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.

April's Sketch Challenge

April has a history of showing off nature's beautiful and colorful spring blossoms on Whidbey Island. The challenge for April was to sketch some of these early blossoms and share them on our blog. Thank you Sue and Lisbeth for your lovely sketches. They give a lift to our wet, gray and cold days we are experiencing this spring.

Sue sketched a single delicate magnolia blossom that sprouted on the base of the tree's trunk.


Lisbeth chose beautiful red azaleas just coming into bloom.

CLOUDS OF MARCH, monthly challenge

Judi's "Lazarus the Dog"

March came in like a lion this year and hasn't left, presenting us with plenty of interesting clouds covering Whidbey Island to sketch and paint. Judi sketched two lovely watercolor scenes from Langley of daffodils and the Dog House. They like look like summer scenes; Pat did a romantic monotone sketch through the ferryboat window and Lois sketched stormy clouds approaching from Wildes Road.

Lois' "Storm Clouds Approaching"

Judi's "Clouds and Daffodils"

Pat's view through the  ferryboat window

February 2011 Sketching Challenge

February's sketching challenge was "Love is Blind" -to sketch a favorite sweetie, relative, friend, or pet, etc. with eyes using one continuous line without taking pen or pencil off the paper.  Pat Brooks, Lois Mathews, and Lisbeth Cort gave it a try and here are their sketches.

Pat was able to do a line sketch of her sister while visiting her back east.

Lois Mathews sketched her spouse while he was relaxing on the couch with a book.

Lisbeth Cort sketched her hubby watching golf and sitting still as a result!

February Sketching Challenge

Ahh, it's February, the Love month, and time to think about a sketching challenge for this month. How about if we challenge ourselves to a 'Love is Blind' sketch? The challenge is to sketch your favorite sweetie (spouse, partner, friend, child, cat, dog or etc) with your eyes closed using one continuous line without taking your pen or pencil off the paper. Email to Lois Mathews, bclmmathews@whidbey.com and I'll post it on the WISk blog. Please send your sketch before February 28th. Thanks and have fun sketching.

CHRISTMAS CARDS

It was mentioned to me that it would be fun to post the hand sketched Christmas cards that our fellow sketchers exchanged with each other during the Christmas season 2010. If you would like to post the card that you received, please email me @ bclmmathews@whidbey.com and I'll post them together on the WIS blog. I am really looking forward to all the beautiful sketches. Keep sketching and don't forget to send in one of your sketches for January's Sketching Challenge. Lois

Island Holidays

December's sketch challenge theme was "Island Holidays".  View all the festive submissions here on our Monthly Sketch Challenge page.

Yummy November Sketch Challenge

November's Sketch Challenge was "Thanksgiving Ingredients".  Have a look on our Monthly Sketch Challenge page to see what Whidbey Island Sketchers chose as the ingredients for a perfect Thanksgiving holiday. 

October Sketch Challenge Results

See all the spooky submissions by Whidbey Island Sketchers for our October Sketch Challenge on our Monthly Sketch Challenge page. 

November theme:  "Thanksgiving Ingredients" - anything that goes into making it a happy Thanksgiving.  Info about how to submit on Monthly Sketch Challenge page.

Island Critters were September Challenge

Art on Rosehip Farm's chicken house

Our September Sketch Challenge was "island animals and pets".  Check out all the critters on our Monthly Sketch Challenge Page. 

Hey - we think the artist who painted the cool sign on Rosehip Farm's chicken house (left) should join the Whidbey Island Sketchers!!

August Sketch Challenge Highlights Summer

Several sketchers took advantage of the August sketch challenge - "summer weekends" - to capture their favorite weekend activities or sights.   See their sketches on our Monthly Sketch Challenge page and enjoy this last month of summer here on Whidbey.

Beachcombing Finds for July Challenge

sketch by Julie Pittis

Have a look at how several Whidbey Island Sketchers captured the July sketch challenge theme "beachcombing" on our Monthly Sketch Challenge page.

"What's for Dinner" was Yummy Sketch Challenge

What is it about wine, great food and a set of watercolors?  Perfect combination!  Visit our Monthly Sketch Challenge page to view Whidbey Island Sketchers' take on the June sketch challenge theme "what's for dinner?"  Yummy submissions all!.

Farms Theme of May Challenge

"Island farms or pastures" was the theme for May's sketch challenge.  Some sketchers focused on beautiful old farm buildings while others tried their hands at livestock (that is, until they galloped away). 

Check out all the sketchers' submissions on our Monthly Sketch Challenge page. 

April's Monthly Sketch Challenge

Have a look at our Monthly Sketch Challenge page to see submissions for this month's theme, "April Showers". Here's to clearing skies in May. 

Sketching the Fiddler

When the Whidbey Island Sketchers went to Port Townsend recently, we ran into a colorful street musician.  Sherryl snapped a couple of pictures before moving on.  We just couldn't resist revisiting the photos and giving ourselves a mid-month "mini sketch challenge" to remember this lively fiddler. 

Faye applied her lovely watercolor washes to our subject.

Lois used colored pencil on paper, achieving beautiful tones.

Lisbeth couldn't be bothered to try to paint his plaid shirt so used "artistic license" to paint a plain shirt instead!

Sherryl's deep and intense style captured our character in a mighty way.

And Sue managed to apply watercolor to communicate all the movement and whimsy of our favorite street fiddler. 

Betty Azar's new to sketching but we think she did a very dandy job capturing our funny fiddler friend. 



What fun!

March Sketch Challenge Was Crazy

Check out the crazy and wonderful submissions for March in our monthly sketch challenge.  This month's theme was "March Madness".  Go to our Monthly Sketch Challenge page to see all our sketchers' wildly different takes on the theme.  Here's a few just to tempt you...

Signs of Spring

Our February sketch challenge was "Signs of Spring."

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

And the binoculars that spied the whale, I presume.

Spring planting at Lisbeth's house.

Lisbeth visits the Skagit Valley daffodil fields.

Tulips at Lisbeth's! That girl sure likes her flowers.

Rocky smashes the first signs of spring while I sketch them. What a galoot.

Pieris Japonica in flower. The bees love 'em.

Man, I was so stressed out today, I labeled my hellebores "hydrangeas."

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

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

Putting our best feet forward

The theme for our first monthly sketch challenge is Feet. As you'll see, some of us think a shoe is a foot. I won't identify whose sketch is whose - for those who want to play "Whose foot is that?"