Thursday, September 30, 2010

Park Slope Sketch is participating in AGAST Brooklyn



Park Slope Sketch is participating in the AGAST Annual Gowanus Artists Studio Tour. James's studio is located at 332 Douglass Street #2F, between 3rd and 4th Avenue. We are #7 on the Map.

The event is this Saturday, October 2nd between 12:00 Noon and 6:00 PM.

We will have prints, cards and coloring books on display and available for purchase

For those of you that are local, please stop by!

For more details about the event, check out:  AGAST Brooklyn

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Full Moon rising over Brooklyn


Walking around the neighborhood, the moon follows me, peering above townhouses and tenements. Here, it rises over a 4-story tenement building, streetlamps competing for attention. Ink and watercolor on location. Prints available in my ETSY shop.

47 Montgomery Place

My opportunity to sketch in the middle of the street came. On Saturday, Montgomery Place had their block party and the street was closed to traffic. So, I set myself up in the middle of the road and sketched the day away. Between doing the line drawing and the watercolor, this one took me all day.

The weather was perfect, and the neighbors didn't seem to mind. The kids on the block paid me visits to check on my progress and played hopscotch around me. Ink and watercolor on location. Prints of this piece are available in my ETSY shop.

Midnight Moon at St Francis Xavier Church


It is a warm night, and a brilliant moon rises in clear skies at St Francis Xavier Church. Ink and Watercolor on location, around 1 AM on Friday, September 24th. Prints of this piece are available in my ETSY shop.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Palma Chemists

Here's a sketch of a familiar corner on 7th Avenue in Park Slope. It is the entrance to Palma Chemists drugstore on the corner of 7th Avenue and Garfield Place. I enjoyed the nostalgia of the signage and the cantilevered 3-story bay window, with the brilliant blue September sky reflecting in the windows. The steeple to the old First Reformed Church is visible in the distance. Freehand ink and watercolor on location.

Prints of this piece are available in my ETSY shop. I also plan to make greeting cards of most of the watercolor pieces I've been doing recently, which will be on the shop too as they are ready.
 

Manhattan Bridge from DUMBO


Here's an ink and watercolor of the Manhattan Bridge from DUMBO. This was a quicker and looser study for me than usual. It is sketched from Washington Street, with the entrance gate to Brooklyn Bridge Park on the left in the distance. I always enjoy coming to Brooklyn Bridge Park. There are so many vistas of these magnificent bridges to draw!

If you'd like to purchase a print of this piece, you may find it in my ETSY shop.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Colorful Brownstone Foyer and Stair


This is a marker-rendered version of my original ink sketch of the Brownstone Stair and Foyer in the building I live in. I tried a graphic version with primary colors, leaving the ornate woodwork as line art.

Prints of this piece are available for purchase on my ETSY Shop.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Rose of Sharon Townhouse on Montgomery Place

A spectacular September day inspired my study of an ornate brownstone townhouse graced by a flowering Rose of Sharon bush. This building is on picturesque Montgomery Place in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Inked and watercolored on location.

Monday, September 6, 2010

787 Carroll Street Entry in Watercolor

This is an ink and watercolor freehand drawing of a classic Brownstone step and entry on Carroll Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn. The interplay of shadow accentuates the classical details and adds richness and a true sense of arrival that is so unique with these landmark buildings. The wrought iron railing has delicate detailing.

I could not think of a nicer way to enjoy this brilliant Labor Day than drawing and rendering such an entry!

Reproductions of this piece are available in James's ETSY shop

Sunday, September 5, 2010

'The Lillian' Column Capital and Entablature


I've always admired the classical porticos on this building on the corner of Garfield Place and 8th Avenue. This is my ink and watercolor rendering of the composite column capital and entablature.

Reproductions of this work are available on James's ETSY shop

8th Avenue Townhouses

This is a group of five curved bay townhouses on 8th Avenue near the Methodist Hospital. I enjoyed the rhythm of the repetitive bay windows. I took the liberty of giving each building a unique color. In reality, they are all brownstones.

It has been a while since I have been able to get out and sketch. It's nice to be back! The weather was perfect for sketching, and I was able to chat with a few nice folks on the street. I even sold a few of my sketches.

Along those lines, some of my blog visitors have expressed interest in purchasing my work, so I've been putting some effort into an etsy shop that carries prints and greeting cards. I'm stocking it up.

Please check out James's ETSY Shop