Sketches from Chicago, part 2

The Symposium!  There was a kick-off and welcome meeting with Gabi telling the story of how Urban Sketchers came to be (he found a button labeled "Create Group" and pushed it).

They had a bunch of stamps there that folks had designed so you could give your sketches that official USK stamp.

First workshop involved eating a hot dog.  But first, draw the dog.  It's a Chicago-style hot dog, with a pickle, tomato, and mustard, but no ketchup, and then you draw the Chicago skyline behind it.  This was using a brush pen and then watercolor.  I decided to make it look like my dog was really there by adding a drop shadow.  Lots of fun and a good dog.

After the hot dog, since we were right in front of the Field Museum, I just had to go in and do a quick sketch of Sue along with a very cool Devonian fish that you don't want to meet.

I wandered through the millennia, and found a bench behind a sauropod that had an outlet nearby so I could charge my phone while I sketched.

Then it was time for a cup of tea and a cookie.

We were scheduled to have a demo in the afternoon, but due to a scheduling mix-up we couldn't find the demo-er, so we drew the giant Calder instead, and I squished it since I put it on half the page.

Friday we had two watercolor workshops and it was interesting to see how the different instructors viewed colors: One was very specific about the pigments (since she knows how they mix) and the other was more relaxed ("I actually don't know what blue that is.").  Always good to have a variety of perspectives.  Those paintings are on their way to me - I picked up so much stuff in Chicago and was going directly to my conference after than I asked my aunt to ship it all to me so I wouldn't have to pack it!  I should get them in a few days.  In between the two workshops we got our make-up demo under the train tracks.  Don't worry, it's an elevated train, which provided great shadows and distance markers for the demo.

That evening we went to the symphony in the park.  The Chicago Symphony gives free outdoor concerts in a beautiful concert hall and it was a gorgeous evening for Mozart and more sketching.

The next morning was one more workshop - but this one on the iPad getting some great tricks on Procreate, and a taste of using the iPad pro with the Apple Pencil - feels real close to drawing with a real pencil!

Before leaving, I had just enough time for a few sketches of the very cool fountains.

Next stop - SIGGRAPH!

Hot dogs and dinosaurs

I started the day by sketching a hot dog.  I think that might be new even for me.  It was a Chicago-style dog, of course, and it's a case where you eat your still life.  Then you draw in the skyline behind it.  More to the point, you put the hot dog in Chicago.  Fun to draw!  Here's a process shot and the final throwdown of everyone's work.

Since we were right by the Field Museum, I had to drop by and say hello to Sue, along with a few of her friends. I also managed to find a power outlet in the Jurassic that was conveniently located near a bench so I could sketch while I charged my phone.

The afternoon was playing with art supplies, and then I went for a walk by the lake - high tide!  When the wind kicks in you could go surfing on the lake.

Opening ceremonies and goodies

We started the day with a requisite sketch of the bean, and of course saw a number of other sketchers there.

Then we headed over to the Art Institute for a quick visit to Nighthawks, along with fleeting but passionate affairs with William Merritt Chase, James McNeil Whistler, Cezanne and others.

Then it was time to check in to the Symposium and pick up our goody bags.  Wow!  It's like Christmas and Halloween combined.  They did an amazing job getting sponsors.  We got sketchbooks and pencils and paints and papers.  The sponsors also had tables showing off their new stuff and of course we had to do some shopping and get some more.  Daniel smith even brought some rocks - the actual rocks that the pigments are made from (OK, "minerals").

After dinner they had the actual opening with Gabi giving a brief talk on the birth of Urban Sketchers and for once Anna and I weren't the only folks in the audience of a talk drawing - 570 sketchers from 34 countries were doing the same thing.

Then of course we went to the Argo Tea shop to sketch.  Phew!  I'm tired and classes start tomorrow bright and early.