Ottawa Alley Project Recap

Artist/illustrator Colin White conceptualized an Ottawa "Alley Project" after leading an Ottawa Jane's Walk  called "Illustrating Change on Bank St." with Liam Mooney.

In early summer, Colin organized group sketching sessions that were both supportive and social. These sessions have become, for me, a welcomed weekly sketching evening in the company of some incredibly talented Ottawa artists.  

The Week 1 Alley sketchers

Below is a brief recap of some of the places we have sketched, some of the tweets we shared and some scans of sketches in my art journal.

Alley Project - Week 6 - Glebe

Beautiful laneway with majestic pine and interesting garage in the Glebe
(My art journal - mixed media - 100% cotton paper )

Interior of burnt out building on Bank at 5th Ave
(My art journal - mixed media - 100% cotton paper )

Roof detail of burnt building
(My art journal - mixed media - 100% cotton paper )

Alley Project - Week 5 - Vanier

Horse cart and trailer in Vanier laneway
(My art journal - graphite wash and watercolour - 100% cotton paper )

Bike Tune-up shop in Vanier
(My art journal - mixed media - 100% cotton paper )

Alley Project - Week 4 - Chinatown

Alley Project - Week 3  - Hintonburg

Alley Project - Week 2 - James St

Alleyway west of Bank
(My art journal - ink/watercolour - 100% cotton paper )

Alley detail - behind Buzz restaurant
(My art journal - ink/watercolour - 100% cotton paper )

Alley Project - Week 1 - Jack Purcell

Alley west of Elgin (near Jack Purcell)
(My art journal - ink/watercolour - 100% cotton paper )

Alley west of Elgin (near Jack Purcell)
(My art journal - ink/watercolour - 100% cotton paper )

Christening a New Art Journal in Ottawa's Chinatown:

I finished my third Strathmore Mixed Media 500 Series softcover art journal since discovering it in May 2014. It has been wonderful to work with for all the reasons I have written about on my blog before (see my blog posts tagged "Strathmore" here)

I christened my new  hardcover Mixed Media 500 Series at our urban sketching meet up (Week 4) organized by artist Colin White in Ottawa's Chinatown alleyways last night.

Mawt Trood's Tweet

Chinatown is such a great place to visit and sketch! The alleys are full of activity and so interesting to sketch. I would gladly go back again.

My new art journal did not disappoint me.

New art journal christening in the alleys
of Ottawa's Chinatown

I chose the hardcover version of this 100% cotton mixed media journal after watching a great video posted by Parka blogs  "Tips on choosing a sketchbook for drawing, journaling or watercolour". (Follow Parka blog on twitter and/or subscribe to his email updates here)

Parka blogs writes: Paperback or hardcover

"I highly recommend getting hardcover over paperback. The hard back provides support when you're drawing. Hardcovers are good for indoor and outdoor use. You can stand and draw with a hardcover sketchbook easily compared to a paperback. When you're drawing or painting on a paperback, especially when the sketchbook is not laid against a hard surface like a table, your applied stroke will push the pages away, and it can get challenging to control your lines when the drawing surface is always moving away."

Here is my last art journal, Strathmore #3, now labelled and on the shelf. (I have also added videos of the previous two journals Strathmore #1 and Strathmore #2)

July 2015 -  Strathmore #3 

 

January 2015 - Strathmore #2 

   

 July 2014 - Strathmore #1

I am quite excited about this new hard cover Strathmore art journal and some of the new projects that it will record over the rest of this summer!

Some of My 

Pre-Strathmore Series 500 Mixed Media Art Journals

My 2008-2013 Art Journals