Midwest Airlines article on Urban Sketchers

I am honored to be a Los Angeles correspondent and a board member for Urban Sketchers, which is an artists' blog network that celebrated its 1st anniversary. Midwest Airlines wrote an article about us for their in-flight magazine, MyMidwest, and my sketch was chosen to open the article in a very pleasing page layout that sums up what we do - you can click on the image above to read about why I like to sketch, and visit this Urban Sketchers link to see more sketches by fellow Urban Sketcher correspondents.

Birthday at Disneyland

I celebrated my birthday at Disneyland. I grew up in a city nearby, so I went there a few times a year as a child until after I graduated from college. While I still live about an hour's drive away and even know people who work for Disney and have worked for Disney myself, this was the first time I visited there in over ten years. A lot of things were fresh and nostalgic at the same time - while there were tons of new attractions to enjoy, I also get to drink the mint julep and ride the same roller coasters that I loved as a kid.

I think this sketch captured the spirit of the Magical Kingdom - tourists posing for photos, a little girl walking in costume, large Mickey Mouse decoration for Halloween, cast members of the park being attentive - that day even had what I would call "storybook clouds" that are white and puffy!

Illustration Friday: Flying

This week's Illustration Friday topic, "Flying", reminds me of traveling by plane. This is a sketch done at a small park near Los Angeles International Airport where airplanes fly directly above you, with wheels down for landing. It was a neat sight, with L.A. icon of In-N-Out Burgers next to the park - though I had to wear earplugs to keep out the noise!

Dessert on Wheels

I came across an upscale cupcake shop, Sprinkles - in a truck form. While there is an actual Sprinkles store, the trend of restaurant-quality food served on wheels is gaining popularity in Los Angeles. My sketch of Kogi BBQ truck was picked up by the Food Section blog to illustrate resistance faced by traditional food vendors. Food and urban culture is always fascinating to me.



...and of course, before the fancy mobile food came on the scene, there was the ice cream truck! Here's a sketch of one such sighting earlier in the year: it's still a familiar part of American childhood.

(Also posted on Urban Sketchers)

Sunbrellas

...and just when I thought it'll be autumn, it got very warm in Los Angeles today. This reminded me to post some sketches I've done in the summer, with umbrellas in the sun.

(Also posted on Urban Sketchers.)

Illustration Friday: Pattern

This is an autumnal pattern I created before, and fits this week's Illustration Friday topic, "Pattern" - it's finally starting to feel like fall!

24th Worldwide SketchCrawl: Los Angeles

Here are some sketches from Los Angeles edition of 24th Worldwide SketchCrawl that took place on September 19, 2009. A group of sketchers met at Grand Central Market and Bradbury Building in downtown L.A. - both are buildings that are about 100 years old and are still in use. Angel's Flight, which is a set of trolleys across the street from the Market, sadly, are not operational - though original gateway is still there.

Here is the view of the bustling market. The grocers and shoppers were moving about underneath high ceilings with electrical wires everywhere, so there were lots of things to draw - it was a fun challenge to get the feel of this place on paper!

Outside of the entrance to the Market was a bike rack with sculpture of pigs' heads - I thought that was an unusual way to mark the entrance, so I sketched it here:

We moved on to the Bradbury Building, which has quite a rich history and was used in filming of the movie, Blade Runner. I can see why; the interior is very ornate, and the skylight bathes the whole place in a very theatrical light. I think my sketch caught only a small bit of its essence; this is one of those places I'd like to revisit and sketch some more.

...and, as usual, I sketch people all the time, so here are some sketches of people at the Market. It was a great way to spend a Saturday!