March 27, 2018

#oneweek100people But Later than Everyone Else

Another round of #oneweek100people took place the week of March 5 through 9 (that's right - just five days in that week!) and I participated, sort of. It was my last week at my old job so it was a bit hectic. And I kept coming across more bananas and birds than people - it was a weird week.


But just as I've done in other #oneweek100people challenges, I ended up drawing way more people than I would have otherwise.

Final count: 32 people, two bananas, ten birds and two dogs.





March 26, 2018

Sketching Memphis, 5 to 10 Minutes at a Time

My new office is right next door to the Dixon Gallery and Gardens and every day I park facing the trees and the bushes that are just starting to flower. Today I had a few minutes to capture the tulips visible through the trees.

I stopped at the dry cleaners on my way home from work and noticed what looks like a demolition sign in front of this great 1960s building on Poplar just east of Perkins. I honestly hate to think of what will be put up in its place. Commercial architecture ain't what it used to be.

(Click image for more detail.)

March 02, 2018

In New Orleans for Mardi Gras!

It surprises me that I'm the type of person who likes to travel with a lot of people, but here I was on my ninth or tenth trip with a bunch of people. We went to New Orleans for the first weekend of Mardi Gras. Five of us in one house, two in another, and two more in a hotel.

I've really trained these people to just deal with me sketching during a lunch stop or at a bar.



The house we stayed in was so nice. It gave each of us enough privacy, but I could also hear when it was time to get up by the sound of someone else making coffee.

I rediscovered my love of the Lamy Safari right before this trip. I filled it with Noodler's 54th Massachusetts, a lovely waterproof blue-black.

No trip to New Oreans with this group is complete without a visit to Felix's. It's right across the street from Acme Oyster House, and dare I say better, even though I've never been to Acme because the line is always too long? Short if no lines at Felix's.


We went to the Chewbacchus Parade - love this one! We went a couple of years ago, and it's a big hit with this crowd. Several of us got our faces all glittered up, donned tiaras, and grabbed lots of goodies from the paraders. I just sketched, while my buddy Jimmy held an umbrella over me when it started raining.





On Sunday we just watched parades all day (and napped). We stayed off of Napolean and were close enough to walk to St. Charles, an ideal location for parade watching. As I painted this I took breaks to catch beads. I even caught a cup!

Such a great time! (Click images for more detail.)

March 01, 2018

My Devil's Tower























Finally! I have wanted to make this for a year! I post a lot (A. Lot.) of pictures of this building on my Instagram account, and by extension on Facebook and Twitter. And sometimes people ask why. And sometimes it drives people crazy because I can't give a full answer. Well, here is your full answer to the question Why do you love the Clark Tower so much?

My Devil's Tower 2, ink and watercolor on paper (click image for more detail)

Sketchwork Moved!

Please visit Sketchwork at  elizabethalley.com/sketchwork . After 12 years with Blogger, I am incorporating my blog into my website becaus...