Music and Art at the Museum

The group

We had a good turnout this time for the MFAH. It's always nice to see people who usually can't make it to our Saturday sketchouts. The main feature this particular night was a short concert by the Monarch Chamber Players. Several of the sketchers chose to sketch the musicians and the audience who were assembled in the main hall of the Beck building.

Judith's sketch

Judith drew the array of musicians. I'd like to point out that her photo of the sketch gives the context in which she drew. Keep this in mind when sharing your sketches.

Karla

Karla zeroed in on the pianist.

Chris

I chose an angle behind the musicians so I could catch a little of the audience as well.

Many sketchers dispersed to the galleries to catch people and art. I will point out two clever solutions to the "no wet media" rule the museum enforces.

Andrea

Andrea toned her paper with ink before coming to the museum. This added a pop of color, but she had to get creative with her white gel pen for "lights".  She chose a really tricky perspective in this sketch too.

Andrea

Rita Wilbur solved the problem a different way.

Rita

She chose a sketchbook with toned paper and then added a little colored pencil. Very effective for the African art.

Kelly

Kelly just wanted to draw the art works.

But many sketchers were fascinated by people interacting with the artwork.

Michael

Michael's panorama of the gallery of Middle Eastern art has many viewers and a little facsimile of Arabic across the top.

Judith

Judith drew people in the galleries.

Chris

My sketch doesn't do justice to the glittery, neon turquoise Buddha in the Korean exhibit. Lots of photos were being taken.

Carlos

Carlos drew all the people wandering around in the museum.

Helen

Helen drew someone...hmmmm..watching musicians? looking at art? people watching? It was all going on.

Karla

And Karla captured a group of Indian women in saris who seemed to be all over the museum. Black and white doesn't capture the color, but Karla caught the movement.

Four people went in an entirely different direction.

Sharon

Sharon drew the outside of the Law building before it got too dark to see.

Tim

Tim drew the undulating curves of the Kinder building.

Heman

Heman chose a similar subject from a slightly different angle.

Of course, you can see Truong's view of the Kinder tunnel and light installation in the blog header.

the throwdown

Of course there was a throwdown at the end.

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Returning to the Houston Farmers Market

The Group

It's always a fun day when we go to the Houston Farmers Market. This time they were celebrating Earth Day, so there were lots of booths set up around the lawn and the market was really busy. We had another good turnout of sketchers too.

Mackenzie and a few others decided to sketch the scene out near the lawn.

Mackenzie

Eva

Liz

A whole line of sketchers set up in the middle of the market to sketch the various booths.

Rebecq's sketch...our line of sketchers

Carlos

Joel

Shaw

Richard

Richard was on the far corner and patiently answered many curious questions. I decided to sketch the sketchers.

Chris

Mary R

Mary Regan's markers worked especially well to capture those sails and the newly ripe watermelons.

Jennifer

Jennifer worked only in watercolor for this scene with a mother and her children.

Francisco

Francisco reports that this booth owner and her friend had decided he was from the health department...until they saw his sketch. Then they wanted a picture.

Barry

Both Barry and Michael Jap chose the rather difficult long view down the aisle of the market. Michael, of course, did his work in gouache.

Michael

Brittany and Michelle both picked particular booths to draw. Brittany's choice of two tones makes her sketch interesting. Michelle tackled drawing people as did Veronica.

Brittany

Veronica

Michelle

Both Lisa and I did sketches focusing only on the produce. But they couldn't be more different.

Lisa

Chris

And Judith was drawn to the booth selling mocaljetes in every size and shape you can imagine.

Judith

Of course there was a throwdown.

the throwdown

And we went to lunch where we talked a little about the upcoming anniversary sketchout in Bastrop. To get in on the fun, or to attend upcoming sketch outs join our group on Facebook by answering some simple questions. Or go over to Instagram to see what people are posting.

Visiting Bayou Bend

 

The Group

Here is the happy group who showed up for the March sketchout at Bayou Bend. As you can see we had a record number of people show up. Because so many sketchers showed up, I looked at the sketches in a different way this time. I was not able to attend, but I could see a pattern in the subjects people chose.

First we have to admire Rita Wilbur's sketch of the bayou bridge.which appears in our blog header. No one else chose this particular subject. 

Some sketchers drew the front of the house itself.

Mary, Paul and Peter 

These three sketches by Mary, Paul and Peter show the front view.

Judith

Susan

Shaw

Judith, Susan and Shaw drew various other angles both close and from a distance.

Michael Jap

Michael's sketch is a completely different view altogether which includes statuary, gardens and the garden wall.

Carlos

Carlos also drew a garden view with statuary. And I see a sketcher hard at work in the background.

Michelle, Mary Baker, Mary Regan, Lisa

A number of people did close-up views of the various statues around the garden. Here we have work by Michelle, Mary Baker, Mary Reagan and Lisa.

Francesca and Brittany

Francesca and Brittany also gave it a try.

Several people chose to draw fountains. Besides the one in Judith's panorama, Richard and Tim did very different fountain views.

Richard and Tim

Francisco

Francisco's sketch has the same fountain Judith drew, but looking down and from a very different angle. Again, there are some tiny sketchers in the far edge of the sketch.

Another group of sketchers drew some very intricate sketches of the trees on the grounds. I have to call out young Luke. Quite a detailed bit of observation on his part.

Judy, Tim, Anna and Luke

There were a few other sketchers whose work we can look at.

MacKenzie

Mackenzie did an eye-popping version of the garden and fountains.

Matteo

Matteo did a pencil sketch of the back patio area.

Ariana

Ariana caught the same view from a slightly wider angle. Also worked in pencil.

Then there were sketches I am calling the "bits and bobs"; little sketches of bits of architecture or decoration on the grounds. These were by Niman, Anita and Marvette.

Niman, Anita and Marvette

Everyone seems to have enjoyed a perfect day for being outdoors and sketching. We don't get a lot of those in Houston.

There was a throwdown.

And a gathering for lunch and conversation.

Please join us for our next sketchout at the Houston Farmer's Market. Follow us on Facebook or on Instagram. SHARE this post with anyone you think might be interested.

And don't forget, there are now USK Houston pins available for purchase at $5 each.

See you out there!