I know, it’s Monday, but here’s my sketchbook from Paris. My niece met me there after my week in the Netherlands and we spent our time walking around and taking in everything we could. Also eating. Lots of eating.
If you want to see the Netherlands sketchbook, it’s here.
As with all the galleries, if you click on the image when it’s enlarged, the caption will disappear/reappear as you like.
So, yeah, when buying my plane ticket to Paris, I couldn't pick Ms.! What's up with that? The page connected is probably my favorite sketch of the entire trip. It doesn't look like much, but I love the story behind it. I had been telling my niece about how in Holland, they eat fries with mayonnaise and their mayonnaise is amazing. Much better than American mayo. It's not the healthiest thing, obviously, but what are you gonna do? Wanting to get down with new experience our first night in Paris, Elizabeth politely asked for a cup of mayo. The server, eager to please, dutifully brought back a cup of mayo packets. It still makes me laugh.
My first morning in Paris I had my new favorite tea and a baguette for breakfast. I love the different designs in the street so I took several pictures, thinking I would fill the back grounds of my sketches with the patterns. This is the only attempt.
Towards the end of the day, after the Louvre and walking around the shopping center attached, I sat and waited while Elizabeth grabbed some dinner. The lower right sketch is a small group waiting in line for food at another restaurant.
This was a delicious place for breakfast, especially if you are not enjoying wonderful croissants and coffee. Personally, I don't know why you wouldn't, but maybe you want to mix it up. It was a tiny and very loud place, but the servers were the friendliest.
This may be my favorite technical sketch of the trip.
On the train back from Giverny, I took the opportunity of a trapped subject and tried a quick portrait of Elizabeth.
My niece and I ventured to another garden and I made the sacrifice to draw plants and the outside of the main greenhouse. I did notice how happy sketching makes me while doing this, even though it's not even close to my favorite subject. This was the 3rd garden we'd been to, but put a pencil and sketchbook in my hand and I'm set.
I looked forward to this sketch the whole time I was there. I loved riding the metro and walking the tunnels. I found out this is definitely not the sketchbook for watercolor washes, though. Maybe I'll sketch it again some day on better paper or maybe I won't. It's good enough to bring back the memories.
I think my absolute favorite moment of the trip was when I finally got to ride a lime scooter down the street. Elizabeth was too scared at any other point and did not join me this time. I have some back issues and this was a rather arduous day so I had hoped I could just ride slowly next to her as she walked. That was not the case. Those suckers are fast. I was grateful for the short time I rode it, but couldn't leave her to fend for herself.