Sketch book travels, SMA #5

These sketches are photo based of our travels around town (San Miguel de Allende, Mexico). As we are walking around town I am always on the look out for things that interest me or will  be a great reminder of our time here. The first sketch is a view of people walking and looking at their phone, oblivious to their beautiful surroundings.

 My husband Gord has been taken twice weekly Spanish classes from Javier at the Don Luis restaurant. As am not at that level I have been quietly sitting and listening in and drawing. This is a sketch of the table. Usually I also try and sketch patrons in another sketch book that I am drawing live subjects.

This sketch is of an elderly lady in the Dia de Revolution parade that went for miles. This group of seniors swished their dresses and danced the whole parade (miles!), I was so impressed!

Sometimes you come across something so simple it makes an impact and had me writing stories in my head long after viewing it.

Finished Sketch Book

 I finally finished the sketch book that I have been hauling around with me. I just had foot surgery so a lot of the sketches were done while waiting in doctor's offices or labs. I am especially happy to start a new one as the old one was thin paper and if I used water colour it all curled up and I could not blend any of the colours. When I was in Mexico I was shown how to break water colour paper up and put a plastic cover and round bindings on it so I have no excuses now. I made 3 small ones so it would not take me forever to fill one and I could easily carry it with me...my Mexican souveniers.

 These sketches were done while travelling in the car from Sicamous B.C. to Calgary Alberta through the Rocky Mountains. Hard to sketch in the moving car but when you are not worried about the end result, you really look at the quickly passing scenery.

Forgotten San Miguel de Allende sketches

Now back from our holidays, I was going through my sketch book and thought I would post sketches that I did on the holiday but did not put on my blog. As I make a book at the end of the year of my blog posts, I wanted to add these.

Above - Guanajuato
Flower and butterfly - drawn during flight

Above - Nov 11 - Remembrance Day

Sketching another roof terrace view

This is another sketch done from our roof top terrace of San Miguel de Allende. There is such a fabulous view and the architecture is so varied that I could probably draw a different point of view daily. We haven't been able to spend as much time as we would like due to the unseasonably cool and windy weather this month. I wish our holiday was longer!

Centre Square (Jardin) sketch

I was sitting behind this young woman deciding what to sketch. Her braided hair caught my eye and the rest was built after that. The upper part of the Parroquia was out of my view sitting under the "marshmallow" shaped trees of the Jardin (main center). I was happy she sat long enough to get her likeness. I am getting braver using an ink pen (thanks Rylla and Brian) instead of pencil.

Sketching - Back yard thoughts

This urban sketch included thoughts of my time here in San Miguel de Allende, particularly with the view from the ground floor patio of the house we are renting. We have thoroughly enjoyed fresh limes from the tree in the backyard, thankfully the umbrella stops them from landing on us. The amount of stairs inside this house and to get to the roof top terrace. The vast amount of potted plants surrounding the patio and terrace are lovely.

Water colour and ink in my regular 80lb sketch book.

Roof top patio view of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

We finally had a nice day so I went up to the roof top patio and sketched the view behind us of the buildings. There is such a variety of shapes and building materials that made it really interesting. I am getting bolder using a black ink pen without any pencil.

The second sketch was done of the view to the front of the house of San Miguel de Allende while Brian read the book he wrote "How Hammershod Got His Name" aloud to us. I found it alot easier to sketch this urban scene while Brian read and kept that side of my brain occupied. Brian and Rylla left San Miguel de Allende and are now home in Portland Oregon. I enjoyed every chapter of his book and was happy we were able to finish it before they left. I do hope he looks into publishing it!

Outing with San Miguel de Allende Urban Sketchers

I was lucky enough to join this group for another afternoon of urban sketchiing. We met at Calle San Grabriel #1, Calonia El Obraje Azotea for lunch on the second floor and then sketching. I went up to the roof top patio and didn't leave to go down for lunch. I enjoyed a cold beer and the view. I sketched in ink (no pencil) and then used my water colour pencils on regular 80 lb sketch book paper. The colours did not blend and the paper wrinkled but I was happy with the end result and a wonderful afternoon!!

This is the second sketch I did through a corner opening of the azotea. I did not have time to paint this but did have time to have another cold cervesa!

Sketching while being read aloud to

The first sketch is of our rented outdoor ground level patio. It is a view of the wall with the wide variety of planted pots and vines, While Brian was reading aloud "How Hammershod Got His Name" I sketched and Rylla coloured in her bird colouring book. It is amazing how well you can pay attention when your hands are busy.

The next morning Gord and I went to pickleball. In between games I sketched some of the moving players. It was interested as they were continuously moving. I don't think any of them would recognize themselves.

San Miguel de Allende Urban Sketchers - second outing

 These two sketches were done in a little park out of the main area in San Miguel de Allende. There were about a dozen sketchers that arrived and sketched a wide variety of buildings, plant life, the street scene and each other. It was my second weekly outing with the group. San Miguel de Allende Urban Sketchers are a very generous and inclusive group, I had a wonderful afternoon.

Judy had a little sketch book she had made up with water colour paper and a front and back cover.  Colleen and I hustled over after and bought and folded water colour paper then went to another little store and picked out plastic covers and binding. Now I have 2 little books to take sketching. The sketch book I have used so far is just with regular sketching paper so I can't use to much water or blend my colours. I will continue in this book until it is finished but look forward to my new creative purchase!