A-MAY-ing Sketches & Box Templates

It's been rather eventful this month for me:

• Strained my left knee while hauling two buckets full of beach pebbles for Civic's old pen, turning it into a garden planter. Probably after buying those strawberry plants and the extra soil.
• Went to the TCAF - Toronto Comic Arts Festival and bought 4 volumes of Octopus Pie.
• My brother Jason and my niece Caitlin visited for about 2 weeks; his rowdy, bouncing daughter wanting to always play with me over my parents. Helped her somewhat overcome her fear of pets.
• Went to another TOUSK Meetup at Berczy Park, sketched the new dog fountain on display.
• Got a bad stomachache last weekend, making me have to stay in bed about 2 days except for going out to buy antacids.
• Been catching up on emails, online surveys, book reading, course studies, exercises and miscellaneous after I've gotten better.

So yeah, busy.  I'll be getting even more busy now that I need to get back into my working rhythm. 

Now to show some of the work I've lucky got done over the month:

Vector Template of The Beer Store's Card Stock Carrier

Vector Template of Random Trapezoid Food Box

TOUSK Meetup Trip - Yorkville Village Mall, Yorkville - Toronto, ON

About once or twice a month, for a few months now, I've been going out to these urban sketching group meet ups.  To do some drawing/doodling and to socialize with other artists or hobbyists.  It gives me another reason to go out for other than exercise and scrap-scrounging.  

Urban sketching is basically drawing/painting an area, with the people, the scenery and all the activities going on. Usually it's drawing on site and from what you're actually seeing happening (you can add colours or any small details from a photo take, along as you started the sketch onsite or not if you're a true purist about it). It's a very popular hobby for anyone with creative skills; it's relaxing, you can capture things in a way that photos can't, and it's an international movement. And all you need is simply a notebook and any writing tool that you carry around easily, extras like watercolours or even a tablet with a drawing app make great add-ons!

If anyone interested, here are some links:

http://www.urbansketchers.org 

http://toronto-urbansketchers.blogspot.ca

To check out my USK group and all the posted work we share:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TOUSK

Works from the past 2 weeks

Bloomy Sea, 2017
Inked on a gouached illustration board, from my large mural project 

Royal Oak @ Queen St East & Willow, 2017

Photo reference of sketch site

Burger Box Replicate (from a McDonald's McChicken Box)

Sketches from last week

Sketches (and Photos) from my last USK meet-up at Allen Gardens (yesterday)

Succulent Wall Art, 2017

Red-Eared Slider Turtles, 2017

My Recent Sketches

City Workers Woodchopping, 2017

Meat Truck, 2017

Centre for Social Innovation - Annex Cafe, 2017

No Bull Burgers, 2017

Sketches for the week (I'm back by the way)

More or less, my client's large mural project is done. As long as there isn't any complications with the printing on my client's end and I have to make more revisions to fix it.

I can fairly confidently say that I am back to making regular posts.  At least as long as I can build back up my content buffer.  I'm not going to be slowly down though; once I get caught up with what got neglected while I was on the mural project, I got to get on with some essential matters in my life.  Finding more sustainable employment for starters, even if it's with a temp agency in Scarborough.

Don't get me wrong; I'm fine with taking on jobs from Fiverr, but I rather be doing short works on there over 2-3 week projects for a measly flat rate.  I'm going to modify my Fiverr gigs to better suit my work style along with adding any possible gigs that's not very time-consuming to the point that I'm stuck neglecting other important things in my life.  Don't want to work myself sick when it isn't necessary.

I am considering selling stock images (despite being told I shouldn't in art university OCADU), assets, prints, anything that could bring more income for living expenses.  I've seen some sites to help with that, I just have to dig up any past work or create new ones to market them.

Anyways, enough of my own woes, here are my sketches from my TOUSK group on our last meet up trip to IKEA North York Store (near TTC's Leslie Station).

Cheesecake Treat, 2017

Father Waiting with his Daughters, 2017

IKEA Restaurant Cashier, 2017

Young Asian Boy w/ Toy Registrar, 2017

Happy St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day, 2017