Sparky's & Football

Sparky's - Click image for larger view

Not much going on at Sparky's at 6:00 a.m. - but come Saturday noon. . ., they got best dogs around. Get 'em with 'the works'. 8 X 5 inches on Moleskin watercolor sketchbook, Sharpie fine line pen. Day 29 and 30 of the challenge. . . I am a few of days behind in my work, gotta catch up! The picture below is of Ben and his team-mates practicing football in Riverside at the Frank Della Famine Field. Trying to get as many done as I can. It was a perfect evening to sit and watch and sketch.

Go Townies! - Click Image for larger view

There were a LOT more kids on the field than this!!

Freddie Bing's Hot Dog Thing

Freddie Bing's Hot Dog Thing - Click image for larger view

A 30 minute sketch that was finished up without the hot dog stand as the owner came whit his truck and drove away with it... so the final detailing was done without my subject and I didn't get the chance to include the young lady that was tending to the stand.

East Providence Yacht Club, revisited

East Providence Yacht Club - Click image for larger view

Sat in the car again this morning, still raining. I got this spread done in about an hour and 5 minutes, then had to rush off to work. There is so much going on in this area I could spend a few days here and wear out a few pens and brushes. I love the old rusty bridge remains. This bridge once was a rail bridge connecting East Providence with Providence. There is a wonderful painting of this bridge and trains and industry on the walls of the East Providence Post Office on Grove Street.

Kingston Station

Kingston Station - Click image for larger view

This morning before going into the office I drove down to the Kingston Station in West Kingston, RI. ( I found on line that it was built in 1875) It was raining this morning so I sketched from inside my car. During the time that I was there several Amtrak trains came and went, quite a few RIPTA buses (most with at least one bike in the front rack) and many cars came and dropped off and picked up people. This is a busy place at 6:30 - 7:30 in the morning. This image represents Day 26 of the 75 Day Sketch Challenge and I now long for color. This would certainly be a better sketch if I had put some brushes on the paper. Even in the dull rainy morning there was a lot of good reflected light up under the eves and a nice wet shine on the tin roof of the porch. I also wish I had more time and could have used a pencil to layout the perspective of the building a bit better - some things just aren't right.
8 X 5 inches on a Moleskin Watercolor book, Sharpie fine line marker - about one hour

Bell School revisited

Bell School, Richmond, RI - Click for larger image

Today (day 21 of the 75 Day Sketch B&W Challenge) I revisited the Bell School on Richmond, about two or so miles from where I work. The sunlight this morning was unobstructed and created very sharp and dark shadows. I was concentrating on getting the perspective right...my drawing of the pub yesterday made me take a step back and review some of the basics. (which is always a good thing) 

I have sketched this build a couple of other times since I started all this sketching nonsense back in March. The others were colored with watercolor and give you a better idea of what it looks like although I think this one is more architecturally accurate. There is still some issues with window placement and I think the chimney is a bit fat.

Here is the one I did in May from the East side looking West. The window placement on the side here is more correct I think, but I seem to be missing the bell...

May 1, 2013 - Click for larger image

And a month earlier I was on the other side of the building and sketched this view. I got the bell in there but I placed the windows into the white board that runs along the roofline. The windows are actually below that board with just a slim piece of trim cutting into the board. The foundation seems to be huge slabs of stone.

April 2, 2013 (my favorite I think) - Click for larger image

At the Richmond website, this is all I could find about the school. . .

"In 1806 the first schoolhouse was built and in 1826 Bell School was constructed in Tug Hollow."

It is a great looking building and I hope they can keep it in it's current state of repair because it looks great and I would guess it looks very much like it did when it was built - with the exception of the power lines in the back.  Looks like I need to do a drawing from the front. I don't think I have seen the front door as it is on the side facing the road. I will need to set up my stool across the street and sketch from there.

More from the Challenge

Alibi Cafe - Providence - Click image for larger view

Today is day 20 of the 75 day Challenge - seems like a long way to go. The Alibi Cafe is an interesting array of buildings - I should have done a spread and continued the buildings to the right. Color would have added a lot to this sketch.

On location - Yikes is my perspective off. . . the Jeep just pulled in. . .

The past few days I have not gotten out as much as I would like but I have been keeping up. Yesterday I revisited the mill housing in Wyoming, I had just a few minutes before I had to get to work - Tuesdays are filled with breakfast with Christopher and Dick joined us yesterday as well. So from 6 to 6:45 was social then a fast drive to Wyoming from East Providence, sit for 10 - 15 minutes in the police station parking lot and got this drawing...

Mill housing - Click image for larger view

Thursday Morning

Grove Street next to Sacred Heart School - Click image for larger view

I got out early again this morning. It was a great morning, early, before the rain came. I found a park bench to sit on near city hall and took my coffee and sketchbook and got a quick sketch of this house. I have wanted to do a watercolor of the house. It is a great color of blue with ivory trim. Some of the bushes in front are red and some are various greens The trees on the right are dark green and a light blue spruce... beautiful colors, but I am in that 75 day ink only challenge. . . I miss color. . . So I had a few extra minutes when I got down to the southern part of the state and did this quick sketch in my square book.

Barns - Click image for larger view

This is a 20 minute sketch as the rain began to fall. I was drawing this one from inside my car and by the time I finished it was raining so hard I could no longer see the barn in the back.

Warren Avenue at Broadway

Warren Avenue at Broadway - Click image for larger view

I took my coffee and left a bit early today to sketch for the challenge. I have always like this little grouping of buildings along Warren Avenue, not too far from the house. They always seem to be empty. Businesses come and go. We always thought the the one on the right would make a good Ice Cream Stand, except there is no parking here at all.

The Washington Bridge

Washington Bridge - Click image for larger view

I got out before work agin this morning.. I normally go to breakfast with my friend Chris on Tuesdays but he had a meeting today so I slipped away early and sat down by the Washington Bridge and sketched. This is the view from the East Providence side of the Seekonk River. The Brown crew teams were practicing and I put on in the picture but I am sure it is not accurate as they were going by quite fast and they just wouldn't hold still for me. I drive over this bridge every day on my commute and of course on the way to the boat as well. . . The sketch challenge continues and this day 12 of 75 days. I did a few over the weekend .

Broad Street - Click image for larger view

A sketch from Sunday afternoon along Broad Street in Pawtuxet Village. It was a hot day to be out sketching. Check out my other drawings on Flickr - see the link on the sidebar.

Steeple Street from the back

Some great old buildings - Click image for larger view

I got out of the house in good time today to sit in this parking lot and sketch. It was hot and muggy so I kept the car running and sat in air conditioning. . . getting spoiled I think. This is a sketch of the buildings along Steeple Street just before Canal St. from the back side, which I think is much more interesting than the front side. The parking lot was empty so I stole a spot and jumped in. Some loss of perspective here but I think I got most of it. I was amazed by the placement of the windows which seem not to have the normal relationship with the floors on the interior - some up some down.I am guessing that these were built in the 1850's - (there-abouts) - and were warehouses along the then waterfront in Providence. Now they host fancy restaurants that give you a little bit of food for a lot of dollars. I have the next few days off so I am hoping to do some more sketching and get some color back in my life.  These black and white drawings are part of the 75 day challenge of ink drawings.. this is day 7.. feels like a long way to go.
I also shot some panoramas recently for work. We are going through some 'lean' training and '5S' training - these are the 'before shots' Utility closet and Lucy's Workspace

The latest three for the challenge

From the boat deck. - Click image for larger view

I had a few minutes to sketch when I was down on the boat, this is the view from up top looking toward the bridge on Broad Street.

East Providence - Click image for larger view

I parked on Taunton Ave and did this quick sketch - I am becoming fascinated with the wires in East Providence.

Back down in Wyoming before work. - Click image for larger view

I got a bit lazy with the trees on the left - something is not right with them... and I have been very tempted to add color. . .