Douglas Thayer, Artist/Blacksmith

From my imagination

2012-03-01T08:04:00.005-05:00

Trying to get back to sketching. This old car was just something that was rolling around inside my head. Might explain the internal bruising.

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T12:26:00.002-05:00

WOW, July 9 was my last post. Haven't really been sketching much or at least not anything I want to show. So, for 2012, I, Douglas Randall Thayer promise to sketch and post more. There. Now it's in writing. Happy New Year everyone.

Summer time

2011-07-09T11:03:00.005-04:00

In the summer we have fresh cut flowers in the house all the time. This lilly was sketched from a vase full. I added some color using colored pencils. Not real happy with the results but you have to start somewhere. I've never done much with colored pencils. Also this was done in a Pentalic sketchbook. They were on sale so I bought several. They have a very smooth surface. Haven't tried a watercolor wash yet but I doubt that the paper will take a wash. Too light. We shall see.

Livingston Feed & Seed

2011-03-05T16:36:00.002-05:00

Livingston Feed and Seed in Howell Michigan. Their sign is covering over a sign that says Coles Elevator. Seems to me that when I was growing up in Howell this was Coles but I'm not sure. The other elevator in town was Howell Co-op and they have been gone for years. The buildings have all been torn down.

Mill Supplies Corporation

2011-01-24T16:28:00.004-05:00

The old Mill Supplies Corporation building on East Michigan Avenue in Lansing, Michigan. I had no idea that they had closed their doors. Don't know at all when it happened. But I wanted to sketch it and photograph it before it was no more. This is really a grand old brick building. Across the street is the Lansing Center show hall. A huge building. Forty years or so ago though across the street was store fronts. Included in them was Michigan Furniture, Lansing Furniture and Dines Restaurant. Behind those stores was the Jury Rowe Furniture warehouse, That was where I worked for a few years.

Old Truck in the Weeds

2010-12-20T16:22:00.004-05:00

Well, not sketching everyday but every seven days maybe? This one is from a photo. There are lots of these old truck around the countryside.

Midland City

2010-12-13T16:45:00.003-05:00

We found this old depot in Midland, Ohio while on our way to Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. It has been a lot of years since it has been used. It is on the IOCR, Indiana Ohio Central Railroad. The track in front is coming in from Columbus. There is also a track on the back side of this building. These tracks are the former B&O, Baltimore & Ohio. This is looking south and there is a small yard just to the west of this depot.

4240 Beck Road - Plan view

2010-12-04T17:50:00.004-05:00

My neice Cathy has asked me to do a sketch of her grandparents, my parents, farmhouse. So, to start this project I sketched this plan view of the farmstead as I remember it. Seems like I have remembered it fairly well. On the north side of Beck Road was part of the Henry Itsel farm. I can remember their cows laying in the shade of the huge trees that grew in the fence row. Now, I-96 expressway runs along side Beck Road. I grew up here. We moved to this farm when I was two and I lived there until I left home at age 18. My parents sold the farm in 1973 or somewhere around that time and built a new house about 15 miles west of here.

Excavator

2010-11-29T17:17:00.003-05:00

An excavator from a photo. I do enjoy sketching machinery like this.

Old grain elevator

2010-11-28T16:35:00.004-05:00

It has been a while since I've posted here and I need to change that. I've been very busy chasing the dollar I guess. This sketch is from a photo. I think that if I can't get out to draw every day or so I should at least draw from photos. This one is in pencil too. Something I haven't done very much of.

Views from our deck

2010-07-21T18:20:00.003-04:00

Looking southeast this is one of the many poles of the Detroit Edison. The foreground is our garage roof and the riser and cable that feeds power from the house to the garage. I know, electrifying.

And this Weber type grill from Kingsford doesn't get used a lot but when it does the results are wonderful.

Steam hammer

2010-06-28T19:55:00.003-04:00

Just returned from the Indiana Blacksmithing Association annual confrence this last weekend. One of the demonstrations was with this old Chambersburg steam hammer. The hammer was inside the building but the boiler was outside. It was over 90 degrees there on Saturday and even hotter with that boiler going. It was quite a sight though to see it work.

GT 75003

2010-06-03T07:19:00.003-04:00

This caboose is on static display at Durand, Michigan across the tracks from the Durand depot. It is in need of a paint job.

2010-03-20T13:38:00.002-04:00

It was just sitting there staring at me and whispering "sketch me, sketch me".

A successful day

2010-03-03T16:42:00.004-05:00

Took a day off today and went to Hillsdale, Michigan. Hillsdale is the operation headquarters for Indiana Northeastern Railroad. I was hoping to find them working but that didn't happen. But this locomotive was parked in their yard and I had a great vantage point to sketch it and to photograph it. This one is and old GP-9.

From Hillsdale I drove back thru Chelsea Michigan to see if anything was moving on the Norfolk Southern tracks. At this Jiffy Mix plant the NS maintenance of way guys were shoveling snow from the switches into the plant. Since it hasn't snowed for a few days I guessed that they were making sure the swithces were clear and there would be a local job there soon to either bring loaded grain cars or pick up empties. In the time it took me to sketch the back side of the plant where they unload grain cars no train showed itself. Probably got there as soon as I left. It was a nice sunny day and although I sat in the van to sketch it was warm enough to have the window open. The hum of the machinery inside the Jiffy Mix plant almost put me to sleep.

Rockville, Indiana

2010-01-31T17:03:00.004-05:00

I'm trying to get in the habit of drawing, sketching everyday. Doesn't matter if it's on location or from a photo or from the deep recesses of my mind. The idea here is to DRAW. So today I did. This is from a photo of mine taken several years ago. We were on a trip to Cincinnatti and taking the long way around. From this depot we went out across the Indiana countryside to look at old covered bridges. Found several in various states of repair.

2010-01-24T16:34:00.003-05:00

These two sketches are from late 2009. For some reason I never got around to posting them. Haven't been sketching much for a while now. Been working on the house and it consumes me. Hopefully that will change soon. The top sketch is looking out across the campus of Michigan State University. Don't know what the building is but the grid looking object is the roof of the greenhouses. The bottom sketch is of the crossing gate for Canadian National Railroad at Swartz Creek, Michigan done while waiting for a train one day last fall.

2009-12-02T17:15:00.004-05:00

On a recent trip to a dance convention in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky there was hand sanitizer all over the place. The flu scare had everybody worried.
And at the same convention a view of some of the items on the tables during a workshop.

Broom tractor

2009-11-04T20:49:00.005-05:00

It's been a while since the last post. Spent the summer working on our house. Now I can start back to sketching again. I hope so any way. This little broom tractor was sitting at the construction site where Farm Lane on the campus of Michigan State University was bridged by the CSX railroad. Looks like it would be fun to drive.
Pitt sepia pen with watercolor in a Hand*book journal.

2009-06-17T19:36:00.003-04:00

This past Saturday the 13th I went north to Baldwin Michigan to deliver some work to the Pamela Tripp Gallery. What a day it was. Sunny, warm. On the return trip I stopped in the town of White Cloud and took time to sketch this old grain elevator, Some of the reds are a little too much as a lot of the steel siding and roofing was rusty. The roof though, on the main part of the building was fairly new and was as white as snow.

Pitt pen, watercolor in a Hand*book journal

Tuesday June 16 I had some time before a dentist appointment so I parked in the shade in Raynor Park in Mason, Michigan. This fellow was mowing lawn and made enough passes that I was able to get a quick sketch of the mower and him.

Precise rolling ball pen in a Hand*book journal.

Indiana Blacksmithing Association

2009-06-08T20:19:00.007-04:00

We spent last Firday and Saturday, June 5 and 6, in Tipton Indiana at the annual conference of the Indiana Blacksmithing Association. Didn't do a lot of drawing but here is the best of the ones I did. Above is an old Champion coal forge that had been donated to the auction.

A coal forge is a piece of machinery that a blacksmith uses to build his fire in then to heat a piece of steel to forging temperature, usually about 1800 degrees or so and a light yellow color. The top tray is usually of cast iron then covered with clay to protect it from the fire. A blower is below to put a blast of air into the fire. Without the blast the fire will go out. This particular forge has a hand crank blower but the forge I use every day in my shop has an electric blower. I hope that helps explain what a coal forge is. I work over one most every day and forget that everyone doesn't know what the equipment is. Thanks for asking.

This is a quick sketch of an anvil bridge that one of the demonstrators was using. It allows you to work easier on smaller pieces. I'm going to build one of these as soon as I can get caught up in the studio. Also I found out when we got home that Saturday was International Drawing Day. So without knowing it, I participated.

All done with Pitt pen in a Hand*book journal.

Past & present

2009-05-30T11:55:00.007-04:00

It is Saturday morning and the job site is working but it doesn't appear to be a full crew. This excavator was parked for the weekend. It would look like I may have misjudged the scale but this machine had a very long arm and it just wouldn't fit on one spread. This is at the Farm Lane bridges project on the campus of Michigan State University. The bridge girder behind the machine is for CSX railroad. Just north of here is the bridge for Canadian National railroad. Both bridges now have train traffic on them and they are in the process of digging Farm Lane down to final grade in preparation for opening to traffic this fall.

This old grain elevator is in Grand Ledge Michigan. It is no longer in use but there are several newer buildings around this that are part of a thriving grain business. This is a bit out of proportion but you get the idea. It is almost all steel siding and roofing with some of the red paint still visible and a lot of rust. This building sits to the south side of CSX main line tracks.

Both sketches Pitt pen, watercolor in a Hand*book journal

Sketchcrawl #22

2009-04-11T16:44:00.009-04:00

International Sketchcrawl #22. Old Town Lansing, Michigan, April 11, 2009. It was a great day, sunny but not warm. But there was no lack of subject matter and the folks at the Portable Feast restaurant were very friendly and had lots of good coffee.
1221 Turner Street. The door on the right was very interesting. I didn't quite get it right though. It is actually narrower that I have it shown. And the window above it on the second floor is also narrow and all the rest are wider.

This building is on the north side of Grand River Avenue in the 200 block east. There are old rail road tracks next to it and I suspect that it was, at one time, a passenger terminal. I had never noticed there is what appears to be a platform along the east side, by the tracks. This sketch didn't do justice to this building and one day I will re sketch it and add color and hopefully learn more of it's history.

And this is MA (Michigan Avenue) tower now in North Lansing just south of Grand River Avenue and along a spur track to Freidland Iron. At least they saved it and didn't tear it down. Don't know when it was moved here. I would assume the stairway that went to the second floor of this tower has long since been removed. It would be quite an effort to go to work without them. This tower is in very good shape and is clad in a pale green aluminum siding.

One of many lamp posts in Old Town Lansing with a banner flag promoting Old Town.

This building is the Southern most on the west side of Turner Street. My planning is off a long way here. I should of drawn it with the first floor showing as the store window is very colorful. Maybe another time. The brickwork on the side of the building is interesting. There are several course of bricks that are not parallel with the plane of the building but are running and maybe a 10 degree angle from the rest of the bricks. I would guess that there was another building next to it years past. There is a parking lot next to it now.

all in this post, Pitt artist pen, watercolor in a Hand*book journal drawn on location with color added in my studio.

Beaver Pennsylvania

2009-04-07T15:13:00.005-04:00

This is a sketch of the old Railway Express building at Beaver Pennsylvania. Very well maintained. This is on a CSXT main line. Just to the north is the old railroad depot. It is used as a 911 call center.

It was a beautiful sunny warm day, April 2nd and we had coffee at a small shop in downtown Beaver. This was what was across the street. My vertical lines went askew a bit but you get the idea. There is enough scenes in this little town to fill several sketchbooks.

Pitt pen, watercolor in a hand*book journal.

Boogie in the Burgh 2009

2009-04-06T16:55:00.006-04:00

We just returned from our annual Pittsburgh dance trip. Every year the Steel City Boogie Club puts on this dance. About 500 people and a very good time is had by all. This year was their eleventh year. We have been there for all eleven. This is the canopy over the front door from the porch of the Embassy Suites hotel near the Pittsburgh airport where the dance is held. This day it was in the 60s and no coat was needed. Sadly, two days later the flag in this sketch would be lowered to half mast in honor of three police officers killed April 4th.

The two sketches above are of people in the ballroom either in the workshops or just observing as I was. The bottom sketch is of two of the many couples trying to learn some new dance moves.

Pitt pen, watercolor in Hand*book Journal

Flint fire hall

2009-03-22T18:44:00.005-04:00

This fire hall is on M-21 west in Flint, Michigan. Drawn from a photo by me taken a few years ago. Photo was to be used as reference for a watercolor painting. It never happened. Maybe someday.
Pitt pen, watercolor in a hand*book journal

EDM #215

2009-03-18T21:45:00.005-04:00

Every Day Matters weekly challenge number 215, draw your thumb. Well, I drew just a bit more.

Pitt pen, watercolor in a hand*book journal.

Lansing City Market

2009-03-18T18:19:00.004-04:00

This is the southeast entrance to the Lansing City Market. I have this somewhat out of proportion but it gives you the general idea of what it looks like. Maybe another time I'll try to do a more accurate sketch. But I will have to hurry. This building is being torn down when the new market is done. I don't know the time line though. Seems like this building is about 100 years old. This is also the first sketch in a brand new hand*book journal.

A lot of equipment

2009-03-16T17:29:00.005-04:00

We went to the Green Door Blues Bar in the 2000 block of East Michigan Avenue in Lansing last night. Sundays is open mike or sit in Sunday. Lots of musicians with a wide range of talent and all levels. You have to take the so so with the good. That's how a so so musician becomes good. Anyway, I was struck by the wide aray of equipment on the stage. Everybody has their own amp. What I didn't get to draw was the drum kit and the keyboard. But a good time was had by all.

Pitt pen in small Hand*book*Journal.

Sausage Mfg. Co.

2009-03-08T16:12:00.003-04:00

This building is in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, PA. at the corner of Penn Avenue and 22nd street. Sketched from a photograph taken by me a few years ago on our annual trip to Pittsburgh.
Pitt pen, watercolor in a Hand*book journal.

EDM #213

2009-03-06T17:00:00.003-05:00

EDM challenge # 213, draw a microwave. This is ours. It's an old Norelco and was purchased in 1978 or so. The door latch is a bit sticky but it still works just fine. Our kitchen is in the old part of our house and the old part of the house is a quonset building. So to make space for this unit I had to open the curved wall and build in a "box" to set the microwave in. On the right hand side, in the shadows my wife Patty keeps event tickets on magnetic clips. We always know where our tickets are.

Pitt pen, watercolor in a Hand book journal.

Railroad depot, GTW

2009-03-06T16:53:00.007-05:00

This is the old Grand Trunk Western depot on South Washington Avenue in Lansing, Michigan. The tracks beside it are now Canadian National. The last use of this building was a blues club. We spent a fair amount of time there and heard some really good bands. The tracks are 10 or 12 feet from the building and I can remember seeing trains going by but never hearing them or feeling their vibration. The grand old building is now falling into disrepair rapidly. I didn't indicate the missing roof tiles or the broken windows. If it isn't maintained soon it will have to be torn down.

Pitt pen, watercolor in a Hand book journal.

Mason elevator

2009-03-06T16:49:00.005-05:00

I spent a little time in Mason Michigan today. Was able to sketch the north end of the Mason Elevator complex. I needed a bit more time but this describes it fairly well.
Pitt pen, watercolor in a Hand book journal

Red band

2009-03-02T17:23:00.006-05:00

The Detroit Edison keeps track of the condition of their utility poles and when one needs to be replaced they nail a red steel band around it. This particular pole is across the street from our house and is way back off the road. Should be some good sketching opportunities when they do the work. Lots of big trucks with high lifts. And I know for sure they will leave some rutts in the lawn. Glad I won't have to be the one to fix them.

Pitt pen, watercolor, in a Hand book journal

They've got mail

2009-03-01T14:41:00.004-05:00

Rural mailboxes are sometimes an interesting subject. This first one in right across the street from my house and I look at it from my drawing board. It is quite a simple affair with it's two paper boxes.

Pitt sepia pen in a Hand book journal
This next sketch though is a different story. Five mail boxes plus an array of paper boxes all on different types of posts. One mail box is green. One paper box is red. During the summer there is always a pile of "free" papers on the ground around these boxes and then there will be a few free phone books dropped there too. Seems to always be a mess. This is visible from my window but I have to lean foreward a bit to get the view. Anyone else have "mailbox" stories?

Micron pen, watercolor in a Hand book journal.

Russell theatre

2009-02-26T16:01:00.004-05:00

The Russell theatre in Maysville, Kentucky. Maysville is the hometown of Rosemary Clooney. I believe that I read that this theatre was owned by her family.

Sketched from a photo taken by me three or so years past. Pitt pens, watercolor in a Hand book journal.

VanBuren Ice House

2009-02-22T14:18:00.004-05:00

This sketch is from July 26, 2008. I had not finished adding color so it was not uploaded. Originally I had thought this building was part of the old Williamston, Michigan grain elevator but in the local paper today there was an article about it. It was an ice house or cold storage building built in the 1880s and used for cold storage into the 1920s.

Pitt pens, watercolor in a Hand book journal

View from my south window

2009-02-14T18:02:00.005-05:00

This is what I see from the window over my drawing board. There is a busy highway between us. I was going to add some color but he house and garage and fence are white. It snowed last night so pretty much every thing else is white.

Pitt sepia pen in Hand book Journal

A tour of Lansing

2009-02-13T16:47:00.005-05:00

The day started in Old Town Lansing Michigan across from the Unicorn Tavern. I've never been in there but they do have bands on the weekends. We'll have to try it one day.

Then just south of downtown Lansing for a sketch of the Board of Water & Light power plant. These three stacks can be seen for miles around.

Then I met some friends here for lunch. Zeus' Coney Island on South Pennsylvania in Lansing. Good food, good conversation. Haven't seen these people for a while.

Pitt pen, watercolor, Tombow grayscale brush pens, Hand book Journal

2009-02-04T16:57:00.003-05:00

This is the back door of Emils Restaurant in Lansing. I sketched the front in an earlier post.

Hand book journal, pitt pen, watercolor

Same purpose

2009-01-20T11:07:00.003-05:00

The final installment in the Wet Canvas dot com Duo Challenge. These two items have the same purpose, one doing ity's work very losely and the other very uptight.

East Michigan Avenue

2009-01-19T15:58:00.006-05:00

On Sunday we went to the Green Door Blues Bar in the 2000 block of East Michigan Avenue in Lansing. We were a bit early so I sketched the view from the alley by the parking lot. The upper floor of this two story building appears to be living quarters, possibly rentals. The rope and pulley may be to hoist groceries up to the apartment.

"Monitors" - At the Green Door was a funds raiser of sorts to help send a band to a competition in Memphis, TN. The band being sent, and by the way they won the local competition last summer, is "Six Hands Down". I've gotta tell you, they are HOT. But there were five other bands that played through the afternoon and evening before Six Hands Down took the stage. They were all good good bands. Everyone had a great time and the food was good.

This drum kit was set up for the entire day and each band's drummer just brought his sticks. Behind the stage is a big window and on a nice day it is so bright that you can't see the musucians faces. I left the window out intentionally.

This is what I could see from my seat in the Green Door thru the window behind the stage. Emils Itallian Restaurant. Guess I'll have to go to Emils now for dinner so I can draw the front of the Green Door Blues Bar.

Pen clip

2009-01-18T13:19:00.005-05:00

Entry five of six in the Wet Canvas Duo Challenge. The pen explains itself but the clip is a promotional item from a long since merged or bought up local bank.

Pitt pen, watercolor in a hand.book journal.

Phone notes

2009-01-16T12:52:00.004-05:00

This sketch is number four of six for the Wet Canvas dot com duo challenge.

Sketch Crawl #21

2009-01-11T11:14:00.006-05:00

These were done on Saturday January 10, 2009 as part of the 21st International Sketch Crawl.

This first image is of a peice of snow removal equipment waiting to be used. By the end of the day there was five inches or more of new snow so I imagine this was used several times during the day.Next is the coal unloading facility at the power plant on campus at Michigan State University. Somewhere out of sight is a machine that will rotate the entire car to dump it. Will have to see if I can get a tour.These next two sketches were done at the livestock pavilion at Michigan State University during the Michigan Horseshoers Association annual get together. There was a lot going on but I only managed two sketches of some of the equipment they were using. The nice thing about this venue was that it was warm and dry.

Noisey pair

2008-12-26T15:36:00.004-05:00

The third in my series of six for Wet Canvas Duo challenge. These two look so peaceful just lying there.

Duet

2008-12-22T16:34:00.004-05:00

Entry number two for the Wet Canvas "duo" challenge. The turtle looking object is a clay flute that I purchased from artist friend Mary Metler. Still learning to play it.

Pitt pens, Tombow brush pens, watercolor in a Hand book journal

Music in a pinch

2008-12-21T14:52:00.006-05:00

This is the first entry in a WetCanvas.com challenge. The challenge is to produce a series of six drawings of still life set ups using only two items. The next drawing then one of the items is replaced with another item and so on until all six are complete. These items were in my art supply carousel. Really! They were! Doesn't everyone keep a pair of pliers close by?
Pitt pens, Tombow brush pens, watercolor, Hand book journal

EDM# 195, etal

2008-12-14T14:11:00.005-05:00

Everyday Matters challenge number 197, draw a remote. Lots of possibilities here but the good old TV remote was the chosen one. Our TV is about 25 years old and is as clear as the day we bought it. It didn't come with a remote so this one is for the cable converter box and so we can only change the chanel or check the menu or show listings. Volume? I still have to get up and walk to the set to adjust the volume. Well gee, I've got to get SOME exercise.
Pitt pen, Pitt brush pens, Tombow brush pens, Hand book journal

This cityscape is made up. Just trying to keep myself drawing.

Pitt pens, watercolor, Hand book journal

Hacks key shop

2008-12-10T17:03:00.005-05:00

Hacks key shop on South Grand Avenue has been there forever. Well, at least as long as I can remember. It pretty much sits alone now amidst several parking lots. The tall building in the distance is the old Michigan National tower. Don't know what it's called now. The "stadium" looking building directly behind Hacks is what is left of the Michigan theatre. The upper portion was removed and what you see is the now the roof of the existing building but years ago it was the stepped floor of the balcony. At least they didn't tear it all the way down.
Pitt pens, Tombow brush pens, watercolor in a Hand book journal.

EDM challenge 201

2008-12-09T15:50:00.006-05:00

The challenge for this week is draw a stapler. Well it looked so lonely on the page that I added some of the items needed to make it work.
Pitt pen, Tombow brush pen, Hand book journal

Powerhouse at Michigan State University

2008-12-03T15:25:00.005-05:00

Was able to get away today and photograph trains and sketch. This was drawn from the parking lot south of the tracks at Farm Lane on the campus of Michigan State University. The tracks for CSX Transportation are between the subject and me here. Saw only two trains while I was sketching.
Pitt pens, Tombow brush pens and watercolor in a Hand book journal.

River-Aire, vacancy

2008-11-30T17:05:00.005-05:00

This old motel sign is on Riverside Drive east of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Although the motel building is still there I doubt that it has had guests in a long time. Drawn from a photo taken on an October trip to the upper peninsula of Michigan. Pitt pens, watercolor, Hand book journal.

Just another Saturday

2008-11-29T16:00:00.005-05:00

This was done from one of my photos taken at the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg museum in Auburn, Indiana. It's been several years since I've been there. May need to go back this winter. Pitt pens.
This is a piece of Maintenance Of Way equipment that was parked on a siding at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Canadian National is the railroad there now. This unit still has the Wisconsin Central shield on the side. I have no idea what this does. It appears to be a large blower to clear something from the tracks. Drawn from one of my photos taken on October 20, 2008. Pitt pens and watercolor. OK. Anyone else have this problem? Our cat seems to think my sketchbook and drawing board are hers.

Northern Kentucky

2008-11-18T18:23:00.005-05:00

We were in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky this past week. The trip was for a swing dance convention held at the Drawbridge Inn. This was the banner that hung over the DJ booth in the ballroom. The name of the event is Move Across the River and is put on by the Cincinnati Bop Club. A great time was had by all. This was their 16th year of this event. We have been there for the last 14 years. No plans to stop going. Pitt pens, 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 Hand book journal

This is our room. #165. We always get the same room. Pitt pens, 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 Hand book journal
We went to a Barnes & Nobel one morning in Florence Kentucky for coffee and browsing. Pitt pens, 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 Hand book journal

This is a bridge over highway 8 at Ludlow, Kentucky. It is for Norfolk Southern Railroad. There are two tracks on this bridge. This was drawn looking east. To the left is the massive bridge carrying the tracks across the Ohio river and Cincinnati is on the other shore. Pitt pens, 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 Hand book journal

Maysville, KY

2008-11-09T16:28:00.007-05:00

This group of buildings is in Maysville, Kentucky. Maysville is the home town of Rosemary Clooney. The sketch is done from a photo I shot a few years back. This particular shot interested me because of the very small building with the green canopy wedged in between the larger buildings. I doubt that it is more than ten feet wide. On its roof was some sort of a room, maybe just a place to get away to read or relax. It had a window and an awning. I don't remember what was in the building but I'm reasonably sure it was in use. I hope to sketch some more from the photos of this trip to Maysville. Hand book journal, Pitt pens, Tombow gray pens, watercolor applied with a water brush pen made by Elmers for kids, cleaned of factory color and refilled with water.

Gary's stool

2008-11-08T12:44:00.004-05:00

This stool is owned by our friend Gary. He is a harmonica player and the stool gives him a place to set his case with all of his harmonicas and other equipment such as his wireless microphone. The band he was in at the time I took this photo is no longer together. Sad but people move on. We really miss hearing him and the band. Pitt pens in a Hand book journal.

EDM #124

2008-11-03T20:48:00.006-05:00

The challenge was to draw something yellow. This was drawn from a photo taken by me at the Steam Show held every August in Mason, Michigan. This a great show for sketchbook artists and photographers as there is a large display of steam tractors and steam powered equipment and a very large display of antique gas tractors. Even a few old trucks here and there. Pitt pens with Prang watercolors in a Hand book journal.

EDM #195

2008-10-31T16:42:00.003-04:00

The previous challenge was to draw a baked potato. Challenge #195 was to draw a fork. This seemed to be the logical progression and I agree. Technically this is a "spading" fork but when I was growing up my dad always called it the "potato" fork as that was what he dug the potatos with. Pitt pens and Tombow brush pens in a Hand book journal.

20th International Sketchcrawl

2008-10-26T14:13:00.007-04:00

On Saturday, October 25, 2008 I participated in the 20th International Sketchcrawl. This time with a group of artists gathered at the Shiawassee Arts Center in Owosso, Michigan. I want to thank the folks at the Art Center for sponsoring this sketchcrawl and also providing some warm food for us all. Below are my three sketches of that day.

A few years ago an old building was torn down in Owosso revealing this old advertisement for Quaker Oats. The wall above the sign was coated with a stucco material which explains why part of the sign is gone. The rest of the sign and wall is brick and you can see the brick through the paint in spots on the sign.

This one is the Salem Lutheran Church in Owosso. A grand old building in very good shape. The inset is of the cornerstone.

And finally, I happened across an old three story industrial building on the near northwest side of Owosso and this was one of the entrances to the building. This building appeared to be abandoned as there were broken windows in the upper floors but it also appeared to have some businesses that were active. Another grand old building that hopefully will be preserved.

All three of these were in a Hand book journal with Pitt artists pen and some Tombow brush pen for shading.

If anyone is in the area of Owosso Michigan and have some time to explore and maybe sketch or photograph there is lots to see. Some of the most fantastic old houses with grand pillars and columns and huge front porches are there and if it's old industrial buildings that you want to see, they are there too.

Switch at Manistique, Michigan

2008-10-26T14:06:00.005-04:00

A sketch from one of my photos taken while in the upper peninsula of Michigan a week ago. This switch is at Manistique and is just east of the old railroad depot. Hand book journal, Pitt pens and watercolor

Old signage

2008-09-25T09:54:00.005-04:00

I was looking in an old sketchbook for blank pages to do a sketch for a commission peice and I came across this old sketch. Not sure how old it is but thought I'd post it anyway. This was in downtown Lansing Michigan. The store has been closed for a year or more now and the sign is long gone. The old cityscapes are rapidly disapearing.

EDM #105

2008-09-22T07:24:00.004-04:00

EDM challenge #105, draw sissors. This is my work shears. They cut everything from paper to picture hanging wire. Cutting edge, don't you think? Pitt pens in hand book journal.

EDM #189

2008-09-15T19:05:00.002-04:00

EDM challenge #189, draw a razor. Hope this will "sharpen" my skills.

Another cityscape

2008-09-15T16:46:00.005-04:00

This is a sketch of my mind. Or at least what is in my mind? OK, this is a cityscape that I just drew. Have no idea if it is real or not but I just sat down with the sketchbook and started. Hand Book Journal, Pitt pen and Tombow gray scale brush pens.

EDM # 37 and more

2008-09-13T16:45:00.004-04:00

EDM #37 Draw some keys. What else could I say except that realism was key to this drawing.
EDM # 152, Draw a nut. This next sketch is just something I dreamed up. I was just drawing and this is what turned up on my paper. When I finished this I didn't like it so never bothered to scan it. But now, amost two months later it looks a lot better to me.

And this is the locomotive that pulls the dinner train in Charlotte Michigan. It was tied up on a siding plugged in and hooked to five or six dining cars. I'm told that this is an old GE switcher locomotive but don't know that for sure.

EDM #19

2008-08-28T07:40:00.006-04:00

EDM challenge # 19 was "draw something you've made". Well this is kind of reverse as the sketch of the chair was done sometime in June of this year in anticipation of building it for my January show with Terry Junger at the East Lansing Library. This is very unusual for me to draw out something on paper and then build it. The usual is to sketch it in chalk or soapstone on the layout table or the floor of the shop and then build from that. The chair has been built and the photo below is what the final product looks like. It needed to be put inside a cabinet for the show and turned out to be too big. It stands almost six feet tall. Hmmmmmmmmm. So it now resides at the Shiawassee Art Center in Owosso, Michigan. They have a fantastic new addition to their building with more room for exhibitions and artworks for sale.

EDM #141

2008-08-24T18:30:00.004-04:00

EDM challenge #141, draw something with bristles. How about two somethings? A draftsmans brush lying over a 4" pure bristle brush. I'm not sure why I have the 4" brush. Don't ever remember planning to paint that large. Usually use it to dust. Any way, here they are, bristling to be used.

EDM #131

2008-08-20T21:47:00.004-04:00

EDM challenge #131, draw a spray bottle. This little bottle was the one I used back when I was trying my hand a watercolor painting. It also got used a few times to spray water under a buffer when polishing my truck. It hasn't been used for a while. Pitt pens, Hand Book Journal.

Quilt rack

2008-08-19T07:33:00.005-04:00

This is a sketch of a quilt rack for a client. She wants a narrow unit with just two bars. Haven't shown it to her yet but will as soon as I do a write up about dimensions and pricing. Pitt sepia pen on sketchbook.

EDM #164, etal

2008-08-16T20:02:00.003-04:00

EDM #164, draw a camera. This is my Canon 2000 film camera. I still shoot film but do have a small digital camera to get photos of my work to put on the web site, thayerhouse.com. A lot of years ago I wanted to be a photographer but never had the push or the means to buy good equipment. Over the years I've been able to acquire some good camera equipment and I now have a little more time to learn to shoot film. Pitt sepia pen in Hand Book Journal.
This signal is on the Canadian National system and was drawn from a reference photo. Pitt pen in Hand Book Journal
This is the entrance to the Japanese Garden at Michigan State University. Inside it is a very tranquil place. A really nice spot to sit and watch the world go by. Pitt pen with watercolor in a Hand Book Journal.

Vanity mirror

2008-08-13T16:17:00.003-04:00

Not quite as old as last time. This is a sketch I did for a small table top vanity mirror. I think it was going to be in my show in January but I now know that it won't be. It's not as exciting now that I've looked at it some time later.

Yet another old sketch

2008-08-11T07:00:00.004-04:00

This was done in the bleacher stands at the fairgrounds in Troy Ohio. The event was the Souther n Ohio Forge and Anvil blacksmith group Quad State Roundup. A gathering of 500 or so folks interested in blacksmithing with several demonstrators and lots of junk ............ used parts and equipment sales. These people were watching a demonstration.

International Harvester Shop Mule

2008-08-09T15:17:00.003-04:00

Another one from my older sketchbooks. This little tractor was used in a factory to pull carts of materials and such. Built by International Harvester in 1945.

Rumley Oil Pull

2008-08-07T07:15:00.002-04:00

This is an old sketch of a Rumley Oil Pull tractor. As I come across sketches in some of my older sketchbooks I'll put them up on this blog.

Every Day Matters #s120 and 182

2008-08-03T18:55:00.004-04:00

This first sketch is of a rechargable flashlight that never works. But, it made for good subject material for this EDM challenge.
This EDM challenge, number 182, draw a truck was an especially easy one for me. This is my truck. A 1991 Ford F-150 with 144,000 miles or so and in very good shape. This truck will be 18 on September 21 of this year and it has been a very good vehicle. When I bought it I had it rustproofed and received a lifetime warranty for rust. So far the warranty has replaced both sides of the box, both cab corners and the tailgate. It is starting to get some rust on the front fenders and it will be time soon to see if the warranty is still good. I suspect that I may be the last one in this country with this warranty. We'll see

A day in the park

2008-07-26T13:44:00.006-04:00

This first image above was done at Michigan State University gardens on the south side of the CN tracks. This is the first sketch in my new Hand Book Journal 8.25" x 5.5". It also has a red cover if anyone is interested. Seems like this is going to be my favorite size as it was very comfortable to use. I sat on a similar bench to do this sketch and it was in the shade with a cool breeze. So it was a fantastic day. A new sketchbook, a light lunch in the park and railroad tracks about 30 feet away with a couple of trains going by while I was there. It don't get much better.

This next image was done in a Hand Book Journal 5.5" x 8.25" landscape sketchbook. The wheel crane was sitting at the construction site where they are bridging CSX tracks over Farm Lane south of the MSU campus. No trains while I was there but I did find a nice shade tree to park under. More later.

An award

2008-07-25T19:19:00.003-04:00

Thank you to Sue from Maine for this award. The rules of acceptance are; 1. Put the logo on your blog. 2. Add a link to the person who awarded you. 3. Nominate 7 other blogs. 4. Add links to those blogs on yours. 5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs. So here are my seven nominees. Some may have already been presented with this award so for those artists I am confirming the nonination. There are so many talented artists whose blogs I have read and check on a daily basis. If it were possible I would send this award to them all.

Sketch of the Day - Stephen Gardner

Pencil-Paper-Paint

Paper and Threads

Madison, Indiana

2008-07-21T20:22:00.004-04:00

This sketch is from a photograph I shot several years ago. Somewhere I have a watercolor painting of this streetscape on a half sheet of paper. Haven't seen in a while. Probably stored away. We go thru Madison quite often seems like. There is a bridge crossing the Ohio River there. I'm working here in a Hand Book Journal, 8 x 5.5 portrait sketchbook. I like the tooth of the paper in these books And they do take a watercolor wash fairly well although the pages do curl and stay that way even afetr the book has been closed for a while. Used a Pitt "S" black pen.

Another Oldtown Lansing

2008-07-16T07:19:00.003-04:00

This sketch is of a block of buildings in Oldtown Lansing, Michigan. I did this one from a photograph that I shot several years ago with the intention of doing a watercolor painting. That never happened. I am happy to say that this sketch is the last one in this sketchbook. The next "new" sketchbook will be a Hand Book Journal 8.5 x 5.5 with a red cover. Stay tuned.

Something old

2008-07-12T11:06:00.005-04:00

This sketch is from an old sketchbook. December of 2005 to be exact. I really liked this so it seemed like the right thing to do adding it here.

A lazy summer Sunday

2008-07-06T16:22:00.007-04:00

Sunday afternoon was spent sketching for a while. On our table on the deck is the essentials of outdoor living. The radio and a can of hornet spray. The hornets aren't too bad right now. I think it's because we got the early nest builders in the spring. Over the years I've really enjoyed listening to radio on summer Sundays. Tuned to WJR in Detroit. Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey giving us the play by play of the Tigers. Always had a radio on in the garage and the deck so I was always within earshot of the ballgame. Enjoy the day.

Happy Fourth of July 2008

2008-07-04T19:01:00.006-04:00

Had time today to do a quick sketch and then give it some color. The umbrella really isn't red, white and blue so through the magic of watercolor it is now very patriotic.

EDM # 13 plus

2008-07-01T19:27:00.003-04:00

The EDM challenge #13 was to darw your phone. So here it is. I'm fairly happy with thid sketch. Would of added color but the phone is black so the only color to show is the red light. This next sketch is of my new stool. Found this in a sporting goods store for $7. Quite a sturdy little stool. Have also bought one that breaks down to the size of a travel umbrella. It was a few dollars more but it will fit easily in my back pack.

International Sketch Crawl

2008-06-21T16:33:00.004-04:00

My first Sketch Crawl and not a bad day. Was out most of the day and managed five sketches. Didn't see anyone else participating though. Would of been fun to do with a few friends. Anyway, here they are.

This first one is of the unloading chute on the old Lansing Ice & Fuel coal silos just south of Old Town in Lansing. My attempt at color may be a bit lame but I think it helps.

This next one is also of the old coal silos. There are two sets of four silos each here. The track for loading the silos from rail cars is still on top of these silos. There is a lot of brush grown up around them. They probably haven't been used for thirty years or more.

In the same area as the silos is the Brenke fish ladder. This building sits on top of it and probably has control valves in it.

This building is located on North Capitol Avenue in Lansing and is on the campus of Lansing Community College. There are two of the grand old houses and they are used as office space for the college. This sketch doesn't do this house justice. I will be going back again to do another view and try to get a better sketch. All I need is practice.

This last sketch is in downtown Lansing. It is looking southwest at the backs of the buildings in the 100 block of South Washington Avenue and the 100 block of East Allegan Street. Also added the buildings in the distance that were visible to make a cityscape. Did this in a parking lot and wasn't comfortable standing outside so I sat in the van and drew. Good thing it was Saturday. During the week this lot would have been full and I couldn't of parked there.

So that's it for my first Sketch Crawl. Looking forward to the next one.

Tipton, Indiana

2008-06-05T08:54:00.010-04:00

We were on a short trip this past weekend to Tipton Indiana. The Indiana Blacksmithing Association puts on an annual confrence every year at the 4H fair grounds. The first sketch is of a stone building that is in a park close to the fair grounds. I was able to pull up my folding chair and sit in the shade of a massive oak tree and sketch.

The next drawing is of one of the 4H livestock buildings on the fair grounds. This building had a couple of the confrence attendees camping in the stalls. They were dry when it rained. Seems like I need to work on contrast in my sketches. The dark shading doesn't really indicate a dark area in the building.

The next sketches are of some of the equipment that the demonstrators were using. An old post vice, an older anvil and probably an even older 25 pound Little Giant power hammer. If you look closely at the power hammer you'll notice that things don't line up well. The horizontal shaft and the vertical hammer over the anvil section is off a bit but you get the idea.

The last sketch is of a gate and gateway that I have built for a client. These folks will have four of my gates in their yard. At this writing this unit is still in my shop, just painted and will go to the client in a few days.

EDM #6 and #7

2008-05-27T22:12:00.011-04:00

This is getting to be a habit. Two sketches from the EDM list in one evening. I think I'm liking this. The first, EDM #7, draw a bottle, jar or tin from the kitchen. Black pepper was the first thing I came to. Drawn with a Pitt pen and a little watercolor and then some highlighting with a Tombow brush pen. The second sketch, EDM #6, a favorite well loved object or childhood toy. I really had a lot of fun with my old Radio Flyer wagon. Was going to add some red watercolor but as I remember it there was more rust than paint. This one was done with the Pilot Precise roller ball pen and some highlighting with the Tombow brush pen. More later.

New sketchbooks

2008-05-26T16:21:00.003-04:00

I ordered these new Handbook Journal sketchbooks from Dick Blick. I do like these books. The paper has a fantastic tooth and will take a light watercolor wash nicely.

The pens didn't come with them. Just some that I have and thought they would add interest to the picture. Although I did recently buy a new Pitt artist pen. Had no idea that they were so smooth to use. Almost like using a rollerball pen.

Sunday again?

2008-05-25T18:12:00.012-04:00

Didn't get to draw today. Too much to get done outdoors. What a beautiful day it was. Tomorrow is a rain day, or supposed to be, and it's Memorial Day. I will work for a bit in my shop to try to move a large project to completion and have it ready for paint on Tuesday morning. But I should have time to sketch for a bit. We went yesterday to the cemetery where my folks are buried to plant some flowers. Now I wish I had of taken the time to sketch the headstone with the flag flying beside it for my dad. He was a veteran of WW I. Any way, I've added five sketches here today. Some older and some fairly recent. Hope you enjoy them. This first one was done one evening while sitting watching television. It is just something that was in my imagination. It was done in a brand new Handbook Journal sketchbook. I really like the tooth of the paper in these books. The next one is also just an imagination out of control. Have no idea if this is something I once saw or what is going on. And does 907 have a significance? I really don't know. The next one is possibly the design drawing for my next sculpture piece. I guess time will tell if it really happens. Then after that is a sketch from works shown in Anvil's Ring magazine. That is one publication of Artists Blacksmiths Association of North America, ABANA. This was one of the vertical elements in a stairway railing. This has a lot of design appeal to me and will give me some inspiration for a sculpture piece someday. The final sketch was of a tape and clip and pencil laying on my drawing board. It was done with a Pitt Brush Pen. Fun to work with from time to time. More later.

A lazy sort of day

2008-05-20T16:52:00.005-04:00

Had to deliver some finished work this morning. Then that was the extent of my "work" day. Spent some time on the campus of MSU at the gardens. At the area I was in there are two main line railroad tracks. CSX and Canadian National. CN's double tracks run thru the gardens. They are moving the tracks of both railroads to build bridges to take Farm Lane under the trains. Quite an operation. Thought maybe I might see a train or two coming thru the construction but never did. While I waited I sketched this gazebo. It is in bad shape and I didn't add the yellow caution tape that it was wrapped in. This will be a great place to watch trains and to sketch. There are a lot of structures in this garden. So all in all it was a somewhat lazy day. Looking forward to more just like it.

Everyday Matters #5 et al

2008-05-18T15:38:00.018-04:00

Well, here's EDM #5, "Draw Your Bed". Still trying to get the hang of color. I hope that if I keep at it I'll improve. Seems though that I forgot a very important part of this sketch. The cat sleeping on the bed. She "mornings" here and in a chair in the afternoon.

These next two sketches were done yesterday also. I was asked to do a blacksmithing demonstration on the lawn of the Howell Michigan library for Howell History Days. After I had set up my shop I still had an hour or so before time to start and I was wishing I had brought a sketchbook. Then I realized I HAD a sketchbook with me. I usually carry a 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 Moleskine gridded notebook so I took it out and sketched what I saw from my set up. The closest building in the first sketch is the Howell Opera House. It is now owned by the Livingston County Art League and is used as a gallery for the group and for special events. I grew up in the Howell area in the 50s and early 60's and had no idea that this was an "opera house". I had only known it as "Suttons Hardware". And it was a hardware store until maybe ten years ago. The second sketch, the old Howell fire truck, was also on the lawn not too far from me. Someone pointed out that maybe it was there for a reason other than display since I was using a coal forge in my demo. There's always a comedian in every group. Both of these sketches were done with a blue ink ball point pen. I'm really getting to like using a smaller sketchbook. Seems like I can fill a page easier and with a little better detail. We'll see as time goes along.

Just catching up a bit

2008-05-13T16:42:00.008-04:00

Been really busy the last few days. I'm working on a commission peice that is within about eight hours of completion. But I'm going to post a few sketches at once here. The first one will be EDM challenge # 2. a desk lamp. This isn't my lamp or office. It's just what I pictured it to be.

The next sketch is of the top of our entertainment center. I added a little watercolor to it but I need a lot of work on the "color" part.

The last sketch is EDM # 4, darw your cup or mug. Not my best effort but at least I put ink on paper. The cup is from a swing dance convention that my wife Patty and I attend in March. We've done this event for ten years now. The event is put on by the "Steel City Boogie Club" and is at a hotel near the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania airport. Hence the name, "Boogie in the Burgh". More later. Want to try to getb thru another sketch or two this evening.

Sunday kind of day

2008-05-04T16:04:00.007-04:00

Actually it is Sunday and I'm trying to get ready for tomorrow. I think I have everything loaded that I need to deliver to clients and a new show. I'm showing some of my steel work in the window of The State News in East Lansing Michigan with mixed media artist Terry Junger. But I did have time today to draw the EDM challenge #3, a wallet. My wallet. Even had a dollar bill for a go by. Tried my hand at adding some watercolor. Didn't think it turned out too bad. But the idea here is to "DRAW".

Saturday afternoon

2008-05-03T15:39:00.005-04:00

Saturday afternoon and I haven't drawn anything yet today. The picture at the left was drawn a few days ago and is of the first flowers cut from my wife Patty's gardens. What kind are they? I know they're flowers and that is the extent of my knowledge. This was done in a 5" x 8" sketchbook. Over the years when I've bought new sketchbooks it was always 8x10 or 9x12 but I'm now finding that the smaller books are far easier to use. Probably because there is a lot less "blank paper" staring back at me. If I do any today I'll add it to this post. If not .............. I'll see you all the next time.

Here we go

2008-05-02T13:55:00.001-04:00

With any luck at all I will create here a blog of my sketches and hopefully will add to it most every day. This sketch is of two CSX locomotives parked on a siding into the ADM grain facility at Webberville. They leave locomotives on this siding quite often and I have lots of opportunity for photographing them. This was done in pencil and is 8" x 10" in size.