Vikings game at The Muddy Pig

How to get your non-football-fanatic wife to "watch the game with you." First, take her out to a bar and order her a drink.  Once that has been taken care of, turn away and keep your eyes glued on the game.  Turn back around to talk to her during commercials and learn why she agreed to come and "watch the game" with you.

So obviously I am not the biggest football fan.  But this did seem to work.  Who knows what might be next for me? Golfing and Fishing and Hockey here I come!



Hanging out at one of the bars in our neighborhood within walking distance, The Muddy Pig. Oddly they were not packed for the game.  Maybe they don't have a reputation as an all out sports bar, but they are definitely known as one of the top 100 beer bars in America.  The only other one to make the list in Minnesota is also within walking distance. 

 

A quick pencil underlay at the bar.  It's still hard for me to commit to jumping in with pen sketching right away.

 

Media:  Carbon Ink, Micron Pen, and Watercolor Crayon



St. Louis Girls Weekend

Labor Day Weekend I got together with two of my good friends from Baylor University for a girl weekend in St. Louis.  Yes, I used to live in St. Louis, but most of the people I knew when I was there are no longer there, and it is amazing how much the city has changed! I was able to fly in Friday night and fly out Monday evening, which gave us 2.5 days of running around the city.  It never ceases to amaze me how much St. Louis has to offer beyond the iconic arch. We went to live blues music in the landing, a guided Schlafly brewery beer tasting, the new addition at the St. Louis Art Museum, the Japanese festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, the Budweiser brewery tour, and hiking in Castle Rock State Park,  amongst many meals of delicious food and beverages.  Next year it's a girls weekend in Minnesota!

I wanted to bring my sketchbook, of course, but knew I would be constantly battling the fact that no one really wants to sit and wait for me.  A strategy was in order here.  Before I left I drew up a comic strip like composition of boxes, open space, and text lines.  The thought was that this would force me to limit myself to very small sketches.  Did this really work? Eh, kind of... yes, it did force me to stay small, yes I was able to do some sketching in a more timely manner with everyone staring at me, but no, I will not claim that I was able to sketch absolutely everything on site (the ideal).

Bell Museum Sketch Night #1 - Celebrate Something Sketchy

 

 

Here is a new one that I was happy to learn about - Sketch Night at the Bell Museum! Once a month the Bell Museum of Natural History hosts an open sketch night for all ages and abilities. Amateurs sketch right along side accomplished illustrators. In addition to being able to sketch anything in the museum, they bring out pieces from their collection not normally on display.  Ok, great idea. Why don't more museums do this?

 

In my first night here I managed to hatch out two sketches. The one above (sketched second) was from a diorama that I admit caught my eye right away as I passed by. I must be a softie when it comes to cute little baby animals.

 

 

And this is the diorama I was sitting in front sketching.  In all, the night lasts two hours.

 



 

Above is my first sketch of the evening. I thought the bone practice would be nice - like back in the days of freshman drawing when your teacher creates an intricate display of obscure objects you have never seen before, inevitably including many bones from unknown animals. I thought this practice a bit um, weird, the first time I came upon it, but now older I feel like I understand it more.  What better way to learn about the subtleties of shadow, texture, and form when these elements are so minimal?  After concentrating on this particular bone for a while I did stop and ask what it is - an Ostrich bone, the top of the lower rump to be specific.

 



 

If you do get a chance to stop by the Bell, there is currently a great exhibit of sketchbooks in the art gallery from those who sketch regularly that is definitely worth checking out!