City Bakery is a nice independent bakery/coffee house right on the edge of downtown.  I like it for good pastries and a relaxed place to sit and draw.  They come to you!

I had lost my sketch book after this drawing and was real disappointed that I almost filled it up and now lost a years worth of work.  Thank goodness that I put my e-mail info and a nice gentleman contacted me and reunited me with it.  This sketch is a down shot which is rare for me as I don’t look down much…which is important as an artist to get all point of views and perspectives.  Though I love how I drew the tire on the car closest to us in a different perspective.  I always loathe drawing cars as they require such precision and detail.    Often I can only draw boring boxy cars and when I try to get sleek or interesting, they fall apart.  That’s why I guess I was never a automobile designer.  I do respect those designers as it is my weakest trait.

The Grove Arcade is a wonderful Neo-Gothic style with some interesting shops.  This is the first time I just sat and drew inside.

This is the Old World or Old European Cafe or something like that.  It’s usually crowded and the service is slow, so it’s rare that I go in.  But it has a great window seat as you are literally sitting in a bay window elevated so you can see everything.  This was a quick night sketch which is always a challenge since you have to render lights and subtle darks with quick cross hatching.  It was a hot humid night and a nice quick down pour came in.  When I feel lonely and isolated, sitting in a nice comfortable seat in Asheville helps alleviate the blues.

I did these sketches in Greenville SC, at the Reedy River park.  There’s something fresh and energizing when you do fast gestural sketches.  There’s no thought or time to spend on values and detail.  The important thing is to capture the vitality and force of the character.  Hopefully you are able to evoke energy and what will happen next.