No. 33: Abandoned or Lost on the Sidewalks of NYC

A repetitive theme that shows up on the pages of my sketch journal. Be sure to read to the end for classes and events.

While walking through Soho with my family, my father and I both spot this abandoned piece of poster-board with a nice reminder spray painted on it. We each stopped to take a photograph.

There are so many things left on the sidewalks of New York City. I don’t always draw what I see, but sometimes spotting interesting items help to shape and tell a story about my days. Here are a handful of things that I have seen at my feet while moving around the city.

A bright red hat on the sidewalk in Brooklyn near the gym, and a pigeon strolls by just as I snap a photograph.

A lost bag of cereal spotted right outside of the local playground. The snack brings me back to when my boys were small and I would pack cereal in baggies.

I walked for miles this day. I walked and walked trying to decompress and think through a stressful situation. At one point I look down and see some cigarette butts lying around a bunch of cracks in the sidewalk. The grit of the city at my feet.

This lost polaroid was left for me to find on the route to my studio a few years ago. I stuck it in my wallet and it is still there today. It is a blurred image of the Brooklyn Bridge that felt like a small gift from a stranger

Spotted on a sunny day, sitting outside of the subway stop in DUMBO. These little shoes had seen better days, so I imagine the small owner wasn’t too sad to let them go.

One morning my son and I see a bat on the sidewalk. We didn’t think it was real because of the way it was moving. We were both startled and very confused. I snapped a photo to draw it in my sketchbook and later realized that I should have called a place like Gotham Bat Conservancy to help the little guy. I hope someone else knew to help because I walked back a little while later and the bat was gone.

Two unmatched stiletto heels at my feet while walking through the Lower East Side. I wrote about this moment in an earlier post.

Another lost snack. A perfect round orange on the sidewalk in Brooklyn Heights just off of Orange Street.

When you document your days there will inevitably be recurring themes. It is always an exciting challenge for me to think of ways to record my daily adventures by looking at the smallest details and figuring out how and if they tell a bigger story?

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The Next Draw Your World Meet-Up

The last meet-up was so much fun. And the work created was amazing and so varied. If you are a paid subscriber and missed it, send me a message and I will share the recording.

The next meet-up will be on Friday, March 22nd from 4-5:30pm. We will have a very special guest, Richard Haines, an amazing fashion illustrator and fine artist who lives in Brooklyn. Link to rsvp will be sent in the subscriber chat.

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Stationery Fest!

I am so excited to announce that I will be teaching two workshops this summer, August 8 and 9, at Stationery Fest in Brooklyn. I am ironing out the details with Daisy from Yoseka in the coming weeks, but stay tuned for signup information. There will be limited spots each day. All participants will get a full package of supplies from my favorite brands, like Caran d’Ache, Sakura of America, Blackwing, and Derwent.

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Save the date for my next class with Derwent that will be on April 19th at 2pm EST. This class we will be sketching and painting our coffees - the cups and the patterns in latte/cappuccino.

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My newest Skillshare class is now available to watch

Drawing Everyday: Using Shape & Light to Paint Everyday Subjects
This class is designed to help you think differently about “harder” subjects, and help you see that anything you decide to draw can be broken down into simple shape and form in order to get you started and less afraid. We start with a few technical exercises, and then by sharing some examples of my work as well as other artists work, we will discuss how to break everyday subjects down first by using some tracing paper, and then by using pencil and paint. By the end you will see your subjects with new eyes, and hopefully with less fear, and ultimately be able to create some beautiful pieces of art with more confidence.

You can now join Skillshare month-to-month or yearly. Check out the newest class here!

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Ambassador and Affiliate Codes

If you’d like to try out Blackwing pencils or just order some new items, please shop using this unique link: blackwing602.com/sdionbaker. When you purchase using my link, there’s no additional cost to you and I earn a small commission. I appreciate your support!

A new affiliate of mine is Soumkine in Paris. Their stationery, journals, and sketchbooks are so beautiful. Click here to shop.

All Canvas lights and accessories are 10% off with my discount code: SDB10.

All of my books can be purchased here!