The Old Post Office Pavillion

I'm a little late sharing, but this is a sketch from the tower of the Old Post Office Pavillion in DC.  We headed there for our most recent sketchcrawl (and later found out well we timed our visit, as the site was just a couple weeks away from a major renovation) thanks to the suggestion of Matt Malone.

The highlight of the sketchcrawl was the amazing view to be had from the clock tower, an open air space with 360 degrees of DC around it.  It was fricking freezing though, so I didn't manage much more than a few chicken scratches before retreating back to the main hall.  I have a few pages of unfinished drawings, but this one I managed to get done after paying it a little more attention at home.

The Dying Gaul

Ricardo pointed out to our sketchcrawl group that The Dying Gaul was on temporary loan to the NGA, and gathered a bunch of us to go sketch it.  While the crowd around the sculpture was deep, everyone found a decent unobstructed view or two to draw from.

It is pretty interesting how unaware people can be of themselves as the step directly in front of another person looking at the same artwork.  I don't mean just those of us sketching (though I will admit it didn't help) but people who will stand so close to the sculpture itself that the 30 visitors behind them can't see a thing. Whatever. At least no one knocked him over...

InaugBlog

So as we were Sketchcrawling our way along the National Mall, we caught the attention of a PBS videographer/journalist who was out look for pictures and stories.  After a call to his editor, he got a bit of an extension on his deadline to join us on our 'crawl.  Here is what he's posted on the PBS New Hour InaugBlog!

Sketch Crawl from NewsHour University on Vimeo.

Kind of fun to get a little publicity. Though I never really like hearing the sound of my voice... Thanks Patrick Record all the same for finding us worthwhile of the attention!

Sketchcrawl #38. Three views of the Capitol Building. Part 3.

And finally, here are three views of the Capitol building.





Last Port-o-potty, I promise.

Sketchcrawl #38. Part 2.

The landscape of the National Mall changes quite a bit with the coming of the inauguration.     News trucks, t-shirt vendors, security, etc... Though not quite a Tardis, the Police box certainly caught my eye as an interesting addition to the surroundings.  And you can't miss the Port-o-potty's, and checking out CNN was just kind of fun.

Sketchcrawl #38 The National Mall, leading to the Inauguration. Part 1.

For this past weekend, we decided it would be timely to have our Sketchcrawl on the National Mall here in DC, as the Presidential Inauguration is happening shortly.  I got there a little early to get a sense of what was around, and there was plenty to see.  My first couple of sketches, as I waited for the other 'crawlers to arrive, aren't strictly Inauguration themed, but a couple of scenes of the Mall.

The East Wing of the National Gallery- in the midst of a face lift.


And a view of the Natural History Museum from Hirshhorn, across the Mall.

I'll post another batch in a moment or two...