Governors Island Jazz Picnic

Yay! I finally went to Governors Island for the Jazz Picnic. I love seeing everyone dressed up in period clothes. I did a little bit of sketching, but I think I will use them and my photos for better illustrations.

another oil painting from class

puffed sleeves

When I see photos of puffed sleeve dresses, I have to wonder what on earth was wrong with Anne of Green Gables. Why was she so desperate to get such a stupid looking outfit? I'm sure Marilla's dresses were ugly too, but they probably weren't absurd. I think I made the sleeves smaller looking in my drawing than in the photo.
On the plus side, if you had fat flabby arms I guess it hid it pretty well. You can't even see the waist with such humongous arms in the way.

Isa Bey Mosque, Selçuk, Turkey

We painted landscapes from photos in painting class recently, and I chose a photo from my trip to Turkey. I took this photo from the ruins of St John's Basilica. It was a beautiful view and Nelson and I spent a bit of time just sketching the mosque and the ruins around us.

The Isa bey Mosque was built in 1375 and incorporates stones and columns taken from Ephesus and the ancient temple of Artemis.

I love landscapes but I always feel perplexed when I trying to draw or paint them. I know my perspective is a bit off and the column looks weird, but I'm happy that I finally got the colors fairly accurate. We did an under painting using burnt sienna in the foreground, gradually mixed with a pale violet in the distance. It definitely helped me to divide up the painting and create a sense of space and atmospheric perspective.

photos of the mosque

Ken and Me, 1989

My aunt Yukari sent my mom and me copies of this photo, which we must've given to my grandparents 20 years ago or so.
It's 1989, the day after Girls' Day/Hina-matsuri. Those are my hina-ningyō behind us. They're a set of dolls for the holiday representing the Emperor and Empress with their attendants and furniture. And omochi, giant fake omochi.
My brother must be a little under 3 years old. It amazes me that he kept the kimono on long enough to take a nice picture. He was an obnoxious little brat back then. ;)

Here's my mom as a baby with HER hina-ningyo.

Rokurokubi color test

I was thinking about adding some color to my Mommy Monster drawings.