On Sunday I joined watercolor artist Susan Abbott and tour leader Karen Kane for a day of sketching with their group.
1st stop was the Promenade Plantée, a green walkway built over the Viaduct des Arts in 1993 and a model for NYC's similar High Line.
Our group of 14 students plunged in to do blind contour drawings of the magnificent greenery.
The Promenade is in the 12 arrondissement and surrounded by Baron Haussmann architecture(some of which you can see right in the windows). Don't ask me why I've never been up here but I'll be back. It feels like you're out in the country.
The flowers and greenery are not formally arranged
Amy G.'s perfect blind contour - you're to focus on the object, never your paper.
It was a short walk over to Marché d'Aligre. We had an assignment to find 6 things.
By 'find' Susan meant for us to draw them. One item being something red.
She did not say we were to buy or eat them (my raspberries are gone). Oh well my 1st day sketching. I need practice..
We were to find something to wear on our list. There's a flea market at d'Aligre on Sundays. Fortunately I just looked and did not buy.
Find something to eat inside the covered market. I found red cherry jam. Gone.
We met back at the fountain inside and took off for lunch.
La Square Trousseau is nearby and perfect for Sunday lunch.
1, rue Antoine Vollon 75012
I had a blanquette de veau
Susanhad the seared Salmon
We all shared lemon meringue tarte, raspberries, & chocolate mousse.
Some people can not leave their water glass alone, even though chalk was provided and the tablecloth was paper just waiting to be drawn on
Time to pass around our sketchbooks.
One of our finds was a bit of paper on the ground we could thencollage onto our sketches. A glue stick was passed around
Julee P.'s sketches.
Instructor Susan Abbott is a pro at this.
Susan's sketch pages from the Luxembourg gardens
I was inspired to go the following day to sketch
Susan paints in the gardens at every opportunity
I had high hopes of doing the same but my focus is easily distracted. Still it was a wonderful day and I've promised myself I'll go back to marché d'Aligre to draw ✏️& not eat.
Thank you Susan & Karen for letting me tag along!!
