Outsider Point Of View and Taking Sketching to the Next Level
What is so cool about my town from an outsider
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Hola, Hola!!
Amigos- it has been a heavy week and also a good week all rolled into one. First, I was very excited that my youngest child came to visit and she brought her high school bestie with her. It was fun to look forward to our very first visitors and fun to see this new life of mine through her eyes.
She said that the house videos just don’t do it justice and that is probably true. We really do have a spectacular home and hope to stay here for at least a couple of years. (Paint Splatters- I have uploaded a home video for you to see all the details here). It is has the breathing space, peace and quiet of being just on the outskirts of the city but close enough that we don’t feel left out.
She also found the terrain of the city to be challenging! lol. Especially with an old ankle injury that will flair up if it is tested. This city is NOT flat and there are tripping hazards even in the most innocent of places. Also, hand rails are not a thing in this country. The first day of being a tourist was very challenging for her.
She loved that the city really came to life at night. One night, she and her bestie stayed out until 2 am and she said the crowd never let up downtown (another reason I am so glad to live up on the hill a little). I have noticed this also, but Keith and I rarely make it passed 10:00 pm. And these aren’t just college kids, it is whole families who are out and about. I am sure it is also the reason why the city is so quiet in the mornings.
They also ran into the four people they had met since arriving— our house manager and some expats they met earlier in their trip. So that gave a true small town feel that Guanajuato truly is.
Keith and I have been in many cabs where the driver rolls down his window and cat calls his friends and neighbors the entire time. It is kind of fun when everyone knows each other.
We have the week to recuperate and next we will be entertaining Keith’s twin brother and his wife for the rest of the month! Wish me luck!!
And like many of you… I have been glued to the news, which is terrible for having a decent outlook on life. The Texas floods hits a little close to home because we have friends and family (and my collectors) in this area and even know people who attended these generational camps and now send their own children there. They are all safe.
There was no where to look online that wasn’t covering this event or had an opinion and it just felt overwhelming. I can’t remember ever crying over the news but this week got me. Not just for the death toll but the cruelty I witnessed online that I found shocking.
It was mandatory that I take a bit of a time out.
I read a lot (offline), drank so much tea, went to bed early, watched ASMR videos and I cooked. All those activities make me feel cozy and relaxed.
What about you?
How have you handled this week? Are you doing okay? What do you do when you feel overwhelmed by the world?
Applying What I Learned From My Urban Sketching Class
Last week I shared with y’all most of what I learned in my Urban Sketching adventure in San Miguel de Allende and Delores Hidalgo trip.
I have thought about it a lot and tried to put into practice what I learned. The two biggies are to just go fast, don’t overthink AND to remember the only reason I am doing this is to capture memories in my sketchbook. This is my form of scrapbooking and the last thing it needs is perfection. I just want to capture the gist…that is it.
I want it to be fun to look at later and remember.
So this week, I redid a few things that I had worked on before just to see if I have the gist.
So this sketch I have done several times. I struggled initially because I was putting in too much information and it just turned messy.
Remember what I learned last week? You are not a camera!
So I laid down a sketch on an already painted up page and just got some basics.
Here is some more edible sketches… I think more restaurants should hire illustrators to make their menus more interesting (anyone else?).
The big difference between these sketches is the one above is continuous where I don’t lift my pen at all and the Cafe and Gin and Tonic, I do, but very purposely try not to be exact.
Also, the one above is a 5 minute or less exercise and below is more like 10 or 15 minutes.
I quickly sketched from some photos
Me drinking a cappuccino in the nicest courtyard.
A photo I took in the church where I loved the starkness of it. Even though there is no color added here, I still like it. I know exactly what is going on and this will definitely help with the memory recall.
I have a THING for nostalgic buildings with typography signs. I actually follow several groups on FB and IG that share them and I want to sketch them all! But here is a clear example of where I took it too far and the details become messy.
I should retry this and do a before and after. This business is so dang cute.
I must remember that I am also not an architect! (Also told to me last week in my urban sketching class)
And the last one for today where I have a spelling error! haha
If I care enough, I can redo this because I loved how it flowed using paint, markers, ink and colored pencils. Looks like I could even collage-fix this.
Time shall tell.
That is all I have for you this week!
See ya’ next time!!!
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