South By Southwest (SxSW '10)

South by Southwest (SxSW) is one of the most fun music festivals in the world, and it happens right here in Austin. This year, the only performing band I really wanted to see was Athlete, an indie band from London whom I had started following in 2006. I really wanted to see them perform, so I accordingly made my way to the Billboard.com Bungalow on 6th St in downtown Austin. They came on at 10pm. There were just two of them, lead vocalist Joel Pott and bassist Carey Willetts performing; the rest were on their way over, I believe. But I was standing right in front, so it was fabulous! I got to see them up close, and they even sang one of my favorite songs, Wires. I managed to draw Joel Pott real quick, even though it didn't look anything like him by the time I was done with it. Still, here it is:

Sowmya's Kitchen

Last Monday, I was invited to my coworker, Sowmya's house for dinner. I went over right after work, and sat at her kitchen counter and talked, while she chopped up vegetables and cooked. I was at first checking my emails on my laptop, but once that was done, and I was talking to her, I noticed the beautiful granite countertop, and the unusual angles where I was sitting, so of course I had to draw it! Here it is:

At Starbucks

There's one of the ubiquitous Starbucks right opposite my apartment. I like this particular one because it looks more like a cafe with plenty of outdoor seating, and the location in a spacious, open, upscale shopping area. I went there recently after a long day at work to detox with some soothing Earl Grey tea. While there, I drew the seating area outside, a man talking animatedly with his friend, and my cup of tea. I wanted to draw more, but I had finished my tea, and there were customers looking for a place to sit (and I didn't want to be kicked out ignominiously), so I packed up and left. Here are the sketches from that day.

Arboretum Courtyard

The Arboretum is a small area in Northwest Austin, in the Great Hills subdivision. It's set amidst the beautiful background of the rolling hills of Texas Hill Country, and upscale shopping complexes. One of these, simply called 'The Arboretum', is the one I frequent the most owing to its roster of shops containing Barnes & Noble. This complex also has a hidden courtyard, that backs out onto impressive views of the hill country. There are a couple of stone oxen (or bulls), on which kids clamber on and play. There's also a big fountain, and small seating areas. I love sitting there, usually eating something from the nearby Amy's Ice Cream or Thundercloud Subs. I went there last week, and decided to draw the fountain, and part of the view. Here it is:

Inside my apartment

I made these quick sketches of the inside of my apartment recently -- one of my "reading nook", as I like to call it, and one of my couch, facing the fireplace. The reading nook is right by the glass doors that lead to the patio, and is a wonderful place to sit and read. The chair is a rocking chair, and there's a bookshelf right above that holds maybe 10 books. It's lovely in the daytime, with sunlight streaming in -- and at night, there's the reading lamp!

Introduction

Just an introduction! I have for some time played with the idea of opening a dedicated art blog. I took a lot of inspiration from Urban Sketchers, and finally -- here is the product. My first art blog. I hope to publish my drawings, paintings and sketches as I make them. I am not sure how regular I will be, but I will try my best to update!
To get started, here is my latest drawing -- a sketch of my favorite cricketer, Shane Bond.