DRAWINGS

MY GRAND EUROPEAN CRUISE

On August 2, 2013 I started this wonderful European River Cruise with my lifelong friend, Billie Salzman. We arrived in Amsterdam and boarded the Viking Longship, Embla. This was our home for the next 14 days. This wonderful trip was given to me by my family for my 80th Birthday.
As a thank you to them, in my small way, I tried to do a pencil drawing of a special
site from a village, castle, church or scene.
I did six pencil drawings and after getting home I colorized them. I also, printed them and made note cards that are suitable for framing. These are posted on my Etsy site.
www.etsy.com   then just type in Schawk Shoppe.
The first drawing is Kinderdijk Windmill. In South Holland they have these beautiful windmills that are for reclaiming the land. On the back of each note card there is an explanation of the site.

As we cruised along the Rhine River the scenes on either side were always filled with sites of ancient medieval ruins, flowing vineyards, churches and quaint half-timber homes.

We  passed Düsseldorf, stopped in Cologne, passed Bonn and stopped in Koblenz. 

Starting out the next morning we passed this beautiful castle in Marksburg.

After Marksburg we pass Rüdesheim. On board, the Cruise line treated us to the Rüdesheim Coffee.

3 brown sugar cubes, shot of Asbach Uralt, Coffee, Whipped Cream and Chocolate shavings. Ummm.

 We diverted from the Rhine and entered the Main which then connected with the Danube.

We went through 33 locks before reaching the quaint city of Bamburg.

As we continued to sail upstream we stopped in Regensburg. My friend and I visited the Trinity Lutheran Church. This church, to me, is now known as the church that "will bring you to your knees"

We decided to climb the steps to look at the inside of the church.  It was a strong contrast to all the Catholic Cathedrals and churches we have seen, due to the starkness and simplicity.

However, on the way out I missed seeing the 4" drop in flooring and went flying. Landed on my bad knee and ultimately found that I had broken my knee cap and part of it dislocated.

(another story for another time)

The church was built in 1586

Well, the rest of my trip was confined to on board in a wheelchair, this helped me focus on getting my drawings completed. Actually, it wasn't all that bad recuperating (at this time, we did not know there was a break. The hospital x-rays claimed no break, bad contusion). I enjoyed the cruise line hospitality and beautiful scenery. After missing Vienna and the evening concert we sailed on to Budapest.

Aha, something I never knew, these are two cities, one on each side of the Danube.

Here we have the Chain Bridge that links these cities together. Buda is on the left and Pest on the right.

Viewing the Buda side from the ship which was docked along the Pest, we clearly have a view of Matthias Catholic Church. 

Hope you enjoyed the tour. I highly recommend Viking River Cruises. 

If you are interested in purchasing these scenes in note card format (5 x7 and suitable for framing) you can visit my shop on Etsy. www.etsy.com    as Schawk Shoppe

PENCIL DRAWINGS

Five pencil drawings were made while on a River Cruise on the Danube. They were made first with black pencil, then colored with color pencils. The desire to make these drawings was to give each of my nieces, nephew and brother and their spouses, a Thank You for cruise gift I received from them at my Graduation of the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. 

I used a textured high quality paper and several pencil grades for detail and toning. I took photos as we cruised along, transferred them to my computer. Then while leisurely sitting in the bow of the river boat, I pulled up the selected photo, got out my sketch book and started drawing. Upon my return home, I finished the drawings with color pencils.

Rothenburg, Germany

 

Rothenburg, Germany

Kaiserburg Castle

Marienplatz, Munich

Bridge over the Danube

View from the Neuschwanstein Castle
Bavaria, Germany

Schloss 















DRAWINGS OF FAMILY PETS

 

KIRBY

This little guy is part of the family of my niece, Lisa, her husband, Scott, son,Will and daughters Mal and Sarah.

The technique was the same as above, except for the textured drawing paper. Here, for both pets I used a smooth Strathmore paper.
Sadly, Kirby passed away on Christmas Eve,
December 24th,  2013

HANNAH

She share space with Frankie, a Golden Retriever in the 

household of my niece, Judy, her husband, Bruce and daughter Jessica.