Careful, Central California Artist

Lalalalala. . . that’s the fat lady singing.

I photographed the Reimer’s drawing to send to the owner for his approval.

Nope, that photo was not good enough, so I raised the blind on the window over the drawing table and tried again.

I told Mr. Owner that this was the time to speak up if he wanted any adjustments.

Mr. Owner replied: “I love it. I just noticed the white curtain over the window in the middle. Do you think there’s something else that might go there that would be appropriate or that might look good other than just the white?”

I responded: “I’ll send you the scanned version so you can see it’s a pretty lace curtain. I don’t think that came through with my photograph.”

Scanning is a trick because it is drawn on paper that is ever so slightly too large for my new scanner. I tried it umpteen times, and finally decided it was as centered as possible. This is the scanned version after some photoshop magic.

A Few Thoughts About the Drawing

Bamboozlement and hoodwinkery are two of the necessary skills to produce a cohesive pencil drawing of a highly detailed building with many angles and parts, condensing about 40 photos into one believable view. Maybe I have earned a master’s degree in visual trickinology by now.

There is more to depicting an iconic business like Reimer’s than simply taking a few photos and copying them. First, it is impossible to get the whole thing into one photo and be able to see all the parts of this varied structural magic land of sugar.

The place is oozing with charm, which is evident in all the curly trim, multi-paned windows and different gables. Those gables show up best when looking at the place straight on, but as I continue to tell you, this isn’t possible with a camera.

The setting is idyllic, and I included a hill in the background to indicate that it is in a rural foothill setting. Besides, the hill IS actually there.

And the place is very welcoming. Hence, the main door is open.

Careful, Central California Artist. You don’t want to get a fat head or break your arm patting yourself on the back!

Very Large, Very Detailed Pencil Drawing

Yeppers, still working on and talking about Reimer’s Candies and Gifts.

I was stuck due to a lack of visual information, considering resorting to some hoodwinkery and bamboozlement.

Instead, I stopped by one morning, climbed up some rocks and took several photos, this one being the most useful.

Alrighty, then, let’s git-‘er-dun!

There was a bit of trickonometry involved here, but remember, the goal is believability. People remember what they thought they saw, without thinking exactly about placements and proportions.

I sent this one to the owner because he likes seeing the progress. I also like to reassure customers that I am working on their project.

Getting there, but holy guacamole, these window panes are window pains.

To be continued. . . I’ll finish shading, figure out how to deal with the parking area, then take some time to make sure there are no outlines, no strokemarks that don’t belong, that there is enough contrast in the right places, that there is no smearing, and finally sign it. After that, I get to figure out how to scan the drawing on my new complicated scanner, probably in 2 parts and then put them together with Photoshop Junior.

I could use some chocolate about now after writing that list. Hmmm, wonder if anyone knows where to find some in Three Rivers. . .

Needing a Master’s Degree…

…or perhaps a PhD. The topic? Trickinology. Visual trickinology.

I’m drawing Reimers Candies and Gifts from a straight-on view, something that isn’t really possible to see in real life. Well, maybe it is, but it would take a wide-angle lens, and the resultant drawing would be an entirely unwieldy shape for reproducing as cards.

Here is a progression of a day’s work (with many interruptions—lots of moving parts in my life during this project). I moved that giant oak tree to the right because it was blocking the gift shop and patio.

Instead of 4 chairs, the table only gets 2. Even this artist has her limits on microscopic furniture depictions.

Here’s a substandard photo for you to admire the distance I’ve covered in this monumental, underpriced, over-engineered pencil drawing. (Yeah, I know, I always say that.)

Those windows and the patio look mighty fine, if I do say so myself. And I do. Just tryna not break my arm patting myself on the back.

After admiring my progress, I was temporarily flummoxed. The section on the far right is the ice cream shop. It has many windows and doors, a sign, two stories, a porch overhang, and a very cantilevered second story roof with a severe angle, which doesn’t show in this photo.

See what I mean about the roofline?

All of it is hidden behind that giant sycamore tree when viewed from a straight on angle.

When my drawing students encounter difficulties (because no one listens to me when I tell them a particular subject is too hard), I advise them to put tissue paper over the top and then try to solve the problems that way. (Usually I end up scribbling a solution on the tissue paper while they sit there either frozen in fear or babbling about how they should have listened to me.)

The sycamore tree is barely coming forward from the far right edge.

That’s about all I can manage before I get frozen in fear or start babbling about how I should have listened to my own advice.

Wait, I didn’t give myself any advice except to make this the very very best depiction that I can possibly do of an iconic Three Rivers business.

More Quarter-Inching

This might put you to sleep. It almost did me, in combination with getting up at 5:30 AM, 103°, and the droning hum of the barely adequate AC.

Can you even tell the difference from the first photo to the second one?

Prolly not because my T-square was over the unfinished lower rocks of the sign.

The owner said he’d like to see it in progress, so I sent him the upper photo. His response: “That’s good” was encouraging. I have had a very small handful of customers through the years who kept making changes, and I was too stupid (or chicken) to say “That change order will cost extra”. Now I make sure that customers see a sketch and approve before diving into the final piece, and if they wish, I show them progression photos.

In case you are interested, this one is 14” x 17”.

In spite of my case of the yawns, it is fun, challenging, and really quite a privilege to have been chosen to draw this iconic Three Rivers business.

Iconic Business Drawing, Quarter-Inching Along

An old friend used to stop by my studio at my first public location in Exeter, just to spend time together chatting, and to offer encouragement. He often said (in admiration, I think), “How do you do that??”

I always answered, “One quarter inch at a time.”

Oooo-weee, this is S L O W. But considering that the last time I drew it was in 1995, this is a worthwhile investment of time. The previous drawing was useful to the Reimers and then to Owners #3 for 30+ years.

I’m glad I mentioned the idea of a new drawing to Owner #4.

Reimer’s Candies and Ice Cream HEY! I JUST LOOKED AT THEIR SITE AND MY PHOTO IS ON IT! Two years ago I went to the grand reopening of the store with my neighbor Robin, and there we are with our friends Benny and Rita!

Enough chit-chat. Back to the drawing board. Do you know anyone else who can say this and mean it literally? And by “literally”, I do NOT mean “figuratively”, which is often how people abuse the word. “That literally blew my mind!” Oh really? Your head looks intact to me, but your brain might be damaged.

Sorry.

Not really. Editors are guardians of the language.

But I digress. . . back to the drawing board, really!

Drawing an Iconic Business in Three Rivers

Reimer’s Candies and Ice Cream is a destination and a landmark in Three Rivers, California. It is now on its fourth owner in my lifetime, and it is just as busy as ever, just as popular, just as magnetic.

I drew it for the second owners, people with the name of Reimer, who bought it from the Huffakers, the folks who started the business. The Reimers commissioned me and then used my drawing on a thank you card to include in every box of candy that they shipped out. Owners #3 did the same.

By the time owner #4 came along, the drawing was too many generations away from the original to look good any more, and the printer I used to use is most likely out of business.

We tried to foof it up, to make it good enough to use, but alas, not even Photoshop was up to the pixelation and moray patterns that resulted in printing from a print that had been printed from a print. . .

When owner #4 asked me how to get more cards printed, I suggested that he hire me to draw it again. He agreed, saying that some changes have been made to the property, so I took photos from as many angles as I could manage, trying to arrive when the light was decent but before the crowds.

After studying the photos, I decided a new angle would give it a new look, and did this sketch.

The owner understood that it was just a rough sketch and knows that I can actually draw, so once he approved the sketch, I began.

First, I figured out the main dimensions, which is lots of math and measuring.

Then I moved into getting it laid out on the paper. (This is 14×17”.)

Finally, I began shading in the upper left hand corner so that my hand won’t drag the graphite all over the paper.

Then I schlepped my self back to the house to collapse in a chair and wait for the most totally excellent husband, AKA Trail Guy, to tell me that dinner was ready. As is often the case, I spent the evening questioning my ability to accomplish this drawing, to capture all the detail, to do as good a job as when I could see without a magnifying glass over the table.

As is often the case, I also questioned my pricing, but this is Tulare County, and I’m not about to “gouge” my customers! What constitutes gouging? I dunno. Locals say my prices are high; people from far away say they are low.

Maybe owner #4 will provide some dark chocolate with the final payment.

Painting Another Sequoia Panel (+ an Infomercial)

The panel isn’t made out of sequoia wood; the panel is made out of ?? wood, and I am painting a sequoia tree on it. Sequoia gigantea is the official name for the redwood trees in Sequoia National Park, not the redwoods of northern California, called Sequoia sempervirens. Those are tall; ours are thick.

Two wooden panels with sequoia trees sold quickly this summer. I poked around in the garage and found a larger panel with a sky blue background already painted on it. It seemed too big, but then I figured, “Why not?” After inquiring with the manager of the Silver City Store whether or not she had room, she said to paint it and bring it up the hill.

I opened the big doors to the painting workshop and propped the panel against my two easels. This was great in theory, but the morning sun is very strong and very hot on this area. Oh well, I’ve soldiered through heat many times in my life in Central California, AKA The Central Valley, AKA the San Joaquin Valley. Let’s just git-‘er-dun!

Here is the sloppy beginning.

Shade is creeping down the top of the panel, providing hope that perhaps I didn’t begin too early in the day.

Never mind. I was hotting to death out there, so I went back to the house for some cold water and a cooling break. Even the deer were smart enough to be in the shade, and I was too hot to yell, “GET OFF MY LAWN!” (Yes, that is my lawn, which is more like a meadow since, per my request, it doesn’t get mowed all summer in the hopes that it will become thicker; it might be working, now in year 5 of this unconventional landscaping approach.)

Slightly refreshed, I returned to the job and painted until I couldn’t stand the heat anymore. Besides, I had a lunch date with 3 friends in Three Rivers, which is a bit of a big deal to me. Eating out isn’t a regular part of my life.

Infomercial

My friends chose the River View. It has been about 7 or 8 years since I was there, and it is now on owner #3 since then. It always puzzles me to see how crowded it is, with cars lining the road, more cars than it seems they will have tables and chairs for. A driver needs to creep very very slowly past that place, because of the great crowds. Well, River View AND Reimer’s Candies. . . almost next door to one another.

We ate outside, where there were misters, fans, and shade. It was noisy (the fans). The food was fine, but it wasn’t Sierra Subs or Tony’s Taverna. The service was good. And I was shocked by how expensive lunch was—I spent $26 just for me. A turkey melt (I ended up pulling off the non-descript white bread and setting it aside) with sweet potato fries, the only fried food I like. Had to really load up on vegetables later that day.

Yikes. No wonder I don’t eat out much. (Sierra Subs is my go-to choice in case you were wondering.)

Thus we conclude this infomercial for eateries in Three Rivers.

Animal Thoughts

A city guy on his podcast went on and on about how much he loves animals. Too bad I couldn’t invite him over, because he could experience animals here in Three Rivers, in my yard and in my house.

  1. A giant black beetle in the kitchen sink (they’ve been in almost every room in the house lately).
  2. A lizard ran under the fridge.
  3. A little frog was in the shower and then hopped under the clothes hamper.
  4. A raccoon got into the garage, made his way into the workshop, and pulled the bag of catfood off the shelf, dragging it into the RV garage (yes, we have a three-in-one building where the cats are supposed to be safe at night.)
  5. Coyotes were howling at a siren passing by on the highway while I was walking in the morning.
  6. There are at least 3 new fawns in our yard, learning how to destroy our plants.
  7. Squirrels are now getting into the fenced off tomatoes.
  8. Turkeys are EVERYWHERE, in great numbers.
  9. A bunny was at the bottom of the driveway. Good thing they reproduce so abundantly, because everything wants to kill them.
  10. Another bunny succumbed to the vicious nature of our 3 cats; I had the privilege of scraping up and burying the remains after they had their way with it.

At least we don’t have any snakes right now. HOWEVER, some guests at a vacation rental accidentally transported a RATTLESNAKE home to Iowa in their luggage!!

The cats can’t keep up with the gophers and squirrels, but they are trying.

REMEMBER

“Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say, ‘What should be the reward of such sacrifices?’ … If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands, which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!” —Samuel Adams(1777)

In the Think Tank and Other Work Thoughts

Sort of Working

Having finished the oil painting commission, priced paintings and cards to sell at Silver City, all this while believing that I have finished enough paintings for the entire summer (possibly delusional about that), it was time to consider how to next spend my work time.

I pulled weeds at church (not work), oiled the siding on the front of the studio (sort of work), learned to use the new scanner at a minimal level (work requiring enormous patience), worked on art for the 2027 calendar (the best kind of work), and went to a county supervisor candidate meet-up where I had a conversation that led to a pencil commission (marketing work).

The requested subject, Reimer’s, to be redrawn in pencil, is here in Three Rivers. Iit will take a few photo sessions to find the right light without the parking lot full of scene-blocking cars. The customer has granted permission to show progress on the blog.

Too many generations of reproduction have severely compromised the quality of this drawing.

The original drawing is in a frame somewhere in someone’s home (I hope it isn’t stashed in a storage unit), the printshop that originally printed this on cards is out of business, and the store is under new ownership with some changes. Hence, it is time for a new drawing.

Preparing to Work

In addition, someone who hired me to edit a very long paper/potential book/article/essay something sent me photos of his garden at its peak and requested a collage type oil painting. I’ve only done collages with pencil, but I am willing to try this design approach in oil paint.

A collage in pencil, designed to combine scenes that seem disparate to the viewer unless you are the customer to whom all these places make sense.

After studying the 10 or so photos that he sent, it became apparent that my laptop screen isn’t up for the task—it’s just too small. So, I put them all on a document, turned it black and white (because my printer isn’t really capable of printing in color without cleaning the heads, running test patterns, and then replacing ink that got used up doing those tasks) and printed it out.

Next, I made a list of everything that is important to the customer. (He is very good at communicating—hence, the successful editing project.)

As I tiptoed ahead on this challenging project, I realized that this is my chance to not be stupidly unbusinesslike. Often I get so caught up in a challenge that I don’t charge for all the extra work, and I rarely remember to get a deposit. This time I let the customer know that the job is in the Think Tank and that I was attaching an invoice for $100 nonrefundable deposit for the design work. It will be applied to the painting, size to be determined.

After work I came home and cleaned up the tail and guts of a squirrel that Tucker caught, nibbled on, and left for Jackson and Pippin to finish. It was seriously disgusting, so instead of showing you that, let’s look at a pencil drawing of a completely intact squirrel.