2017 State Fair Sketches - 5 years running!



A great, and this time rainy, sketch day at the MN State Fair.  This is my 5th year in a row!

With the rain and humidity my paintings took longer to dry so that changed up my strategy a bit.

These images are in the rough order of execcution with the exception of the pig. I put my favorite first!

This is mostly from my new paint kit based on Liz Steele's 2017 water color set up.

The book is 8 1/2" x 11" water color paper. Most of these take me between 25 -45 minutes.



Dreaming Pig

This was my 3rd or 4th drawing in. This was fun because two of the kids who show the pigs had questions while I did the piece. This is my favorite of the bunch and was featured on an MPR post with other beautiful work from sketchers from the same day. How cool is that?



I always start with a Twisted Sister Sausage for my warm up sketch. It was really raining here. Not my favorite sketch (past years were better) but I really learned how the paper and paints were acting will all of rain and humidity. So...it is probably the most valuable sketch of the day.  Certainly the tastiest.



The rain dictated indoor sketches, so this year is animal heavy.  This first sketch was fun because the kid who owned the turkey talked to me a little.  The bird was fun to draw but he wasn't really crazy about me standing there.


This Rooster most certainly was not crazy about me painting him.  I think that is why is looking a little like an aggressive eagle.  Such a beautiful bird. I was trying to stay loose and capture some of the beautiful colors in the black feathers.  It is always interesting to paint in a high traffic area.  You can see people wanting to ask but not ask.  I always talk to anyone who engages me. I imagine if I wasn't 6'-5", 270# and bald I might get more takers. Despite that I generally wind up having several dozen conversations about the paintings during the day. 


I needed to walk around and let these dry. I finally found an open table mostly out of  the rain and did a quick sketch of this musician as the other two dried and received a few touch ups.



Where the rooster did not want to be painted, these two sheep didn't mind being painted at all.  If you look close you can see rain drops in the pre mixed grey while I walked around waiting for them to dry.


The pig was next. I have drawn a pig every year. I guess it is a thing now.



These last two sketches were my wrap up.  It was half an hour before we met as a group and I finally found a covered place to sit.  I typically wrap up with people sketches. This was done sitting with a nice couple who had family showing animals.  I was explaining my kit and sketching nearby people. My favorite was the guy holding the wooden staff in a clear rain coat holding court with a huge corn dog in his hand. So I labeled him "The Corn Dog Messiah"

Thanks to Marty Harris and Roz Stendahl and the Metro Sketchers for organizing!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed these!






IS SKETCHING RELEVANT TO DESIGN THINKING IN ARCHITECTURE...I SAY YES

Some time ago submitted these 11 X 17 boards to a sketch competition for d3. 2013 submission call.  These boards, along with a1,500 others were hung the Fordham University in NYC.

Since then I have used these boards over and over when the subject of sketching in architecture comes up.

This is a pretty good summary of my work when it comes to design thinking and how it relates to drawing.

I hope you enjoy these.


This first board is about digital sketching. For me it isn't either or.  It is just a different medium. You approach a charcoal drawing differently than an ink wash. It is the same with digital versus traditional media.  Craft is craft.

I do A LOT of travel sketching. As an architect to me it is similar to a musician practicing their favorite artist melody lines. To learn to see (or hear), try to figure out what they were saying and why it worked (or didn't), and especially to remember.

At this point I can walk while drawing and painting.  I can also draw upside down almost as well as right side up.  Somehow my handwriting is so much better than the normal way but it is much slower.



Often times I am in conversations about how to put complex assemblies together.  I have found these types of drawings to really help that conversation along and get past the basics and on to the good ideas from the folks in the field.



As architects, we do a ton of 3d modeling. I set up the basic bones of a building faster in 3d which gives me something accurate to sketch options over. Pick and option, model that, print and sketch over to the next level of detail and options, model and test that, sketch over it....you get the picture but I almost have construction documents when I am done.

This is also a good way to have conversations with multiple trades. The construction folk look at it toward constructability, sequencing, and cost. The owner or developer wants to see the image and the feel along with cost. There are lots of players with different centers of their universe and this lets me communicate in a way to talks to all of them.

Plus.... I just love drawing and use any excuse I can.

Hope you enjoyed this.
Samples of my other work can be found by searching James Nutt and Behance.



2016 State Fair Sketches

The 
4th year in a row!


A twisted sister sausage is always my warm up sketch.


Liene lodge while the first dried. Experimenting with very non water proof ink and watercolor. 

The butterfly house. 



A nice on the spot commission sparked by a conversation while painting the butterfly house. 


Painted the gate from the Irish pub across the path. Very quick and starting to get dark. 



The Poultry Barn was closing soon so I only had 20-30 minutes so I had to move fast. 


And then finally some people practice before going home. 

Another great year and great group. One of my students participated and that was fun and saw so many artists I know. Lisa and I agreed to make each other submit for the Fine Arts Show next year. 


Spoon and Cherry- a favorite sketch

If you know Minneapolis you know about this huge Spoon and Cherry sculpture.  This is an urban sketch done while sketching with the Metro Sketchers.  The original is hanging at the White Bear Center for the arts and I have professional prints on water color paper at my studio for $75.

This is done with my travel inkwash technique of older water pens filled with ink applied with a water pen filled with water. 

The red is Noodlers Cayenne, the blacks are Noodlers Lexington Grey and Black.

11x14


This smaller version is from my daily sketchbook.  I can't remember which came first.


Keep Drawing!


Balcony Painting in Mittenwald!

This This Painting in Mittenwald - Die Zirbelnuss

This was my window balcony view for a few days at a wonderful air b&b. I spent a lot of time painting out here trying different techniques of the same view. 

This is evening using a warm triad color mix. I was working in a wet on wet style that I am trying to get better at. I learned a lot here and am excited to try a larger format with some of the photos I took. This is 8.5 x 11 on toned paper (I have never water colored on toned paper and this Magnani Annigoni Designo stuff is crazy nice)

I can't decide if this one is done but I realize I haven't signed and dated. 



My slightly expanded kit....as in I am using my real brushes instead of my water pen. I also took a box of assorted 8.5x11 papers to experiment with. 



Same view but a very very different take. I have better pictures but this was the light during the some of the paintings. Really fun. Complete wet in wet painting technique giving up tons of control. This is on 300 pound arches paper which is unfortunately on the back of another painting. This was an accident and I am so lucky I didn't ruin it!

And finally an attempt at the wonderful steeple. I enjoyed this painting and would like to do larger versions. 

Super fun....more to come!

James Nutt


A wonderful evening in Excelsior Springs, Mo

From Minneapolis to  Excelsior Springs, Mo

On a trip to drop my son off with his grandparents in Arkansas I had a two day trip back to do as I pleased. I had always thought of stopping by Excelsior Springs to visit Cathy Johnson. Cathy is an artist I greatly admire and helped me with advice and encouragement and a great example of living by art.


These are roughly in the order I sketched them. 90% on site work.  The last 10% was line weight ramp up and some color touchup.  It was getting dark, and I will admit a little creepy being the only one walking around downtown once it got dark.



Cathy and her husband Joseph graciously welcomed me in.  I had no idea if they only had time for a quick visit but it turns out we all went to dinner together at a beautiful hotel downtown.  The restaurant at The Elms is quite beautiful and food was great.  As soon as the food was done the sketchbooks came out!


Neat little building corner.  I think it was the Mill Inn. I need to go back and put the lettering in.


It was starting to get dark and the color got away from me. This building isn't really green, but now that I have some distance on my frustration that it turned green I really like it. Always be careful with mixing yellow at night. You really can't see it so use about 1/3 as much yellow as you think. Or just go for it and have bright interesting colors the next day.  Either works!


This was just a neat building corner.

Such a wonderful evening.  After they left I had about 45 minutes to an hour of daylight and made a quick walking tour grabbing what sketches the light allowed.  I think I may have been one of 5 people out and about downtown.


The night before I loaded up two pages with color for some yet unknown project the next day.  Over breakfast I did these two drawings.  The family in front of me turned out to be an art teacher from Omaha that I wound up showing my sketches and paint kits to.  It is always fun to meet people.



Such a nice morning and beautiful patio to have breakfast at. I should have drawn the biscuits and gravy but they somehow went away to quickly!

James Nutt
www.nuttdraws.blogspot.com



Miami Beach Drawings

One of the perks of my job is to travel occasionally. Most of the time I have evenings free to explore and .... of course sketch. This week I was in Miami Beach just in time to start a new sketch book. I also took a lot of progress shots of these drawings and will post them individually later.
 
The best part is finishing off a weeks worth sketching by teaching my Urban Sketching glass at the White Bear Center for the Arts followed up by a class taught by Daniel and Amber for the AIA in the morning. I should be warmed up for the Tuesday St Fair all day sketch!
 
God I love drawing
 
This is the weeks Harvest.
 
First is a mid morning warm up waiting for the plane to take off. Pencil underlay, Staedler Permanent Lumocolor Fine pen, my travel watercolor set.
 
 
 
Recently I have found a group called everyday matters. 365 drawing challenges to go through. #2 was draw a lamp. Sitting in the plane I had 3 right in front of me that probably rarely get sketched. Pentel brush pen and Lexington grey Noodlers ink
 
 
Channeling my inner Dave Worfel from the sketchers group I drew a plane detail from my window. Pencil underlay, Staedler Permanent Lumocolor Fine pen, my travel gouache set.
 
 
On my first night in South Beach I walked up and down looking for a good people watching and sketching place. This place, "The Clevelander" was just too awesome. I had to draw it. There were as many choices of what not to draw as what to emphasize. I wish my pad was taller, but I think I got the feel of the evening. Pencil underlay, Staedler Permant Lumocolor Fine pen, my travel gouache set.
 
 
Sitting in the same place I tried a palm tree without resorting to lines. I am still working on this technique. My challenge is to make it look finished. I am not there yet, but this was fun.
 

 
On the second night I sketched at the restaurant the hotel I stayed was associated with. "The Quinn" was fun to sketch from and a good view. I had an appetizer of Ceviche to start and it wound up being a whole meal both is size and in price.  It also started raining like crazy and I was semi outside but didn't have to move. That was interesting. Pencil underlay, Staedler Permanent Lumocolor Fine pen, my travel gouache set.
 

 
 
On the flight home, Every Day Matters #3 was draw your wallet. Mine is worn out and fun to capture. This needs color put to it before I post it.  Pentel brush pen and Lexington grey Noodlers ink

 
I hope you enjoyed it. Keep Sketching!
 
James Nutt AIA

Travel water color kit - Second Generation

Travel water color kit - Second Generation

Some time ago I blogged about how I made my first water color travel kit with a mint tin. The first was a Newman's own because Altoids started embossing the label.  I have really enjoyed the kit and have used it several times a week. 80% of the water color you see on my blog comes from this kit.

At Christmas my wife got me a perfectly sized bag for my travel stuff. I guess it is a baggalini.  She thought it was masculine enough with all of its zippers. I am a 6'5" 260# guy so I am also good with it.  The size is perfect but I catch myself putting too much into it. One of the happy accidents of my first water color kit was making palettes removable so they can be swapped out.  These extras fill the bag up. I also have a few kids kits with high quality water color and gauche swapped out.  Basically I have really filled this bag up. So it is time to make a larger travel tin that holds all of the colors I use for the bag. I will still keep the original for lighter travel.



The well loved original

 The first generation kit closed. Typically I have a rubberband around this and a paper towel.  Although I followed the rules on the appliance paint plus a few extra precautions, the paint is still coming off. This is ok as I love the worn look.



Open kit with 2 trays, the mini water brush (thanks Wet Paint! They now carry these but ordered them for me) and a short double sharpened pencil.



Open kit with everything laid out. Notice the pencil is carved flat on one side so it doesn't roll away.





However, I have accumulated other palettes and tools and it takes up too much room in my bag.


With my portable kit I have room for a small waterbrush and a pencil.  This is perfect all in one for the pocket. However, with my bag I always have room for the larger brush and better pencils and pens so I have decided to make a slightly larger kit based on my complete home "Making Color Sing" Palette. Currently I have the same palette on 3 seperate trays but the kit only carries two. The rest are in my bag and mostly unused. See above.


My home palette on a John Pike tray I am trying to replicate.

I found a perfect tin at a record store ( the electric fetus - old fashion music store with tons of cool stuff that I often find goofy gifts for Marcy - I found this tin doing Mother's Day shopping for her)


They only had a few to choose from. The "Poisen" them seemed cool enough and way more relevant than the other selections.  The size however, is perfect.



For this round I made half pan holes and no place for mixing. I found I just didn't use the spaces in the first round to mix colors with as much as I thought.  I mainly use the lids flat surface.  In this round I used two full sculpey clay packs and used the small left over to make a very thin mixing surface. It is cooling right now and we will see if it stays flat.  Everything is an experiment so we will see!

Progress shots




I roll the clay out using what is handy.



This time it happened to be a Summit beer bottle.  I also found by accident that summit has an embossed logo on the glass. I used this on the back just for fun.


Sizing and cutting the first "slab" to fit while being removable.


First I make impressions with a half pan of water color and then cut all the way through.


My original intention was to leave a mixing portion in the center, but I was unhappy with the number of color choices given my goal is to replicate my home studio palette.  I cut the pans all the way through. On the first round I tried to dig them out and keep a constant backer depth. This was sloppy and inconsistant and caused curling in the cooling process.  See the left over pieces in the top right? This time I am making 2 slabs for more consistency.


Rolling out the bottom slab.



Notice that I put the left over plugs back in and reorganized my holes to get the number I needed. At this point I have pressed the top slab to the bottom slab.


This shows both slabs upside down. 

Trimming the sides to be sure everything fits


I also rolled the Summit label into the back. We will see if that survives the oven process.
  


  With left over sculpey I am making a very thin paint mixing surface that will fit with the lid closed.  I hope this doesn't buckle. 


One last test fit before the oven


On last test fit of the paint mixing surface and pressed my name in for fun.






 It does close at this point. I  hope nothing buckles in the oven. If it does, a rubberband will save the day.


Ready for the heat


275 for 30 minutes

Time is up!  (yes blogging this while it cooks).



 Everything came off the wax paper just fine



The main tray doesn't really show any bowing at all. I was careful to keep things the same thickness and depth.  The cover tray shows a little curling during curing but still seems really flexible.  I will need a rubber band, but now looking close the lid really doesn't secure itself very tightly even when empty. The rubber band is really handy anyway and I usually keep a paper towel for the water brush anyway.


"Cooked" tray in place.  It comes out easy too! (My first generation did this by accident, but with coaxing) I had counted on a little shrinkage, but not much.


Closed kit, now where are my paint tubes? Let's put this sucker to work!  I may eventually paint the inside white to use as mixing surface, but that is another night!

I hope this was interesting. I certainly enjoyed making it with the thought of sharing.

(I will add the color process on another post as I am sure this one is long enough)

Keep drawing and painting! Scratch that deep itch!

James Nutt

Sketching in Savannah

I had the privilege of a business trip to Savannah. Although packed with meetings I did bring my sketch kit and got a few sketches in.

My week started in Philly and I wound up in Savannah late that evening. Although tired, I knew this was my opportunity to roam by myself.


First night - Sketch one


 
This is a sketch of a cool underground restaurant. It was mostly dark and there was comedy going on with lots of back light.  I knew the first sketch is never great, but you have to start somewhere. Watercolor in dark seems to be a theme here lately. Maybe because I my free time is in the evening.

Sketch Two
 
I found a bar with a rooftop patio around 12:30 am.  I was very tired and the first drawing was too large to start with.  I enjoyed it, but was pretty unhappy with the outcome, but as I get more distance I like it more.  I may go back and selectively kick up some of the line work.  Almost all of these are painted in the relative dark meaning I am painting on memory of my palette. I have come to enjoy this because the next day you get to see what happens and it is a bit more spontaneous than if I had full control. Let that be a lesson on looseness!

 


 
 
I could stop on that one so I brought out my Pentel brush pen. I have recently "manually filled" the cartridge it came with using Noodler's Ink Lexington Grey. It hasn't yet overtaken the black, but I am patient.  I really enjoyed this painting and was even happier with the color the next day.  However, it was getting very late by now so I walked back to the hotel.
 
 
 
 
 
Second Night - two quick sketches while with clients. 
 
The meetings went very well and we all roamed the streets that evening. While we stopped I was able to get two sketches. The first is unfinished as we moved on faster than I thought we would and the second was during dinner waiting on the food.  Yet another watercolor at night exercise.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Day Three, for a while the last day, this was my office.



 

Great trip, great people, great food, I love travel.
 
Draw to remember, beauty will come
 
James Nutt

D3 Sketch Competition Board 1

BTW - WAS CONTACTED THAT AT LEAST ONE OF THESE (MAYBE MORE) WAS SELECTED AND DISPLAYED OUT OF OVER 1,500 ENTRIES!! 

I recently submitted 5 boards to a call for art/competition with the theme of sketchings role in the world today. Or at least that is the part I latched onto.  I broke the way I use sketching into 5 distinct roles.  This first board is about how I sketch when I travel to remember, record, or just sit there and try to listen to what the architect is trying to say.  I am active in the Urban Sketchers community lately but these sketches range from 1999 on the top left to 2013.  I will post the others seperatley but they cover. Sketching for work. Sketching on the Ipad (new medium), Sketching through a design process, and using 3d modeling to design with and tell multiple stories (aesthetic and techincal).

I hope you enjoy. It was fun to categorize these and think about how we use sketches today.

3.1.2013 - I decided to place all of this into one post