area closest to home? What was your city or town like before the urban development? Or the suburban sprawl? What was there 50, 100, or 50 million years ago? And can you still find any artifacts of those times?

This week I talk about getting to know (and sketch) areas that may be as close as your own back yard.

http://earnestward.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-sense-of-place.html

Urban Sketching on Toned Paper

All of us know that the majority of a tonal drawing is middle tone. And, at some point in our sketching careers, most (maybe all?) of us have thought to ourselves, "There must be a simpler, faster alternative to spending so much time covering up the whiteness of our paper."

As it turns out, as early as the Renaissance artists had identified a fast, visually appealing option - toned paper. This week I've covered that alternative in some depth in a blog article entitled Tools of the Trade #3 - Toned Paper. If you're interested, please feel free to take a look. Then maybe give it a try. (You may be amazed by the speed of this technique.)

Happy sketching everyone! (And don't forget your sunscreen, sunglasses, broad-brimmed hat and plenty of water till this heat subsides.)

Finding the right view....

I was flattered recently by being asked to do a sketch of the church where I attend.  The final sketch is to be a gift to some special visiting guests in May.  I am both honored and nervous about my first "commission"!  I spent some time today finding and sketching a view that frames the tower, Broadway Church of Christ's "iconic" architectural feature.  This is a very quick sketch I did just to explore view, composition, values and color.  Stay tuned for the final version!

Sketching the "Blue Ghost"

Missy and I had a great time in Corpus Christi last weekend at my beautiful niece’s wedding.  I had a little free time and was able to get a quick sketch from the seawall of the Lexington.  I sketched this with a Micron .03 in my Moleskine watercolor sketchbook.  Watercolor wash added at home.  We didn't have time to tour the ship, but by all accounts, it's an incredible tour!  Now I have a reason to go back!

The USS Lexington, known as "The Blue Ghost", is one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built during World War II for the United States Navy.  Lexington was commissioned in February 1943, and served in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, receiving the Presidential Unit Citation and 11 battle stars for World War II service. Like many of her sister ships, Lexington was decommissioned shortly after the end of the war, but was modernized and reactivated in the early 1950s, being reclassified as an attack carrier, and then an antisubmarine carrier. In her second career, she operated both in the Atlantic/Mediterranean and the Pacific, but spent most of her time, nearly 30 years, on the east coast as a training carrier.  She was decommissioned in 1991, remaining active longer than any other Essex-class ship, and was donated for use as a museum ship in Corpus Christi, Texas. Lexington was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2003. Though her surviving sisterships Yorktown, Intrepid, and Hornet carry lower hull numbers, Lexington was laid down and commissioned earlier, making Lexington the oldest remaining aircraft carrier in the world.

Time goes by...in Enochs, Texas

ENOCHS, TEXAS is at the junction of State Highway 214 and Farm Road 54, three miles from the Cochran county line in southern Bailey County. It developed as a farming community and trading center beginning in the 1920s and reached a peak reported population of 250 in 1940, when it had five stores. In 1980 and 1990 its population was estimated at 164, and the town had several businesses and a post office. In 2000 the population was eighty with three remaining businesses.  This old garage and fillig station, was not among them.  It makes a great subject for a sketch of a time long past, though.  This sketch was done on location with a Micron 03..watercolor added later.

Paul's Lake@Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge on a cold winter day!

Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge is the oldest National Wildlife Refuge in the state of Texas, having been established in 1935. It is located about twenty miles south of Muleshoe, the seat of Bailey County. It is some fifteen miles north of Morton on Texas State Highway 214.

The refuge includes several intermittent salt lakes, some of which have been modified to extend their wet periods. Paul's Lake, on the east side of Highway 214, is spring fed, and hosts wildlife during times when the other lakes are dry.

The 5,000-acre refuge is a stop for migratory waterfowl flying between Canada and Mexico. If sufficient water is present, during the winter it hosts tens of thousands of sandhill cranes. The largest number of cranes ever recorded was 250,000, during February, 1981.

This sketch was done on location with pen and ink and watercolor in my 5 x 8 watercolor moleskine sketchbook.

Fort Barrancas Cannon

Another view of one of the old cannons at the fort. 

 

I'm a sucker for any scene with a flag in it!

Hastily sketched on location, tidied up and watercolor back home.

Old Ft. Barrancas at the entrance to Pensacola Bay, Florida

Fort Barrancas is a historic United States military fort in the area of Pensacola, Florida, located physically on Naval Air Station Pensacola.  The hill-top fort, connected to a sea-level water battery, overlooks Pensacola Bay, from what is now Naval Air Station Pensacola.  Spanning a multi-century history, the U.S. Army deactivated Fort Barrancas on April 15, 1947.  Designated a National Historic Site  in 1960, control of the site was transferred to the National Park Service in 1971. After extensive restoration during 1971-1980, Fort Barrancas was opened to the public.  The site was first occupied as a fort in 1698 by the Spanish.  It has been

occupied and rebuilt by five different governments; Spanish, French, British, Confederate and finally, American.

During the American and Confederate years the fort was home to 19 cannons like the one I've sketched here.   If you're ever in the neighborhood, it is well worth a visit!

Pensacola, Florida looking north from Pensacola Beach

It was quite a challenge, as well as a step out of my comfort zone, to sketch this panorama of Pensacola.  At this scale things had to be dramatically simplified.  A lot of fun!

This sketch was done in Pen and Ink, on location, watercolor added back home.

A hastily sketched view of Pensacola Beach, Florida

My wife and I made a quick weekend trip to Pensacola, Florida to see our oldest son who is stationed at Naval Air Station Pensacola.  It was a very busy weekend, but I was able to sneak in a few sketches.  This one is from our hotel on the beach.  Not at all pleased with the result, but I'm posting it anyway!  I only had a brief time before breakfast and was interrupted numerous times by curious onlookers(which adds to the fun)!  Capturing beaches, oceans, palms and boardwalks are definately a new thing for this "dry-land, high plains, west Texas sketcher!"  More Pensacola sketches to follow.   (pen and Ink w/ watercolor, sketched on location) 

Sketching The Buddy Holly Center

No visit to Lubbock is complete without a stop at the Buddy Holly Center in the historic Depot Entertainment District.  Housed in the old Ft. Worth and Denver South Plains Rail depot building, the Center features a permanent exhibition dedicated to the life and music of Buddy Holly.  It showcases unique memorabilia donated by the family, friends and fans of Lubbock’s favorite son. The Center also houses the Texas Musicians Hall of Fame and the Lubbock Fine Arts Gallery.  Visitors from far and wide love to pose for a quick photograph next to the the iconic metal sculpture of Buddy's trademark horn-rimmed glasses.  

I sketched this on location in pen and ink with watercolor added later in the studio.

Cool saturday morning in the Depot District

 Enjoyed a nice morning sketch down in Lubbock's Depot District.  This area south of downtown Lubbock has developed in recent years into a vibrant "night-spot".  Named because of it's proximity to the old train depot(now the Buddy Holly Center), the area encompasses several city blocks of former industrial/agricultural retail stores, offices, warehouses and machine shops.  People are now attracted to the district for it's retaurants, clubs, theaters and art galleries.  After a hopping friday night of football weekend(Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M) revelry, the only "happening" place this morning is Brown's Barbershop!  Brown's is a long time fixture on Buddy Holly Avenue and Richard Brown stubbornly refuses to join the mass retail exodus to southwest Lubbock.  Three chairs...no appointments!  Just grab a copy of Field and Stream, enjoy some barbershop talk and wait your turn!

On location pen and ink w/watercolor wash

Welcome to Georgetown, Texas!!!!!

Georgetown, county seat of Williamson County, has a beautiful courthouse with a somewhat stormy past. Built in 1910, the courthouse has undergone several major and sometimes disastrous renovations. The 1966 "renovation" destroyed many of the key architectural features that identified the building as Neoclassical Revival architecture. Fortunately, in 2006-2007, for a tidy sum of $6 million, the courthouse was restored to its original glory. It's a venerable old structure, beautiful inside and out!!!

Let's go to the fair!

"Horses and wagons line the dirt roads of Lubbock - a fledgling city incorporated only five years ago but already boasting a population of approximately 2,000. Farmers gather around the town square, comparing prize pumpkins and sheaves of grain, discussing farming methods and the prospects offered by the wide open spaces in fertile West Texas. Their wives and children mingle nearby, making new friends, swapping home remedies and recipes, playing games - generally in awe of the sights and sounds of "the big city."
That was the scene unfolding nearly a century ago. The Panhandle South Plains Fair was drawing city and country folk together and helping Lubbock earn the nickname "Hub of the Plains" - an improvement over "the city that shouldn't be," as Lubbock was originally called, because of its isolated location and lack of major cross country highway links. The Fair and the city have grown almost simultaneously since those humble beginnings. Today, the Panhandle-South Plains Fair is known as "The Granddaddy of West Texas Fairs," and ranks second only to Dallas's State Fair of Texas in attendance and continuous history.
The first Fair was held in the fall of 1914. There were no fairs held during the World War II years of 1942-45. The annual extravaganza of today bears little resemblance to the first Fair, but one tradition remains firmly intact: the goal of the Fair, which is to strengthen community ties within our region and promote growth and prosperity throughout Lubbock and its surrounding communities.
From:  http://www.southplainsfair.com/pages/about/history.php

Introducing....Lubbock, Texas!

Lubbock, my home town, is located in northwest Texas...350 miles west of Dallas/Ft. Worth...120 mile south of Amarillo.  Our poulation is about 225,000.  We are the home of Texas Tech University, birthplace of Buddy Holly and right smack in the middle of the largest cotton producing region in the world!  We are known for big skies, beautiful sunsets, cold winters, hot summers and spring sandstorms.  Autumns are great!  This is a pen and ink/watercolor sketch of our skyline...If you're ever in the neighborhood, stop by!  I'll buy you cup of coffee.