Saturday with The Boys in the Boat

~ stephanieabower ~ 8 Comments

This past weekend was the opening day of boating season in Seattle and the Windermere Cup races at the University of Washington. Lots of people and boats, gray drizzle, but for me, the highlight was getting to sketch the interior of the actual UW Shell House made famous in both the popular book and the recent film, The Boys in the Boat.

That story–a true story–is about a ragtag group of University of Washington rowers who beat the national favorites and traveled to Germany to race in the 1936 Olympics. In front of Hitler, they WON the gold medal! A proud moment for our country and a legacy that is still celebrated here in Seattle and especially at the UW. Drawing this space was an emotional experience, I felt like I was connecting with that legacy and the young men who lived and worked in this very same spot.

This drawing was challenging! It’s an enormous, fairly complicated space that was initially used as an airplane hangar, and the backlighting from the windows made it very difficult to see. Scaffolding was in the way too, but I kept calm, measured with my pencil, and drew in each bay of structure. Then working left to right, I started to draw in the details…some I couldn’t see well enough to figure out, but I think I got close enough!

The ASUW Shell House is soon to be renovated, and full disclosure, the project was awarded to my husband and his architecture firm, MITHUN. I’m sure they’ll do a wonderful job that will honor the history of this iconic building that holds a big spot in our hearts.

Back by Popular Demand (For Real!)

~ stephanieabower ~ 9 Comments

Want to jump-start your summer sketching? I’m squeezing in another perspective sketching workshop before summer officially hits. Three classes, three Sundays, three kinds of perspective views…and lots of watercolor technique too! Where else will someone diagram for you how perspective works and WHY it works the way it does?! Like I always say, perspective is easy when you know what to look for.

What are these workshops like? This course is a 100% live, interactive 3-part online class taught via Zoom in which you’ll learn by drawing along with me in real time in a small group. Rather like a college class, we’ll take notes and sketch together as I present perspective concepts in a crafted PowerPoint presentation, then we will apply those concepts in a step-by-step sketching demo that we will draw and paint together. Yes, you’ll learn lots about watercolor technique too–it’s really two workshops in one…perspective AND watercolor!! You’ll see me work up close (even better than an in-person workshop), and I’ll answer your questions LIVE. They are geared for any artist or sketcher at any level. OK, some people actually tell me that they are the best classes they have ever taken!!!

Sunday, May 19: Class 1:  The Essentials of One-Point Perspective: Creating a Sketching Road Map to Follow Concepts of Perspective, developing the “good bones” of a perspective sketch in 3 simple steps AND Intro to Watercolor using a limited palette

Sunday, May 26: Class 2:  Two-Point Perspective: It’s All About How You Sit! View Angles and View Eye Levels, One & two-point perspectives—what’s the difference?

Sunday, June 2: Class 3:  Multiple Vanishing Points Streets that twist and turn, stairs and roofs

+ DATES AND TIME Classes are 3 Sundays, May 19, 26, and June 2, 2024 at 9am PDT Seattle time (12noon New York, 6pm London) for 3 weeks. Each class is expected to run about 4 hours long (it goes by very quickly and is PACKED with info.)

+ Total WORKSHOP FEE is US$300.00 Included are 3 jam-packed classes on perspective and watercolor urban sketching with live crits of your work during the classes. Classes will be limited in size to a small group maximum of around 20 so that I can provide individual feedback on your work.

I’ll send scans of the completed demo and sketched diagrams for your reference after each class. You’ll have access to view recordings (not download) on Zoom for one month after the course ends. Information about how to pay, list of supplies, etc. will be emailed to registered participants.

+ HOW TO REGISTER Registration is open now. Please email me at stephaniebower.workshops@gmail.com to sign up or for more information. Thanks so much!                      

Understanding this above, allows you to accurately sketch this below!

Paris in September!

~ stephanieabower ~ Leave a comment

Breakfast in Paris? Oui! There are only a few spots open in my upcoming perspective and watercolor workshop in the dreamy City of Light, and the discount price ends in only 2 days on April 20! If you are interested, information is here.

So why a workshop in this city? I can think of no other city in the world that offers such beautiful and abundant outdoor public parks and spaces (and people use them!), amazing architecture that seems to glow, elegant fountains and glorious details, not to mention incredible food, wine, cheeses, pastries…when Brenda from Studio 56 asked where I wanted to teach, my first choice was THIS city!

Did you notice that in this sketch in the elegant Places des Vosges, the fountain appears as a stack of ellipses, with the shapes above eye level looking different from the shapes below eye level? (There is a free demo of sketching this fountain on Studio 56’s YouTube page.)

This is why I LOVE to teach perspective! I can’t think of anyone else who really explains how and WHY perspective works. Sure, you can draw from profiles and edges, but that doesn’t really tell you about WHY what you see appears the way it does. And amazingly, this is the part that is skipped in most demos!!! This is why I teach perspective, I love seeing when folks finally understand how perspective works… it’s not hard once you know what to look for.

Take a look at this sketch from Amboise…can you tell it has multiple vanishing points? I’ll explain how that works in the Paris workshop!

So join me along the Seine for a toast with french wine, bread and cheese, sketchbooks in hand at all times, for a wonderful 5+ days in one of the most beautiful cities in the world! It will be a blast, and you’ll have so many ah-ha moments! À Bientôt!

(Sorry for the technical difficulties if you received this post without photos!)

Paris in September!

~ stephanieabower ~ Leave a comment

Breakfast in Paris? Oui! There are only a few spots open in my upcoming perspective and watercolor workshop in the dreamy City of Light, and the discount price ends in only 2 days on April 20! If you are interested, information is here.

So why a workshop in this city? I can think of no other city in the world that offers such beautiful and abundant outdoor public parks and spaces (and people use them!), amazing architecture that seems to glow, elegant fountains and glorious details, not to mention incredible food, wine, cheeses, pastries…when Brenda from Studio 56 asked where I wanted to teach, my first choice was THIS city!

Did you notice that in this sketch in the elegant Places des Vosges, the fountain appears as a stack of ellipses, with the shapes above eye level looking different from the shapes below eye level? (There is a free demo of sketching this fountain on Studio 56’s YouTube page.)

This is why I LOVE to teach perspective! I can’t think of anyone else who really explains how and WHY perspective works. Sure, you can draw from profiles and edges, but that doesn’t really tell you about WHY what you see appears the way it does. And amazingly, this is the part that is skipped in most demos!!! This is why I teach perspective, I love seeing when folks finally understand how perspective works… it’s not hard once you know what to look for.

Take a look at this sketch from Amboise…can you tell it has multiple vanishing points? I’ll explain how that works in the Paris workshop!

So join me along the Seine for a toast with french wine, bread and cheese, sketchbooks in hand at all times, for a wonderful 5+ days in one of the most beautiful cities in the world! It will be a blast, and you’ll have so many ah-ha moments! À Bientôt!

Studio or On Location? Which is better?

~ stephanieabower ~ 4 Comments

I’m pretty bad about keeping up a daily practice of just about anything…diet, exercise, sketching, blogs–you get the idea. But during these dark days of a Seattle winter, I realized that my sketching skills were getting a bit rusty. To keep the gears oiled, I decided to work from photos in a sketchbook in my studio. It’s been good practice, and I’ve been posting the sketches on IG and FB, but in so doing, I noticed that there is a big difference between the studio sketches and the ones I do on location. Here is a perfect example.

The sketch above was done on location one sunny morning sitting in a corner on the backside of the Catedral in Barcelona in 2019. Yes, I can feel the heat, remember the sounds of the people walking by…all those details that are magically infused into a live, on location sketch.

The sketch below on the right is the same scene, done a few days ago in my studio in Seattle from a photo that I took. A big difference that I didn’t realize until well after it was done. Why so different?

In many ways, working in the comfort of a warm and dry studio is easier than battling the elements, the truck that blocks your view and all the things we urban sketchers deal with when working out in the world. I think that’s why my studio image, while I like it a lot, is calmer, has more subtle watercolor washes, etc. But it also lacks the energy, contrast, and I don’t know what else that the on-site sketch has–that energy infused into a sketch is a bit part of why I love being an urban sketcher. It’s less about making pretty art and more about capturing the experience. But studio work is great to do too, and pretty art is wonderful…and it’s certainly good practice for me. We are always working on improving what we do, right?

And if you are curious, that is an Escoda sketchbook (approx. 5″ x 8″) that was given to me and small group when we visited the Escoda factory a few years ago. The paper buckles a bit under the wet washes, but it does take the color and pencil work nicely. I hope to fill this book with small studio sketches!

Anyone who has ever done one of my workshops knows that I love teaching how to analyze the proportions and perspective in any view I sketch (does anyone else do this?), so I had to include the analysis for this one. 🙂

Back to San Antonio. Yes, a Workshop.

~ stephanieabower ~ 2 Comments

GOOD BONES | SAN ANTONIO TX | an Urban Sketching Workshop| April 13-14, 2024

I always say that good sketches start with Good Bones! In this workshop, you’ll learn the simple steps to set up the foundations of a great architectural sketch in perspective and watercolor. How do you start a location sketch? Where is the darn Vanishing Point? Watercolor is too overwhelming!
Held in the beautiful and vibrant historic THE PEARL, an award-winning urban development along the famous San Antonio Riverwalk, this workshop offers 1.5 days of instruction in perspective and watercolor location sketching.

Day 1 | FULL DAY | Saturday, April 13 | 9am – 5pm* | Meet in front of Cure by 8:45am

  • Morning: Introduction to basic watercolor tools and techniques, using a simple palette of colors. Shade/Shadow.
  • Afternoon: Learn perspective basics and a simple step-by-step process to construct an architectural perspective sketch, how to build the sketch in layers and add architectural watercolor.
  • * One hour break for lunch.

Day 2 | HALF DAY | Sunday, April 14 | 9am – 1pm | More perspective and watercolor to cement the concepts.

GOOD BONES | SAN ANTONIO is open to 15 participants with any level of experience, but it’s targeted to sketchers who want to improve their basic sketching and understanding of perspective and watercolor. We will focus on how to sketch buildings and urban spaces, and The Pearl is the perfect setting!

Workshop Registration opens Friday, February 9 at 12noon CST (San Antonio) (NOTE: as a thank you for following this blog, you have early access to register starting Thursday, February 8 at 12noon CST (San Antonio)

To sign up, contact Stephanie by email at stephaniebower.workshops@gmail.com. The first 15 emails will be accepted—first come, first served. A waiting list will be created in case spots open up.

Workshop fee is $225.00 payable by Zelle or check once you are notified via email of a confirmed spot in the workshop. Instructions will be sent to all registered participants.

Cancellation In the unforeseen event the workshop is cancelled, all fees will be reimbursed. If you have to cancel your participation, please contact the instructor by email ASAP. If you cancel after March 15, 0% of workshop fee is reimbursed.
A materials supply list and additional information will be emailed to registered participants.

I hope you can join me! Lots to sketch, great setting, great food, great fun!

How to sketch Fountains!

~ stephanieabower ~ 7 Comments

Please join me this Wednesday, February 7 at 1pm EST (New York) for a FREE Online Zoom Demo on how to draw and paint fountains! Inspired by my sketch in Paris last summer at the beautiful Place des Vosges, we’ll break down the essentials of sketching fountains in perspective, including why it’s important to know where your eye level is!

There is no charge for viewing the demo, but you do need to register at Studio56, the host for this live presentation. Info and registration are HERE. À bientôt!

Finally!

~ stephanieabower ~ Leave a comment

Yes, back by popular demand (for real!) UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVE is a 3-class urban sketching workshop on perspective and watercolor that’s LIVE on Zoom in February. If you have ever feared or faked perspective, or just want to know more about how to paint, this workshop is for you! Info is here.

New Online Course on Sale!

~ stephanieabower ~ Leave a comment

How many instructors actually teach perspective? And how many teach perspective AND watercolor? I can’t think of any others!!! In the past weeks, I’ve been looking at a lot of videos online with instructors struggling to talk about perspective or just ignoring it, but getting it right is so important to the Good Bones of your paintings and sketches. What to do? Perspective is easy, when you know what to look for!

I’m so proud of this online course, Perspective for Painters, beautifully filmed in Los Angeles this year for Terracotta.art. It’s over 6 hours of instruction, packed with information and many aha moments. It starts with a made-simple explanation of basic principles, then shows how these concepts relate to the things we see in the real world, and then applies everything into three, full pencil and watercolor demos that cover 1-point, 2-point, and multiple vanishing point perspectives. You’ll even see me walking the streets of LA explaining how perspective works in the real world!

*** Special for the holidays, it’s on sale this month only! Terracotta will take 10% off if you use the code stephanie10 at checkout, reducing the overall cost to $69.00. This offer expires December 31, 2023.

Here’s what is unique about this course. I’ve found that diagrams like this are in fact the most important part of setting up your paintings and sketches, and most demo instructors leave it out!!!?? It’s these diagrams that help you analyze your view and set up the foundation of your paintings and sketches. I show LOTS of examples and diagrams throughout the course so that you will learn how to analyze your views. Your perspective is unique to you!!

If you finally want to really understand perspective, I hope that you will sign up and view the course at any time…I know that you’ll learn a lot! Makes a great gift (just sayin’)!

Happy Birthday, The World of Urban Sketching!!!!

~ stephanieabower ~ 6 Comments

Yes, it’s one year old today, I can’t believe it! What an amazing opportunity to assemble and write this book, to get to know all these sketchers (156 contributors from 39 countries!) during the depths of the Covid quarantines. On any given day I was exchanging messages with artists on 3 or 4 continents. I worked on it 7 days a week for over a year and a half, but it lifted my spirits and inspired me every day. I loved every minute of it.

Heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful contributors, and to acquisitions editor Joy Aquilino at Quarto publishing, and everyone there who worked on the book, and to everyone who now has it as part of their library. What an honor this is.

And…if you love this book as much as I do 🙂 please consider leaving a comment or a rating on Amazon (it really helps!) where it still rates FIVE STARS!!!

At the Louvre bookstore! I can die a happy woman! Translated into French, German and Spanish…so far…Chinese on the way.