Anchor Glass Factory

I went back to PA to visit the parents for a couple days, and while I was there, I wanted to go and draw something. I'd asked my Dad, and he had a great idea. He said to go and draw the old glass factory; the one that he'd worked at for a very long time. It's been shut down for years now, and eventually, they will tear it down.

Great Lakes Brewery

You can click on the picture to get more of the story, but I'm always amazed at what you can learn while you're out sketching. It's like, if you stay still in one spot long enough, something or someone interesting always comes by to teach you something if you're curious enough. Today, Blaine and I learned what happens to the wet barley when Great Lakes Brewing is done with it. I always knew that they are a very eco-friendly company, and it's so cool to know that all of this barley is going to a good use. The farmer said that his biggest expense every year is protein for his cows and chickens. Last year, he'd spent $100,000 on feed, and using the wet barley had saved him tons of money over the years. Plus, Great Lakes doesn't have to pay to dispose it. He said that his daughter even bakes bread of out of the wet barley.

It did smell really good. Someone should make candles and soaps out of that smell. I know that I'd said it smelled "yeasty" in my journaling, but it wasn't at all yeasty in a bad way.

The funny thing is that I told Blaine to meet me on West 28th, just north of Lorain. When we get there, we have the back of the brewery to draw or the back of St. Ignatius high school, which I told her that it looked like Harry Potter's school. So, she arrives, and continues to look back and forth, never looking behind her, and says, "What about this looks like Harry Potter?" I said, "Turn around." She laughed, becasue she thought she'd missed the chapter where Harry Potter gets drunk at a wizardy brewery.

I wish it hadn't looked like rain, or I would have stayed out longer. I am very much in the mood to be sketching outside today. But, it's so overcast, and I kept feeling sprinkles.

Cactus Line-up

This is a cactus from the Rockefeller greenhouse. It was up against a wall, and when I sketched just the lines of the blocks behind it, it looks like it's a line-up. "Yes, officer, it was the guy in the middle with the spikey hairdo."

Rockefeller Greenhouse

Outdoors at the Rockefeller Greenhouse. I had started to draw inside, but after about an hour, I was sweating buckets!

This is from a few different places outside, and the sculpture isn't very accurate at all, but it was fun to draw.

The Bradley

Recently, I sprained my big toe, so I haven't been doing much other than laying on the couch with at least one foot up and watching tv. I went out a bit this morning, parked right near where I was going to draw, but then it was a bit too nippy to sit outside drawing on the cold concrete. At least I did a little something.

Cleveland Museum of Art

Went to the museum this morning to draw before I would get ready for the film festival tonight. I drew in the armor court, which seems to be the area that parents bring their toddlers to run like a free-for-all. None of them bothered me, which was good. I did have a museum guard watch me for a little while. He said, "It's okay." But, then when he turned to leave, he said, "It's better than I can do."

Everyone's a critic! :D

Cinema

I had some spare time before work today. I'd wanted for some time to sketch the marquee at the Regal Cinema at Severance center, and today, I finally did it. It was such a beautiful day out, but I sat in the car to draw, since there is no shade around the shopping center. I just settled in with my supplies and a mocha Frappe from McDonalds' and drew. Luckily, I finished in enough time to go to work and before the sun really started to beat on me.

Marathon, Snow, and Death Defying Bus Stop

Haven't sketched an outdoor scene in a long time, and got the itch the other day. I wanted to draw the BP station (probably the urge to draw something GREEN), but I couldn't see it as well from indoors as I could the Marathon station.

What I've Been Up To

Lately, I've been working on things for my etsy shop. Here's an example of what I've been doing:




I've been sick the last 2-3 days, but when I get up and running, I'll finish up these: