As I was prepping this cheery, colourful salad I wondered how it is that so many urban sketchers manage to quickly sketch their food. I decided to just do it! Sketched with Fude pen while the main dish simmered, then coloured after dinner from memory, with the used limes nearby.

Cachoombar is an Asian salad of tomato, cucumber, mild onion, lime juice, etc. The McCoy dish is actually a planter for forcing spring bulbs. I like it as a serving dish.

Thankfully I never tire of this view of the granary/barn. This time, as a challenge, I went straight to paint for this sketch. Had to go back a day later to enhance the darks.

I just started, then continued, with one small pine cone, trying different pens and rendering. Next time I’ll plan the page better.

In the dead of winter, an exotic orchid is a delight.

I often refer to the building at the front of my house as the “barn”. However, technically, it is a granary — a structure designed to store grain and animal feed. This one is well over 100 years old. The shed on the end is a modern day addition.

Ink and watercolour in Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook, which I now know will buckle with too much wash.

Before they completely dry up, a pencil and paint approach.

I do like roses as they dry, maybe even more so than the fresh blooms.

I was inspired to sketch some seashells after reading Shari Blaukopf’s post from Sanibel. I started with a “straight-to-paint” approach, but it wasn’t as successful as I would have liked, so I tried other approaches as I filled the page. I enjoyed using a white gel pen for a few highlights. And I eventually got better at painting the shadows.

The monthly Glengarry sketching group is growing. There were seven of us at The Quirky Carrot (also know as the Quirk in some circles). Although a small café, we all find something to draw. It is a leisurely morning for all.

The famous Avocado Toastier with soft-boiled egg.

In some sketchbooks, I’ve been so concerned about messing up the first page that my first sketch was done on page 3. Saving the opening page for something… sometime… No more! I received a Stillman & Birn Alpha Sketchbook* for Christmas and determined to overcome all fear and start on page one. However, my pen did hover for quite a while before making a mark. This is a good thing — to stop and think, and look and be deliberate. This is dry milkweed pods.

* I heard about this Sketchbook via Liz Steel who likes it as her “everyday” Sketchbook as opposed to special ones on a theme or for a trip (I believe that’s what she mentioned). In any case, I still had first page jitters.