One of those days.

I experimented here with the size, did bigger than usual, it is about 17, 5" X 12, 5". Took longer to draw, or may be because I got interrupted, did a portrait for someone, which can't show it yet, till its taken and presented.
What is really strange, that I used the same paper for the last few drawings, and it behaves differently with the same materials, so no matter how hard I will search for "perfect paper" it will always be the chance that it will be unpredictable.

West 72 street in Manhattan.

We've been having pretty brutal winter. Every day below freezing point for days and days. Snow, ice. In many states. I am not leaving home unless I have to. Here is West 72 street in the City with snow, dirty roads, train station in the middle. Ink and Kuretake.

Portrait of a Young business woman.

I used ink and Kuretake. She is in business, connected to education, this why the book is here.

Marie.

Someone, I met and wanted to say thank you. It is so hard in this hectic life to stick to your word. I used ink and Kuretake.

Subway sketches today on Q train, in pencil.

Today is a little bit warmer day, so I traveled Uptown Manhattan and sketched few people on the way.

For some reason people kept leaving too fast for me to finish sketch, so I had to discipline myself by grabbing few characteristic lines for the whole figure before clarifying some details.

I was lucky that most people were so self absorbed that no one bothered me with glances, and I was trying to look in different directions to hide what I do.  I used "perfect pencil" by Faber-Castell, the green plastic one, it is a bit hard, even marked grade B, but it was nice to have a tight lines, almost like driving BMW. It was a good training.

Georgian Bread.

It was small place on Neptune Ave where we use to buy hot long bread and "hachapuri" (flat bread with cheese inside) made in clay oven/tandoori (but with different name). On the way home half of the freshly baked bread from the brown paper bag was eaten, shared. So delicious. Now it turned into a small restaurant with Georgian cuisine. Sometimes they sell "kupati", sort of like Italian sausages but with roughly chopped meat and amazing herbs and spices.

Crazy day in emergency room and few scribbles  managed.

Drawings of me in my first art school.

I was searching for stencil and stumbled upon couple of drawings of me by my peers in my first art school. We drew all the time and this time we were posing for each other. This drawing by Andrew, he lives now in Germany, pretty successful painter.

Here I was drawn by the other boy, Alexander, who is now also pretty well known artist in NY and Germany. :)

Pencil sketches in same sketchbook.

Some of the sketches in Florida.

Back to NY, sketches on Subway. People are so different there, in Florida, they seems more human, they smile much more and look happier. In NY characters more amusing and unique, but you can feel the stress like a dark cloud over them... I had to slow my speed in Florida, love it there, closer to earth.

Orange juice or getting back to myself.

Orange juice on the plane. Watercolor in Beta sketchbook.

3 min sketch in South Florida.

Kilwins ice cream in Delray Beach.

Orange car.

This vintage car grabbed my attention on a small street in Bay Ridge, in Brooklyn, but it took me forever to add color and a few details, since I am still doing few projects at once.
I hope, that I won't forget few ideas, which still popping in my head, not drawn, and a few friends I don't have time to communicate with won't forget me.
I used ink and Kuretake on Winsor and Newton paper.

Machinery.

 Boy's room in a process. Machinery. From sketchbook to the wall.

Chanukah, glass.

Subway sketches on the way to Manhattan.

Sleeping man, he was so broken to pieces, but still presentable. I was glad he didn't look at me once.

It was a rainy day and boring things I had to do in the City, but sketching made my day happier, especially when I switch pencils. I used a little bit of oil based Faber-Castell.

Amazing to look at people, trying to feel their mood, hiding mine, switching stare, when they look at me. What is uniting them is silence, but everyone's silence is so different.

Here is another glass and I finished Chanukah, will take picture later.

Pencil sketches and pretty dinner.

Sketches on the "F" train and raw ideas for the boy's room with machinery.

Dinner, cooked by my daughter with turkey melt wrap and artichoke-spinach palmiers. Little Pig under the table trying to hypnotize me, so I will drop it all so he can eat it.

Subway sketches, November 15.

I draw on both side of the sketchbook's pages, seems more space for learning, even sketches getting dirty from touching each other, even destroyed.
 I went to get more paints in the City, in few stores, because all of  them had limited quantity. Met few nice people, who were kind to me and I was very nice to them. It is so easy to say something sweet, to erase ugly impression, left by one woman in her at least fifties, who threw bucket of gesso at a young cashier  girl, barely missing her.
 I was thinking how hard it is now to find work, and so many people with degrees working simple jobs behind the counter, because they need to pay bills. We have to respect each other and remember that one word can spoil the rest of the day for someone, who struggles enough to meet ends, that this person is someone's child, by hurting him, you hurt people who loves him too. Anyway, being kind is mandatory.

By drawing people, I carve their faces and imaginary stories in my memory.This young musician on the top with such spiritual expression on his face, even delicate white hand against the black case of the instrument,  seems, still playing, I don't even know what instrument it was. Or this girl with blond hair and prickly blue book bag and skinny legs, looking a bit goofy because of the big Mary-Jane sandals. Or a very good looking gay guy in tight black clothes, with doll's eyes, who didn't get into the sketchbook, but stuck in my memory.