Wednesday sketch Evening July 21st at 6:30PM - BYOC

BYOC is Bring Your Own Chair. We will be meeting in Blue Point, the very end of Blue Point Avenue to be exact. From Main Street, turn onto Blue Point Ave toward the water....go to the very end...we will be by the water, park where you can.

Some really neat sketching/journaling books

Some really neat books on sketching and journaling that I picked up recently:

The Decorated Journal by Gwen Diehn...she even has some instructions in the back on making your own sketchbooks.

How to Be an Explorer of the World by Keri Smith...this book is so AWESOME!!! I love it. Each page has an idea of where or what to sketch, things many of us haven't thought of...this would be great for our sketch group.

An Illustrated Life by Danny Gregory. Again, another amazing book that has journal pages out of other artists' sketchbooks, many with how-tos that are very helpful.

If you are a member of your local library, you can go on-line and reserve books and pick them up, or you can orders the books above at Barnes and Noble or Borders. An inexpensive place here on Long Island where you can buy books is www.bestbargainbook.com and they have Moleskines priced affordably as well. I think non-locals can even order on-line from them.

For those who are on the fence about sketching and hearing others say that sketching isn't real art, go to your museums and see what some of the masters have done. There's an artist I just read about recently, her name escapes me at the moment, her entire collection of journals and sketchbooks are being donated to the Smithsonian because the Smithsonian wants to keep records of artists lives via their journals and sketchbooks. From what I read, she said she was going to miss them but they were better off where others could see them.

The Art House CoOp Sketchbook Projects has over 3000 sketchbooks on tour from their 2009 sketchbook project. More info for last year's project and the tours can be found at http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject4

Sketchbooks journal an artist's progress and development. They record ideas, they are prep work for paintings. Many painting problems are solved in a sketchbook. Many great ideas came out of a sketchbook. The June 2010 issue of Watercolor Artist Magazine has a great article about J.M.W Turner's sketchbooks.

Sketchbooks contain all sorts of great information about an artist's life....keep sketching!

Plein Air Limner Group, July 13th 9:30 AM

Posting for the Limner Group, plein air outing:

Tuesday July 13th 2010

9:30 AM

South Dunton Avenue Beach

East Patchogue,NY

Beautiful, simple, peaceful beach...

View of Bellport Bay

Lapping water, bay breeze, boulder rocks,

small sandy beach, stones and shells,

beach grasses,rickety wooden dock,

hopefully...red boat in the distance

Wednesday sketch Evening July 14th at 6:30PM - BYOC

How about we meet this week at the Sandspit Park and Marina, located at 80 Brightwood Street in Patchogue, better known for the location of the Davis Park Ferry. If you are a Brookhaven Town Resident, access is free but you might have to show proof of residence.

Pick a spot anywhere that you can find a bench, or set up your chair and enjoy sketching.

Independence Day Challenge - Tom's sketches

Little behind because of being away on vacation, here's Tom's Independence Day Sketches...

Wednesday Sketch Evening July 7th at 6:30PM - BYOC

Bring your own chair...the forecast looks ok, we'll give Corey Beach another shot.

You don't have to do just the beach, there are boats in the back, there's Flo's restaurant on the corner...pick a spot and enjoy.

Independence Day Challenge

It's Independence Weekend...A good time for sketching the festivities and any parades.

How about sketching this weekend, posting them on-line and linking them to this post so we can see what everyone is doing this weekend!!

Happy Independence Day!!