Two New York Houses

One is in Brooklyn, the other in Rhinebeck. Any New Yorker could tell you which was which.

South Street Seaport

I've been out of the loop in terms of posting recently but I've been drawing none the less. These three were done on a day out at South Street seaport in Manhattan. It's a great place to draw and I always see other sketches there.

South Street Seaport

I took some of my FIT students location drawing at the South Street seaport. Here are a couple of my drawings from one of those days, the seaport is a tremendous place to draw and people watch, I bumped into a bunch of tourists still stranded by the volcano although they all seemed to be handling the situation very well. It was a beautiful day.

Coney Island

I went to Coney Island yesterday with my in-laws who have been stranded in New York by the Icelandic volcano. They visited the aquarium and I drew. it's an ill wind as they say.

Two Sides Of Niagara

I went to Niagara Falls with family for a quick break, we stayed on the Canadian side where we got a great view of the falls and also a look at all the craziness that goes along with it. Can't have one without the other, apparently.

Brooklyn

Here are a couple of Brooklyn scenes, the weather is getting better and I'm feeling the urge.

Snippets From LA

Here is a collection of little drawings I did whilst in LA. Stolen moments when I was waiting for my wife to A. Get ready to go out. B. Come out of the Store, C. Finish a cell phone chat. This is how I keep myself sane.

Venice Beach

Here are a couple more sketches from my LA trip, I found it almost impossible not to use color in LA. I'm looking out my window at the grey Brooklyn sky as I type.

The Rose Bowl

A visit to the flea market at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena was the main reason for our LA trip, once again, my wife shops and I draw.

Los Angeles

I had a quick trip out to LA at the weekend, My wife and I go semi regularly and it works really well, she shops, I draw and all is right with the world. The thing I really enjoy about drawing in LA is that it forces me to use color, I can't always say that of Brooklyn.

McSorley's

This has to be my favorite spot to draw in New York. The Bar is McSorley's, 15 east seventh st. It tends to get a bit crowded at evenings and on weekends but if you can manage to get there for lunch during the week you will see the place for what it is, a living museum. The light in this place is magnificent and with a pot bellied stove for heat on a cold day you can't beat it for atmosphere. I wish I were there right now.

My First Sketch Crawl

Last Saturday was my fist sketch crawl and the weather being what it was we didn't venture too far from the bar, in this case Vazac's on 7th and B in New York's East Village. There were 6 of us in all and after a few pints of Guinness we started to draw with sticks of celery, a stunt which was picked up by a Court TV blog site. We had a really great day and are thinking about doing such a session at the end of each month, any New York based Urban Sketches feel free to join us.

Gowanus Canal

This charming little scene is where the elevated F train meets the Gowanus canal in Brooklyn. I get a real kick out of drawing this kind of industrial ugliness. Urban with a capital "U".

Still Freezing

Three more of my hat wearing commuters in New York. Waiting for the thaw.

It's Freezing In NYC

My fellow subway riders all look like they are seeking salvation from the elements as they ride the trains and nobody goes hatless.

Views From A Window

It' is too cold to be outside in New York at the moment so here are a couple of view from the same window in Brooklyn looking toward Manhattan. Looking forward to the warmer weather. Happy New Year.

Woodstock

I'm staying in this great little cabin in upstate New York at the moment. We have snow outside and a wood burning fire inside. It's just so beautiful up here.

Subway Riders

I really enjoy the subway since I started sketching the faces, I used to hate it.

Franklin Park

The Weather was so bad last Saturday that I was force to go to Franklin Park, my favorite bar in Crown Heights, and draw inside. I was the only person in there for a while so I drew the beer pumps and the later I was able to convince the bar tender Lauren to sit for a portrait. As Saturdays go, not too bad.

Queen Mary 2 At Red Hook

I saw this great ship towering over the surrounding houses as I was driving back from Fairways. I couldn't pass up an opportunity like this. I got as close as I could with trespassing and really enjoyed drawing this one. That is down town Manhattan on the left. Have I mentioned yet just how much I'm enjoying Red Hook?