This sketch was done just minutes ago. My wife teaching kids art. We had lunch together at the school. Now, back to work!
Joan has one of these raised garden beds. It’s a great thing, turning what was once a city eye-sore into a beautiful and functional community garden. When the new trees they planted eventually grow up I can only imagine what an even more beautiful spot this will be. I drew and colored this standing up in 90+ degree heat. A wonderful event for a wonderful cause.
Last night at our local eatery I turned to see the kids engaged in some animated discussions so I had to sketch them. Lily is seen here drawing the charming little sketch below:
My wife was filling some orders for her jewelry web site, so I was keeping her company and sketching the scene, listening to Kelly Joe Phelps, my new favorite blues slide guitarist.
I did this while waiting for the take-out to come. As soon as I laid the last wash, the man handed me the bags and off I went. Perfect timing. There’s always the fear lurking that I won’t have time to finish a sketch, with the subject walking off or something or other.
Playing with another fountain pen.
Nice relaxing evening, waiting for the coals to heat up. I found a cheap calligraphy pen at the local art store this afternoon and so decided to try it out, this time using my daughter’s watercolor set — a tiny thing that fits in the palm of your hand and has eight or ten colors! It might be my new favorite combination.
As I was walking to work this morning through our urban/suburban neighborhood I heard a rustling to my right. I turned to see something astonishing: a bird flying away with another bird gripped below it. It looked almost like a big ball of flapping feathers. The next second I realized it was a young, fairly small red tailed hawk lifting a pigeon across the street and up to a nearby tree. Both birds were about the same size, with the hawk having something like a two-foot wing span, about half the size of most adult red tailed hawks in this part of the world. The hawk landed in the tree limbs up about 15 feet above me and started to tear the pigeon apart, eating it. I pulled out my sketchbook and started to draw what I saw. The sketch below it was from memory as it flew past my shoulder on its way to the tree. I was treated to my own personal National Geographic special in the middle of the city.
It’s a balmy 73 degrees F (22 C) here in Southern Cal. Lily and her friend having a nice relaxing Sunday.
Anthony Zierhut 