86 Noodles.

Pretty famous place for best Chinese and bit of Thai food in Brooklyn, on 86 street, Bay Ridge, loved by young people. Even if we have to drive for pick up (they don't deliver so far), it is still worth it. Unless I get creative and compose some special meal, lets say mixing Thai recipe with Armenian. Recently I bought bunch of interesting sauces, coconut milk, tofu and wine in Chinese store.
I used J.Herbin ink and Kuretake pens on Fluid pad. Touched with Lamy Safari pen, I forgot how rich and thick this pen's lines.

Verrazano bridge.

Looking at Verrazano bridge through the trees. I pass that place hundred times and often stare at this beauty against the sky, and it seems that wind plays music on its strings like on gigantic harp.
Verrazano connects Brooklyn and Staten Island, where we have to take another bridge North through Goethals and South through Outerbridge,  it is our way to New Jersey, unless we want to go through Manhattan and take George Washington bridge. To cross Verrazano going North cost $13 bucks, 2 Chinese meals ripped from my mouth. (I measure bridge toll by food).
 I used ink and bits of watercolor from my tiny Bijou box.
 I bought plastic Yamamoto palette on my last trip to art supply store in the City, but didn't get the chance to use it yet, it will probably get stained, cheap plastic, but I don't care, I was looking for something small and light, to fit in my small rucksack.

Five Guys.

I planned many times to show my appreciation of this wonderful burger place in Kingston, but something always didn't go the way I imagine, I either finish my burger completely or could not stay longer neglecting  my messmate. But this time since I went alone, all I had to do was to sustain curiosity of the other eaters and make unapproachable faces while sketching. I added color later with few Kuretake brushes and a little help of Namiki Falcon pen.
I tried "Five guys" in the City, it was no comparison. The ink I used experimental J.Herbin. Can't wait to finish my samples and go back to my ink routine.

Shadows.

I had to finish with different ink since the Diamine ink sample went quickly. This composition with chairs shadows,  with life of their own, strange feelings of warmth and loneliness, beauty and broken pieces of light and shadows, was haunting me since I did the first sketch. It says "alone" in Japanese, in the left corner.

Chinese motif.

Trees with cherry blossom, birds, flowers on yellow background. Dusty bluish ceiling in the middle.

Right side, bird looking at the curtain (will be). Fluffy flowers, chrysanthemums.

Left side with the gate and plates with birds.

Here is the panel, it would be sink on that table,  glass bowl or built-in.

Closer look. I spent 4 days there. I like the lady and her taste. I had fun, even it was non stop sweating from the floor to the ladder...

4 marble columns.

I did 4 marble columns over the weekend in a beautiful house and met few wonderful people.

They had amazing coffee for me, coffee machine from Switzerland. I was eating lunch near the pool with statues of Venus looking marble women and dreaming of starting new ink soon, as soon as I will finish Diamine ink sample.

Now I am up to another "crazy" adventure at 8 am in further part of Brooklyn.

New Utrecht Ave Station.

This charming old train station with green balls looked utterly uninhabited and even dangerous, when I showed up there visiting someone by foot. But adorable green balls and little stained glass decorations created some mysterious aura, so pleasurable for drawing, so I did, despite few strange men in old car asking me for my cell to make a call, and I gave it, feeling weird; one guy, looking a bit italian, in his thirties, he was silent, listening to something on my phone, but my first respond is to trust people, people are good by nature.
So it was all good, I was left alone and I have this drawing as a memory of that day. Diamine ink, couple of Kuretake pens and drop of watercolor for the sky.

Smile.

It says Smile in Japanese. I am finally trying Diamine ink in a full range. I like the color and flow, it is a very friendly sepia.
This weekend I became a happy owner of Kindle, present from my daughter, thank you tredecillion  times Inna!
So what can I do? Draw.
I Used Diamine ink and green Kuretake for eyes on Bockingford 90 lb paper.

Evening.

Quick watercolor and ink sketch while waiting in the car somewhere  on the outskirts of the highway behind sports club. I got dark very fast and I couldn't see a thing, but after a day in the basement and meaningless touchups and samples it was good enough just to roll a water brush in my hands and stare on tree trunks in silence. I used Stillman&Birn Gamma sketchbook, Diamine ink, Bijou watercolor box.

Yellow madness in Stillman&Birn Gamma.

Quick sketch on the street to finish Noodler's Golden Brown ink, which overpowered me with yellow and now I am free to start testing another ink, Diamine.

thought.

Make sense to live with the force of the sun, on a full beam and sometimes to get burned.

Couple of sketches in Stillman&Birn Gamma sketchbook.

Subway sketch and my new vintage pencil Bell phone dialer with rotary ball.

Sketch in watercolor and drop of ink today in the morning. I didn't have time, so grabbed my free minutes to follow movement of the branch and shapes of leaves. I wanted to waste last drops of Noodler's ink so I can start testing new one, but had to leave and spent about 5 hours of driving alone in traffic listening to music and painting double figures in acrylic in my head.

Bryant Park in Manhattan.

One more experiment with Noodler's ink and couple of Kuretake pens on Arches hot press paper.
I pass this park on the way to my dentist. Often I sit for a bit and sketch people or trees, or chairs with uncomfortable backs. It is wonderful to be alone with your thoughts for a few minutes, allow yourself to feel with your skin soft breeze, hear sound of falling leaf, watch unhealthy looking city birds, picking crumbs, sketch strangers, sharpen pencil, look at the sky above tall buildings. Appreciate it and seal the memory in the sketch.

Couple of sketches from yesterday.

On the train with Blackwing 602 in Stillman&Birn sketchbook.

In Whole Foods eating upstairs.

Manhattan Rickshaw.

Very colorful brushstroke of the city life this rickshaws on the one of the busiest streets of Manhattan, right across from the Apple store.  I used that new ink, Noodler's and few Kuretake pens on grey Bockingford paper. Maybe paper made this ink so super yellow? Same ink looks different on the other paper, in Stillman&Birn sketchbooks and on Hahnemuhle.

Fascinating story about ants.

How ants reproduce and survive.

I found this article on the web and was amazed how intricate the whole process of raising a new colony of ants is.

Little sketches while waiting for legal parking.

I tried Golden Brown sample ink on Delta sketchbook by Stillman&Birn. When washed makes very yellow tones, in puddles breaks in more 3D, more colors, like here on the left. It is almost reddish on the sides of the puddle. The good thing it staying liquid, not creating slime like J.Herbin, but it is still lucking richness of color spectrum.

McDonald's drive thru.  Dark corner with train on the top. I used watercolor and Uranus pen in Stillman&Birn Delta sketchbook.

I drew it on the back of the other sketch, somehow it makes me feel better, that I am using sketchbook more efficiently. 

Despite yellow washes being too yellow I am getting more and more attracted to this Noodler's ink, it gave 2 reddish rims, it keeps smooth and consistent and I am heaving a wild idea of  may be mixing couple of Noodler's for further experiments.

Red tuck on Ave X.

Sketched in Stillman&Birn Delta sketchbook while waiting. I used watercolor and Uranus pen. Nothing special about this street except delicious cannoli in Italian bakery on the corner, which we didn't get anyway. Since years ago they start adding chocolate chips to the filling I lost interest.
I did this drawing on the back of the other sketch and paper is so strong that it took it as new, just wonderful. I am really impressed with paper quality, it is doubling my sketching space and I don't feel bad sketching fast and filling sketchbook with quick and simple sketches.

I snapped picture on my phone just in case and was surprised by interesting reflection in the car mirror. Fun.