I took this picture a few weeks ago when I was visiting the Finger Lakes region of New York. I kinda think it deserves an Arsty status, and the grapes were delicious. Continue reading Oh, The Finger Lakes…

Progress has been slow in this endeavor to learn how to sketch. Maybe I am too impatient to wait out being accomplished at it. Or perhaps I just don’t think I will, with the time left for me, ever be accomplished at this new thing. So, I am going to take a shortcut in getting to the expected end result I desire. I am quite … Continue reading Artsy Saturday – Learning To Sketch Lesson- An Update

I have visited more historic colonies than I can even count during my Search Of America, and almost every one has a version of a loom in it. Without even serving its function the loom itself has an artsy feel. My wife really loved weaved rugs, so we had more of them around the house than I could even count. I know, those types of … Continue reading Artsy Fartsy Saturday – The Ubiquitous Weaving Loom.

I chose this photo for Artsy Saturday because of its simplicity. It was taken at Fort de Chartres State Historic Site in southern Illinois. It was just a simple storeroom but somehow attracted my attention. Continue reading Beauty In Simplicity

I know I am only at the very beginning of my sketching project here on RJsCorner, but I need a break. That feels like a cop-out but, I promise it isn’t. With the trip to the New England States beginning next week, I have been busy with all the planning required for it. From my 6,000-mile South & Southwest trip this Spring, I learned that … Continue reading It Feels Kinda Like a Cop-out But…

So far in my studies to become a sketcher I have learned about how to anatomically draw lines, shading, and other such things. Liron suggested that I should pick something around the household to practice on. That brought to mind something that I have been thinking about for some time. Why not take a photo from my 22,000 piece portfolio and trace it using what … Continue reading Artsy Fartsy – Sketching – Practicing Strokes

I have been busy lately with my trip planning and other such things and just haven’t had time to do a sketching lesson! Shame on me! I promise to get one done next week. So, how about just an artsy picture for today. This one was taken during my trip across the Gulf Coast States a few months ago. I have no idea what it … Continue reading Artsy Saturday – Just A Pic??

Let’s set up a common format for these sketching posts here on Artsy Saturday-Sketching. Just giving you the lessons I covered during the week would be, well, BORING. So, I want to spice it up a bit with some artful meandering stories of whatever pops into my mind while composing each weekly post. Also, I have decided to skip the numbering of the posts. If … Continue reading Artsy Saturday – Baby Steps

For this Artsy Saturday let’s step back and look at the broader view of things. Artsy Saturday is a part of the trilogy of new projects I am starting at RJsCorner. The banner above shows the other two. For the most part, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays are now dedicated to becoming a better artist, storyteller, and thinker. Part of my “Never Stop Learning” mantra is … Continue reading About Artsy Saturdays (and other such things)

The title of this post sounds kind of mysterious, doesn’t it? But it has a lot to do in the practice of sketching. Let’s talk about that first, then some exercises. This week I got through the 39 pages of the book. The first part was about the mental side of sketching. Liron, the author, assured me that I can learn to be a passable … Continue reading Artsy#4 – Sketching Is A Mind Game…

Let’s face it, anything that is worth doing takes practice. If you want to learn how to play a guitar, as I did in my teen years, it takes hours and hours of practice. The more you practice, the better you get. It’s as simple as that. During those years, I became a folk song fanatic. I loved all the usual stars of the 1960s. … Continue reading Artsy Fartsy #3 – It’s ALL About Practice…

Ok, I got it wrong out of the gate. The novice that I am, I just assumed that a sketch was a drawing!🤪 So, I basically started out with the wrong book. (sorry Bob). While the book I first bought (Drawing for the absolute beginner) will be useful down the road, it proved to be not what I needed out of the gate. So, I … Continue reading Artsy Fartsy#2 A Sketch Is Not A Drawing

Let me start off this post with a cop out. I was expecting to give you my first “piece of art” sketch, but I just didn’t get around to it. I promise I will do better in the weeks ahead. There was just too much stuff happening in my life this week. But, that is one of the joys of my senior years, if something … Continue reading Artsy Fartsy #1 – Lots Of Tools…

Going forward, I am going to dedicate the weekends here at RJsCorner to showcase my artistic talents, especially in sketching. In my youth I was kinda proud of the sketchings that I made. For some reason, I never tried to develop that talent beyond the very rudimentary level, and now after all these years, even that level of skill has vanished. Starting today, I aim … Continue reading Introducing Artsy Fartsy Saturdays