Bamboo Sketches
by Charity Lee JenningsAt Home Art Class – Baby Bonsai
Fall means one Thanksgiving, then another. That’s how I experience it here in my international community – Canadian Thanksgiving in October and American Thanksgiving in November. I’m glad. I need this reminder to be grateful. And it was just last fall while...
The Bank Teller’s Chops
The woman behind me paced and ranted. “Tai man le, zhe ge lao wai.” I didn’t like it any more than she did. When I started this sketch I thought I was racing against time - five minutes, maybe ten to capture this display of chops, but over an hour later, when I was...
The Moments, The Hours, The Days
Homeschooling high schoolers is hard. “They can work more independently,” I hear, as though the difficult days are behind. While they often get through lessons without help from me, the new skills they must learn: writing research papers, meeting deadlines, stretches...
Mooncake Cookies
After all this time in China, I have yet to acquire a taste for mooncakes. It’s not surprising, I guess. I asked a Chinese friend if she liked them and she said, “they’re too heavy and oily. I just take a nibble to celebrate mid-autumn festival and remember what China...
Plant in Bloom
I’m full of ideas of places to draw to capture the scenes around me, but now, with the start of our homeschool year, I’m stuck inside. I know we’ll get into routines and I’ll be able to slip out, at times, but until then I have to be content with drawing from...
Take An Art Break
I often feel the tension between the demands of life and my desires to create. I know I’m not alone. In response, I’ve designed this simple project - something you can do over your coffee break. The simple lines and shapes stand out and I love how the silver gel...
10 Minute Drawing
From the busyness of our move to a laid back summer, back again to busyness. We’re starting up our homeschool year and every time I turn around there is another question to answer, another job to do. Yet, I’m determined, even in the most demanding times, to create...
China’s Lotus Blossoms
My friends and I headed back to the lake where I hosted my Birthday Field Sketch. I wanted to return to the lotus blossoms. Sketching on site usually lends to loosening up, like in my Subway Portraits, but this scene was so beautiful, I sat on a ledge by the lake for...
Bus Portraits
My models on the bus were much more cooperative than those on the subway, as they settled in for the ride across the city. I'm often amazed how few people notice me drawing - the man beside me was an exception. He gave me the thumbs up, then motioned to himself,...
Subway Portraits
45 minutes on the subway. We all settled in - me with my sketchbook, by son with a book, and my daughter crocheting. In fact we were so settled, we missed our interchange station and as we got off to backtrack saw the other train driving away! I was sad to be late to...
Subway Shoe Portraits
I never get as much time as I want on these sketches, as people shuffle around at each stop and sometimes my model decides to get off the train! But what a great way to pass the trip. And a quick sketch of my travel companion!
Birthday Model
I absolutely love drawing people. My daughter knows this so as a birthday gift she offered to model for me for half an hour. The time flew by and as relaxed as she looked, when her timer went off she bolted up saying, "Can I see your drawing?" Then she flew off. I...