Holiday Gifts

This is also being published on the "Sketchbook Challenge" blog today.
Pop over there and read all of the other creative posts from the December theme of "gifts".

Hi everyone!

Carol Sloan here again with the rest of the Christmas Marionette Show tale (or maybe “tell” would be correct) (as in “show & tell”).

Myself and two sketching buddies (Denise & Sarah) went to a marionette show at a local library last week.

The show was put on by the ColumbiaMarionette Theater (about 2 hours from where I live). 

John Scollon was the puppeteer (and Executive Director btw) and he did a fantastic job bringing the story to life as well as keeping the young kids entertained (not to mention the older generation!).

Those kids were so well behaved! 

I think that they were so involved in the show that they didn't have time to get cranky or bored.

I wonder if any of them left with a lifelong love of puppets and marionettes?

As adults, care givers or parents, isn't it our job to expose the younger generation to all things creative?

Someone has to light that spark or at least allow for the opportunity of a spark.

It is up to us to keep the creative spirit alive and well in this world.

(stepping off of soapbox)

I'm not used to sketching in a fast paced environment. 

My sketches will show that but the good news is that I can improve on that with more exposure to it, right?

I'm not trying to pen a realistic rendition of my subject but to impart the spirit of the scene, of the day.

You will see that some of the sketches are incomplete. My subject fled the scene (literally) before I could complete even the barest of outlines.

My approach to putting pen to paper that day was pretty simple – I tried to get a good look at the subject, then jot down a simple outline first. As time and opportunity allowed, I filled in as many details as I could while the marionette was running around the room.

I was especially interested in the placement of the strings on the puppet and the paddle that the puppeteer used to create the movements (I don't know the correct name of that piece of equipment) but things moved so quickly that I couldn't figure it out.

I'm going to call what I did the use of “artistic license” but I am sure that it goes much farther than that!

(remember it is all about the “spirit of the scene”, isn't it?)

The plot of the show was incredible! It included Spangler (the top elf) (lol, great name for a reality show, eh?), The Big Guy (Santa), an elf with a very bad cold (and a blue face), an ice skater with a finely feathered outfit, a puppet show within the puppet show and even a beach hotel clerk!

Here are the pages from my sketchbook that I completed (or almost completed).

The backdrop was a prop built of wood and then painted.
I think the candy canes were plastic ones.
The backdrop also served as the container that all the marionettes
and equipment was stored in. Clever, huh?

That's Spangler at the top (left) of the page.
I loved sketching the kids that were watching.
The many shades of blond in this young man's hair was incredible.

There's John, the giver of life to this cast of characters.
Another spectator with rich blond hair.
And that paddle thing...

The puppet show, John's hand and The Big Guy.
I thought that Santa wore black gloves though. This Santa had
on green gloves.

The star of the show, pretending to be Santa.
I looked at a photo to draw this one.

I mentioned that the backdrop also served as the box
for packing up the set. The marionettes were hung inside, facing the back
of the box. It looked like they were all in "time out" even though I thought
they behaved very well. But who knows what they did once the spotlight was
off of them. They could be little divas behind those smiling faces... 

So, following the December theme that Pam chose of “gifts”, I'll close with this:

My friends and I gave each other that day as a gift.

A gift of our time, our laughter and of grand memories.

All having its roots in the love and desire to sketch our surrounding...we found each other in a sea of people.

And you can do the same thing where ever you live! Put the word out there on your Facebook page, a local art list or gallery list.

Give yourself a gift this year. 

The gift of opening yourself up to sketching, drawing or some type of creative pursuit. It will truly enrich your life.

I hope that you all are having a wonderful holiday season – however you may celebrate it, do it with an open heart.

Faces in the Crowd

I keep  saying that I want to learn to do quick sketches of people.
Saturday morning was a great place to start that since there were lots of people downtown at the Saturday Morning Market.
I did a couple of easy sketches first - buildings, tents, trees, backs of people...that kind of thing.

I finally made myself begin to make quick marks that resembled people.
As soon as I began that, the lady at the table next to us started looking over my shoulder watching me.
I almost froze but decided that it didn't matter anyway. I would just keep sketching and hope for the best.
I couldn't have asked for a kinder onlooker.
She was like my mother, constantly giving me positive affirmations and murmurs of encouragement as I pushed forward (even though I secretly wished she would quit watching me work and thought that my sketches were less than stellar).

I will hesitantly share them here- only because it will force me to do more.
Which will in turn make me sketch more, which will increase my skill, which will help me share more, which will encourage you to sketch people too.

Ahhh, the circle of sharing ones artwork, right?

Evidently I was so intent on sketching that I was unaware of the actual faces that I drew.
I spied a vampire on the page after I got home (mid page on the left).

In looking at this page now (and then actually), I can see that I REALLY need a lot more practice.
I will certainly work on that.

Market Sketches

Here's another sketch that I did on Saturday morning.

This tent was right in front of us.
As the day progressed, the shadows did as well.
My sketch doesn't reflect that but I'd love to go back next week and do a series of sketches showing the changing shadows from the tree on the top of the tent.

As before, I added color after I got home.
I didn't work from a photograph (even though I had one) as I was away from my computer so I made up most of the colors...except the green cucumber.
And the tree colors.
Oh, and the tent...

Saturday Morning Market Sketches

My friend Sarah and I met in downtown Greenville, SC at the Saturday Morning Market to do some urban sketching.

I had never been to the Market and was surprised at the number of people selling organic produce, "happy" meat (as my friend Liz calls it), local baked goods, herb plants and a variety of fruits and vegetables.
I was equally surprised by the number of people milling about & shopping on Main Street.
Rows of crisp white "E-Z Up" tents and  brightly colored coordinated shop signs greeted us as we turned the corner.
It was a veritable feast of sketching scenes!

We found a small table under an awning to sit away from the sun, grabbed a cup of joe and got to "work".

I wanted to spend some time (trying to) sketch people in the crowd but didn't want to start out on this (as it would wound my sense of accomplishment right away).
I spied a woman sitting in front of one of downtown Greenville's beautiful fountains - quietly reading.
She was to the right of me, with a busy main street hustle and bustle all around her.
But, there she was, sitting still.
Barely moving!

I was using a Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen on a 6" x 8" piece of 90 pound watercolor paper.
(well, it's actually a piece of 8" x 12" paper that is folded to be the above size).
I will stitch my loose pages into a handmade book later.
I like the flexibility that the loose pages offer me.
I added color (with various watercolors) and small details at home.

I'll share more sketches this week.