Happy Ending - May 31

I saw the Confederation Tour Trolley get towed away last weekend, and was a bit worried about it. Summer wouldn't be summer without that good old bus chugging around, full of tourists. So I was extra-happy to spot it near Breakwater Park yesterday. It seems to be back in business, as good as new. Or (even better) as good as old.

So that story had a happy ending, and so does this one. This is the last hour of the last day of the Every Day in May challenge, and I actually DID it, with just a little cheating here and there. I was bowled over by your support and enthusiasm and kind comments this month. I can't thank you enough, everybody.

I think I've caught the sketching bug now, so even though I might not be posting a new picture EVERY day, I do expect to be posting lots. Hope you'll be able to join me here now and then. Thanks!

Last week:



Yesterday:

City Park - May 30

I sat on a bench with my coffee this morning and sketched this view. No, I do not live in the Amazon jungle or the Deep South. Ha ha ha. I got carried away with the green and grey markers. Stopped just short of drawing Spanish moss hanging from the trees. I'll try this view again sometime, though. It's just a couple of blocks from the laundromat, and in real life it is a beautiful, peaceful spot. I often sit here when my laundry is in the dryer.

Sleepless Goat - May 29

I'm not unhappy with this picture, but it sure is different from what I intended! I accidentally made it look as if it was dark, but in fact I was working from a photo I took on a bright morning a week or so ago. I didn't have a reference photo for the father-and-kids, so I made them up out of my head, and the folded umbrellas are to show that the rain finally stopped. Thank goodness! I thought moss was going to start growing on me. Happy weekend, everybody!

Quintessentially Canadian - May 28

Guess where I had breakfast? If you're Canadian, you already know the answer. Heh-heh. The first two sketches were done on Sunday morning, and the last two are from this morning. I ate a cheese scone with one hand and sketched with the other. I figure the crumbs will just add a certain je-ne-sais-quoi to my sketchbook. It needed a little of that!

Not the Snowbirds - May 27

The Snowbirds were going to put on an air show over Kingston this evening, but the weather didn't co-operate. We had an umbrella-fest instead. This little girl told me "I have a pink umbrella! We bought it at the store!"

Windmills Restaurant - May 26

I work the late shift today, so there was time for a leisurely breakfast and some sketching. This guy was talking on his cellphone and studying the menu, so I had a whole minute or two to draw him. But when I decided to draw the people who were walking past the window, I freaked out. There was no way I could draw fast enough to capture them! How do other sketchers do it? It seems impossible. Then I figured out a method. I spent the full two seconds just looking--not drawing--while the subject was still in view. As soon as the person disappeared, I scribbled down as much as I remembered. An hour later, at home, I coloured the sketches. The result: sketches that look sort of like the people I saw. And sort of not. Hahaha. It was fun, though. Like an all-you-can-eat buffet of sketching subjects. And breakfast was yummy, too.

Sleeping Dog at the Coffee Pub - May 25

It was one of those blissful hours. The door of the coffee shop was wide open, sunshine and breezes were flooding in, Frank Sinatra was crooning in the background, and this beautiful dog was demonstrating the fine art of relaxation. No wonder this place has turned into one of my favourite hang-outs!

Island Queen - May 24

Yesterday morning I settled down peacefully on a bench to sketch this tour boat. Five minutes later, a bus roared up and 456,988,345 tourists poured out. I hurried away without finishing my picture, but it was a lousy sketch anyway, so it was no big loss. Tonight I came across it again, messed around with it for a minute, and wandered off to make some tea. When I got back to my chair, I was surprised. "Hey, I sort of like this. Why don't I just leave it like that?" So I did.

Laying a Wreath - May 23

In City Park today, I came across this group of people laying a wreath at the war memorial. Reporters were filming the event. I wasn't close enough to hear what was being said, but I leaned against a telephone pole, sketched as fast as I could, and coloured the sketches when I got home. (Update: An article in the Kingston Whig-Standard on Monday, May 25 explained what the ceremony was all about.)

Delivery Guy - May 22

Last week I snapped a photo of this guy delivering supplies to my favourite Chinese restaurant. I thought this would be a nice a simple subject for a drawing, but I was wrong! The angles of the truck and ramp look straight, but they aren't--weird perspective is happening there. Also, his body is turned in a sort of spiralling motion while his legs head up the ramp, and I really struggled with that. To cap it all off, I forgot about his gloves and accidentally coloured his hands. Ha ha ha. Well, I guess they can't all be masterpieces. Onward and upward! I'll draw some more tomorrow.

Coffee and Company - May 21

This is my biggest cheat (so far!) for the Every Day in May series. We had a very busy day at work, and I'm too pooped to start painting from scratch. I sketched this one from life on Monday and coloured it later that day, but it came out too flat and dull. Tonight I put in some hatching with black ink to try to get more contrast between the lights and darks. But now I must force myself to stop because (a) if I keep going, I'll wreck it, and (b) ZZZzzzzzzzzzz.... Goodnight!

Ice Cream Girl - May 20

I saw this girl hurrying with ice cream a couple of weeks ago, and managed to snap a photo before she disappeared. I loved her fabulous outfit and great energy! Today I finally got around to drawing her.

Victoria Day Concert - May 19

Around here, we still celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday, so yesterday almost everything in town was closed and people were relaxing. The loud music from this band woke me from a nap, so I grabbed my sketchbook and joined the party. Three young guys jumped onto the "stage" and danced like mad. I don't know if Queen Victoria would have been amused--but I was!

Try, Try Again - May 18

I wasn't happy with my previous attempt at this view of the Kingston Yacht Club (click here to see what I mean), so yesterday I went back there and try-tried again. I'm still not totally thrilled with the too-stubby main boat and the over-dark reflections. But at least I managed to fit the mast and the bow inside the frame--hey, that's a first, for me! And I had a great time. As an added bonus, a friendly cat came to see what I was doing and stayed to keep me company.

Mallard Redux - May 17

Look who I ran into this morning in Market Square. She's ba-a-ack. (See my May 11th post.) Today she was shopping at the flea market. For a second, I thought she was going to try on that football helmet.

Wedding at the RCHA - May 16

I heard the horses' hooves clopping past my window, and snapped a photo just in time. The bride and groom were going into the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (RCHA) hall for their wedding reception.

Rochleau Court - May 15

I walk through this courtyard nearly every day. I love the combination of prayer flags, sparkly tree ornaments and signpost. I chose this photo because I thought I could draw it quickly and I'm heading into a very busy day. I thought it would be simple, but it wasn't! The translucent prayer flags were tough, and the perspective is way off, as you can see from this photo I took on Monday. I like the way the window glass came out, though. It was happy accident.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY - "Parade"

This one is doing double-duty as my Every Day in May entry and my Illustration Friday one. The theme this week is parade, and luckily I had a folder of photos from the RMC extravaganza a couple of weeks ago. It'll soon be time to buy a new RED marker!

Copper Penny - May 13

These ladies perused the menu at the Copper Penny Restaurant. The blue blouse was actually a gorgeous shade of turquoise--but I don't have that colour, so I made it blue instead!

At the Bakery - May 12

This is another wee cheat for "Every Day in May." I did the ink drawing yesterday, and added the colour very quickly today before going to work. But I will count it as my May 12 contribution, because I didn't want to miss a day! Here are a couple more--drawn on Sunday at the Sleepless Goat and coloured later at home.

Say Cheese - May 11

A duck walked right up to me in the middle of Market Square this morning. I didn't have any treats, but she kindly let me take her photo anyway. Click here to see the photos.

Mother's Day Guys - May 10

These young guys crossed the road ahead of me this evening, each carrying a bouquet of flowers. I just had time to snap one photo before they disappeared. Here's the photo: