Sketch Challenge for June 2011

The sketching challenge for June is to sketch the old farm houses, barns, outbuildings, sheds that are still standing on Whidbey Island. I chose a really old farm house full of history that is very close to where I live. It's tucked into the forest away from any traffic. The drive to the house is now overgrown with weeds, grass, blackberries and other natural plants so one has to walk a distance to reach the house. There are several old licken covered fruit trees still around the house almost hiding it from view. The house has so much old age and weathered.

December 2010 Challenge

"Island Holidays"

Lois sent her sketch challenge submission in from another island!  Here are green palm and red flowers she sketched from her patio at Waipouli Beach on Kauai!  It shows how colorful it is on the Hawaiian Islands during December.  Aloha!

Faye painted this lovely view of winter mountains from the island, really capturing the beautiful tones of winter in the Northwest.

Lisbeth ventured no farther than her front door to portray the holiday spirit.

 Jay drew Christmas cookies for Sue for his holiday artist trading card exchange

Cathy sent Sherryl this card from her winter home in Hawaii. She writes: On a rainy day in December, the view out my window towards Koko Head. Hello to all my fellow sketchers.

November 2010 Challenge

"Thanksgiving Ingredients"
This month's challenge?  Anything that went into making a great Thanksgiving.

Sue Van Etten sketched many of the ingredients of Red Kuri Squash Soup along with a bouquet of Nasturtiums and Johnny Jump-Ups.

Lois Mathews painted most of the ingredients that were to be included in the baked bean, mushroom, French onion and cheddar cheese casserole for Thanksgiving.  Once she painted this, her appetite said it was time for a snack!

And Lisbeth Cort sketched one of Whidbey's finest white turkeys.  Frankly, by the time she sketched from this October photo, the subject was probably already in someone's oven!  Yum! 

October 2010 Challenge

"Spooky"

Four weird and wonderful sketches for this month's sketch challenge.


"Totem" by Kris Wiltse

"Good Ju Ju" by Lisbeth Cort

"Olivia" by Sue Van Etten

"Columbia Beach Pumpkins" by Lois Mathews



September 2010 Challenge

"Island Animals"

Critters sure don't stand still but several intrepid Whidbey Island Sketchers managed to sketch a few for this month's challenge. 

Diana Carter sketched this lovely of the Fossek Farm cows.

Sue Van Etten was no fool; she waited til Duncan was asleep to capture this cutie.

Betty Azar's favorite sketching subject is her English Springer Spaniel, Maisie.  We can see why!

Wendy Shearer took on the challenge of free range chickens in constant motion!

And Lisbeth Cort cheated (just a little) by first photographing the Rosehip Farm chickens and then sketching them at home. 

August 2010 Challenge

"Summer Weekends"

Proving there's no better place to spend a summer weekend than Whidbey Island, our sketchers captured some of the great sights of summer living here in the middle of Puget Sound.

Sherryl Goldfinger delightfully sketched a "summer picnic snuggle".

Lois Mathews and Bill cooked fresh crab on the beach at Glendale.  They steamed them in the pot and then ate them warm with a great bottle of cold beer.  YUM.

One sunny Sunday, Lisbeth Cort headed to Rosehip Farm & Garden outside Coupeville.  They're known for their yummy fresh produce, but she loved their hollyhocks.

Sue Van Etten sketched up a storm while attending the Whidbey Camano Land Trust's member picnic at the Coupeville Town Park.

And didn't Julie Pittis totally capture the essence of summer on Whidbey, saying "this is the way I spend my summer weekends"?

July 2010 Challenge

"Beachcombing"

Julie Pittis beautifully captured the ranger's house above the kayak beach at South Whidbey State Park.

Sue Van Etten has quite a collection of beach glass earrings!

Lisbeth Cort took advantage of some July "clam tides" and came away with these beach finds.

And Lois Mathews encountered a variety of unusual beach debris - like this entangled seaweed - that had washed up with the rough tides and breakers on the beach after her Ebey's Landing hike.

June 2010 Challenge

"What's for dinner?"

Lois sketched this beauty when her neighborhood gals walked to Maxwelton Beach to celebrate solstice with champagne, chocolate wine, chocolate covered strawberries, candles, poems and fun. It's not a meal one would have for dinner but a great one for after dinner – or to celebrate Summer Solstice!

And speaking of summer - Lisbeth sketched her husband's backyard grill on the occasion of the first bbq of the summer. 

While in Seattle this month, Wendy went to Pike Place Market, saying: “the best place for getting ideas for dinner! Broccoli, red onions, cherry tomatoes, cranberries, walnuts, cheddar cheese and voila! My favorite salad! Great place to sketch too! Makes us ‘urban sketchers’ when we're in Seattle. See you there.”

Sue’s friend Larry gave her these new potatoes dug directly from his garden that day. Steamed them for dinner. The verdict: “they melt in your mouth!”

May 2010 Challenge

"Island Farms or Pastures" 

Sherryl Goldfinger delighted in capturing this new lamb at Fossek Farm right in Langley.

Sue Van Etten sketched the barn building at the entrance to Saratoga Woods in all its May glory.

Lois Mathews painted the old homestead at the end of Wildes Road outside Clinton.  She loves the old outbuildings and fruit trees "covered with lichen and twisty branches," reminiscing that at Christmas time when the leaves have fallen off the fruit trees and reveal remaining red apples, they look like Christmas decorations on cold, gray days.

Lisbeth Cort learned this month that farm animals move more than people, making them very hard to sketch.  This friendly llama on a farm north of Oak Harbor was curious and still until a car sped by, causing a goat stampede in its field.  The llama, too, galloped away way too soon.

April 2010 Challenge

"April Showers"


Lisbeth was lucky enough to capture the end of a rainbow over stormy waters at Greenbank.

Sue used beautiful washes to show her apple blossoms in the rain.










Kris Wiltse painted a Peony bud broken by the rain.

March 2010 Challenge

"March Madness"

Faye sketched a couple of crazy things around her house.  First her Barbara Reemelin shorebird and juggling balls... and next her Oaxaca cricket on Brooklyn red ball.

 

While Betty Rayle showed us "where she'd rather be in March".  Either Capistrano, CA...

... or Crystal Cove, CA.

Only our talented Kris Wiltse could fully capture the craziness of her cat, "Mad Kate".

Lisbeth Cort was inspired by the new Alice in Wonderland movie & sketched a mad March Hare.

She also thinks one of the craziest things on Whidbey Island is the ochre windmill in the beachfront park in Oak Harbor!

Sue Van Etten was just crazy enough to capture "The Mad Sketcher in the Mirror".

And then she turned her sights to the beautiful blooming plum trees in her yard.

And, finally, Lois Matthews shared two beautiful sketches perfectly capturing the glory of Whidbey gardens and water.

February 2010 Challenge

"Signs of Spring"

First Gray Whale of the season! A sure sign of spring. Nice one, Sherryl!

 And the binoculars that spied them, we presume.

Spring planting at Lisbeth's house.

Lisbeth visits the Skagit Valley daffodil fields.

Tulips popping up at Lisbeth's in February! That girl sure likes her flowers.

Rocky smashes the first signs of spring while Sue sketches them. What a galoot.

Pieris Japonica in flower. The bees love 'em in Sue's garden.

Man, was Sue stressed out that day, she labeled her hellebores "hydrangeas."

And Kris Wiltse's Hellebore plant was broken by playing dogs, so she brought them indoors for a couple of  little sketches.

And of course she had to get in the lovely blooming Plums as one enters Langley.

Clearly Spring has sprung on our beautiful island!