Tombow Time

This page I was just messing around with my new set of Tombow markers. I "won" them on ebay. I have been wanting to use my regular Prismacolor markers but they bleed through the page so I don't use them. These Tombows don't bleed. It's going to take me awhile to figure out how to work with them. The colors on the caps don't always tell the truth. But once I get it figured out, they just might work for me. Alex likes them a lot.

Boston Brass

Alex and I went to see the Boston Brass play a couple of weeks ago. We took our sketchbooks and tried to draw the musicians. It was hard to see because the auditorium was dark but it was fun. The four guys on the left were all I could do that night. The next morning I googled the band and found a photo that inspired the drawing on the right. You can see Alex's drawings here. (oh, and if you do check out his drawings, he'd love to get a comment) Hey, come to think of it, so would I!

Nativity Scene

"It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on."

Joni

The Bathroom Scale

A few years ago I was skiing out in Colorado and rode up the chairlift with the head of the Center for Obesity Research and Education. I asked him if there was a secret to losing weight or controlling obesity. He said, in general, it can be summed up in five simple words. "Eat less and exercise more." So that's what I'm going to do to drop a few pounds gained in the past few months. 

I'm going to miss the ice cream...

The Majorette

 

This is my mom before I was born. She was a majorette in the Greenville High School Flaming Flashes. The thing next to her is her hat with a feathered plume. I did a little research on the Flaming Flashes (such a great name, isn't it?) and discovered a bit of trivia. The Greenville Flaming Flashes claim to be the oldest drill team in the world, founded in 1929 by Gussie Nell Davis, who would later go on to found the Kilgore College Rangerettes. 

Anyway, I sketched this from a photo my sister had in the room I stayed in when I visited her last week. As I was drawing this I was wondering what my mom was thinking about. I imagined she was thinking about the weekend and going on a date with my Dad. They were dating about this time. I've been thinking about her lately. Today is her birthday. She would have been 70.

Eating Alone

I like eating out alone. Of course I prefer to eat with friends and family but I am really happy eating alone. I take along a magazine or a book and enjoy the luxury of not having to cook or clean up. Lately I've been drawing instead of reading and this has become my favorite thing to do. I have to remind myself to eat - I get so immersed in the drawing. This little sketch didn't take much time. I like the looseness of it.

Brick Buildings

On November 10, 1892, Camden was devastated by an enormous disaster that became known simply as "the Great Fire." It began at 1 a.m. in George Cleveland's building on the east side of Main street and by the time the alarm was given it was raging and growing fast. The fire department responded valiantly but their equipment wasn't up to the task and at some point the water pressure from their hydrants gave out. A stiff wind off the water drove the flames across the street and by the time the fire was knocked down at dawn it had destroyed a great portion of the downtown. If a snow squall hadn't dampened roofs in the west part of the village shortly after the fire began, the catastrophe may have been far worse. The exact cause of the fire was never definitively determined, but it was most likely a heater.

Fortunately most of the property owners downtown were insured, and they set about rebuilding as soon as possible. As a precaution the town prohibited permanent wood structures in the downtown area, which is why so many buildings there today are brick.