Other Than Knitting

Right now, knitting is not the craft that is calling me the loudest. Embroidery has captured my attention:

This is a design that I made, possibly for use in an embroidery class. What do you think?

I wasn't feeling well on Saturday, but on Sunday afternoon I ventured out with a friend to sketch at Union South, which is a popular place on the University of Wisconsin campus. I was really happy with this sketch because I've never tried drawing anything from above:

I had a restful weekend, and I hope you did, too. I went to Saturday morning services and had coffee with a friend on Sunday morning. But mostly I sat by a window and worked on my projects for the Jewish Artists Lab. Our exhibit opens on June 2, and the artwork needs to be turned in by May 1 so I have a busy month ahead of me.

On my way home from sketching Sunday, I noticed that some of the high school football players were having an informal practice. I pulled over and sat on the hill to watch because one of my all-time favorite students was on the field. I got to talk to him during a break and was thrilled to hear that he is planning to go to college. I hope he makes it; he is a great kid.

Have a good week.

Urban Sketching

I made it to Draw Madison yesterday and I actually like my sketch -- though I have to give the credit to a fellow sketcher, Elsie, who helped me save a a disastrous drawing.

If you have ever wanted to draw, you should see if there is an Urban Sketchers group near you. There are groups all over the world, linked by a web site and a manifesto. It began as an online flickr group in 2007 and morphed into a nonprofit dedicated to drawing on location.

The manifesto holds, among other things, that sketchers draw indoors or out, depicting what they actually see. Sketchers can use any media and are encouraged to draw together and share drawings online. I love the 8th item on the manifesto: "We show the world, one drawing at a time."

That makes it sound so do-able, doesn't it?