Illustrators Club "Sketch Day" at the National Gallery of Art

On Sunday March 13, 2011 a group of illustrators and friends met at the National Gallery of Art for another Illustrators Club "Sketch Day".  After meeting in the museum's rotunda our group of about fifteen broke up and explored the museum looking for places to draw.  Along with a few others I ended up in the European Sculpture Galleries which features twenty magnificent rooms filled with hundreds of sculptures from the time of the Renaissance to the 20th century.  My favorite rooms feature the work of Edgar Degas and Auguste Rodin.



The National Gallery of Art's Rotunda.



Sayeh Behnam sketching Rodin's "Sphinx".

After sketching for two hours we all met up in the museum cafe for sharing of our experiences, artwork and refreshments. As usual the work was varied and inspiring! IC member and drawing professor Jason Axtell drew fluid and energetic sketches from the sculptures. Meredith Nelson ventured outdoors to sketch the St. Patrick's Day Parade, while Web Bryant spent his time doing an amazing toned paper drawing of Augustus Saint-Gaudens' "Shaw Memorial". The youngest members of the group Lily Dunlap, age 11 drew Rodin's "Morning", while high school junior, Samatha Bryant sketched from a Ingres painting.



Jason Axtell with his drawings.



English professor and IC friend Sam Przybylowicz shows her lovely drawing of Paul Manship's sculpture.



IC President David Labrozzi with his sketches from the sculpture galleries.



IC friend Lily Dunlap and her sketch of Rodin's "Morning".



Web Bryant's sketch of the "Shaw Memorial".



Marie Dauenheimer's sketch of "Morning" by Rodin.

Illustrators Club "Sketch Day" at National Museum of Natural History

On Sunday February 13, 2011 ten artists, illustrators and students meet at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History for another Illustrators Club "Sketch Day". We broke up and drew in the many beautiful exhibit halls, attracted to gems, minerals, dinosaurs, skeletons and underwater creatures. The mediums used varied from Lucinda Levine's fluid watercolor to Kristy Orr's energetic pen and ink to Samantha Bryant's colored pencil and watercolor technique.

After sketching for two hours we meet for lunch at the National Gallery of Art for refreshments and critique. It was great fun to share the drawings and techniques and discuss the next "Sketch Day". Another artist, sketching cherubs at the National Gallery of Art (in celebration of St. Valentine's Day) joined us when she saw us sharing our work.

Thanks to Sayeh Behnam for planning another successful "Sketch Day"! Please consider joining us for the next "Sketch Day", the date is Sunday March 13, 2011 at 11:00AM location TBD.



Kevynn Joseph shares his sketch of a dinosaur skeleton.



Kevynn Joseph and Kristy Orr enjoy discussion of sketches.



Sketches of cherubs from the National Gallery of Art.



Lucinda Levine's watercolor of a bear skull.



Kristy Orr's pen and ink of a modern African dress.



Samantha Bryant's watercolor colored pencil painting of the mineral azurite.



Web Bryant's charcoal study of a skeleton.



Web Bryant's oil painting based on sketches from "Sketch Day' to US Botanic Gardens.

Illustrators Club "Sketch Day" at US Botanic Gardens

On Sunday January 9, 2011 ten members and friends of the Illustrators Club (IC) met at the US Botanic Gardens to draw. Our group included young artists such as 9 year old Sienna Butters, high school student Samatha Bryant, VCU student Ben Bryant to more seasoned artists and members of the IC, including past president Lucinda Levine. The botanic gardens is a perfect place to sketch with lots of comfortable, quite places to draw and get lost in the color and texture of the plants.

After drawing for two hours the group met for lunch at the National Gallery of Art. We enjoyed camaraderie and best of all sharing our drawings. The works were amazing and varied in media from Sienna and Eric Butters who used watercolor pencils and finger painting techniques to create their brilliant paintings, to Lucinda Levine who used pen and ink and Meredith Nelson who drew with markers. Web Bryant used graphite and charcoal to create a lush textural drawing, architect Farshad Ferdowsi impressed us with his energetic graphite sketches. Most high tech was our "Sketch Day" organizer Sayeh Benham who used an iPad to paint a red amaryllis. I used colored pencils on toned paper.

Our next "Sketch Day" is scheduled for Sunday February 13, 2011 at 11:00AM at the National Museum of Natural History. Please join us for an afternoon of sketching (we will meet at the big elephant in the main lobby).



US Botanic Gardens atrium. Photo by Marie Dauenheimer




US Botanic Gardens atrium. Photo by Marie Dauenheimer



Amaryllis. Photo by Lucinda Levine



Eric Butters and painting. Photo by Marie Dauenheimer



Meredith Nelson and sketch. Photo by Sayed Benham



Web Bryant and sketch. Photo by Sayed Benham



Color Pencil Sketch by Marie Dauenheimer