After a week with quite nippy temperatures and the first frost, we’ve been given the gift of a glorious Indian summer weekend here in Maine. Highs in the upper 70s (and even above inland I expect), lows in perfect sleeping weather.
![2011.10.Blog.IndianSummer001](https://www.sarahannsmith.com/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2011.10.Blog_.IndianSummer001.jpg)
The view from our porch late this afternoon. Some trees are losing leaves, but we still look mostly green... trees are turning, but nowhere near peak yet
Today was a grand day with a Coastal Quilters meeting after dropping our younger son off for his first 5K run. The run is a fundraiser for the High School (graduating class maybe?), and coincides with Homecoming, and is open to adults, teens and middle school kids. Eli’s Cross County coach, Jim Morse and one of the coolest teachers EVER on the planet let alone here in Camden, ran, as did Eli, his best friend since first grade B. W., and the top girl on their team J.R., also in 8th grade. Well… just before the meeting began I got a call from the hubster with the results: Mr. Morse won by a goodly margin. Two college kids came in 2nd and 3rd. Eli and B.W. came in 4th and 5th, respectively, and J.R. was the fastest female and in the top 10! WOW!
Since Paul and Eli were at the high school watching games, etc., I decided to putter in town and have lunch (a rare treat!) at my favorite eatery, Marriner’s Grill. I got a small table on the deck overlooking the harbor:
![2011.10.Blog.IndianSummer000](https://www.sarahannsmith.com/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2011.10.Blog_.IndianSummer000.jpg)
Camden Harbor from my seat on the deck at Marriner's Grill, my favorite diner
While waiting, I continued this wonderful book I’m reading called True to Life: Twenty five eyars of conversations with David Hockney, by art critic (and really insightful writer) Lawrence Weschler.
![2011.10.Blog.IndianSummer007](https://www.sarahannsmith.com/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2011.10.Blog_.IndianSummer007.jpg)
A fascinating read, besides which Hockney is pretty cool and interesting
Given that I’ve put on a few pounds this past summer, the choice of BLT (Bacon Lettuce and Tomato for those not in the U.S.) and fries with diet cola was not exactly smart, but it sure tasted good! Deborah…lookit! I actually took a picture of my food before I snarfed it down!
![2011.10.Blog.IndianSummer006](https://www.sarahannsmith.com/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2011.10.Blog_.IndianSummer006-300x225.jpg)
A good meal: diet drink, fattening and tasty food, and a good book!
After that I went home, walked the doggie for 2 miles, then sat to start this week’s lesson. An online class at Joggles.com, Sketching and Watercolors in a Mixed Media Journal with Jane LaFazio began this week. I know I’ve been promising what I did in the last class with her, and I will post, but decided I’d actually try posting what I’m doing NOW (and not months ago) when I can. The hope is that I will make this journaling thing a habit AND improve my drawing skills. The first lesson was to sketch an everyday object, using a Tombow pen (a water-soluble ink… draw in pen, then use a wet brush to spread the ink to create light and shadow). I decided that my laptop is definitely an everyday object, and since it is a Mac and Steve Jobs died this week and I love the quote I used, I’d sketch that:
![2011.10.Blog.IndianSummer005](https://www.sarahannsmith.com/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2011.10.Blog_.IndianSummer005.jpg)
R.I.P. Mr. Jobs. Thank you for changing our world.
Well…. I discovered that it is challenging to deal with a LOT of flat surfaces, omitting excess detail, and still find some shading. Especially when the laptop and screen are mostly shades of gray, making the diffused shadows even more difficult. I’ll try another, more textured something later, but for now…first the outlined-in-permanent pen version:
![2011.10.Blog.IndianSummer004](https://www.sarahannsmith.com/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2011.10.Blog_.IndianSummer004.jpg)
Used pencil to get the proportions and lines mostly right, then inked with a Pitt permanent pen, then erased the pencil
Next I added the gray (dark) Tombow and washed with water …. I am not certain that we were supposed to use the permanent pen for this lesson, but I wanted to include some text and for the outlines to not blur, so I decided I would anyway.
![2011.10.Blog.IndianSummer003](https://www.sarahannsmith.com/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2011.10.Blog_.IndianSummer003.jpg)
The page with a quote from Steve Jobs, showing the Apple home page
And the sketch and laptop:
![2011.10.Blog.IndianSummer002](https://www.sarahannsmith.com/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2011.10.Blog_.IndianSummer002.jpg)
I simplified some, omitting some desktop icons and extra open windows.
All in all a wonderful day. And since it is almost suppertime, I guess I’d better get off the computer (thank you Apple for making a great system!) and go think about dinner. Maybe. Pass me a white zin, first, please!