Category: Drawings
I love sketching on location in Europe. Little details abound everywhere you turn. This year has been a whirlwind of inspiration and impressions. Although I haven’t had much time to paint since I’ve been on the road continuously (for just about a year now), I’ve been sketching and doing lots of creative writing along the way. Best of all, I was recently granted another opportunity to travel back to Europe (3rd time in one year)! Here’s a sketch from Vienna, Austria.
Stockholm is perfect for wandering and sketching. These were done in Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s old town district.
Stará radnica, the old town hall, Bratislava, Slovakia.
These sketches come from lovely Helsinki, Finland!
I’ve been wanting to visit Helsinki for a while, and took the long route through Scandinavia to arrive here (traveling all throughout Norway, then into Sweden, before boarding a boat from Stockholm to Tallinn, Estonia, and finally taking a ferry over to Helsinki, where I got an apartment and stayed for a bit. I love the vibe of Helsinki—it’s very artistic and designy, and completely inspirational.
Happy December!! I’ve finally had a minute on this wild tour of Europe to scan in a couple pages from my sketchbook! I was very inspired by the elaborate puppets at the Estonian Museum of Puppet Arts, which had not just puppets, but a puppet making workshop, artisan studios, and a puppet theater with really cool live performances.
You can also see photos from the puppet museum here, and read all about Tallinn here.
Specs: Pen & Ink, 50 minutes.
Location: Denver, Colorado.
This cool little glove shop was tucked into the corner of an old stone building on Via de’ Lamberti in the heart of Florence, facing Orsanmichele church. Loved the look of these leather gloves displayed on wooden faux hands!
Location: Florence, Italy.
I had heard great things about Lucca, a Tuscan fortress city surrounded by medieval walls near Pisa, Italy. The city was as charming as I was expecting to be, and had a great small town flavor.
One small detail I noticed right away were the windows. In Florence they are all rectangular for the most part. But here in Lucca, they were all rounded at the tops. I love Italian windows, almost always comprised of green shutters on yellow unwashed walls. (This one was no exception.)
My latest commissioned illustration project is a book cover for the novel Night Terrors, coming out later this year. Set in south Louisiana, it’s a literary gothic story filled with intrigue and romance. My rough sketch features the novel’s beautiful main character, set in a dilapidated plantation home. The whole thing is framed by a giant oak tree, giving the drawing a surreal, dreamy mood.
From this rough sketch I’ll be painting a full-blown painting next for the cover art. Loving this project so far!
Gayle Wheatley | colored pencil and graphite on paper
I love eating! And I love drawing my food. I am kind of a freak about it. Must run in the family because my sis is the same way! She runs the food blog, eat | food | yum, by the way. Together we are food-documenting fiends. These sketches resulted from my portion of our lunch together.
For lunch?
Nachos
served with corn and black bean salsa, jalapenos, cheese and a side of salsa
Smoked Salmon
capers, red onions, and goat cheese
Brownie (really a rich, fudgy cake)
with berry sauce, whipped cream and fresh berries
and….the best beer I’ve ever had—it was a pumpkin beer!!! Yum.
I’m currently working on an illustration for Whole Life Times Magazine illustrating an article about healing sessions taking place around Los Angeles that begin with cocktails! It’s been such a fun assignment, getting to draw sophisticated socialites that can float cocktails in the air, have third eyes, and will have glowing auras once I add color! —G
