Sketches: Memphis Park

So it's been awhile since I have gone anywhere and sat down and actually drawn from life. So when my cousins' decided that we were going on  picnic my first thought was. "It's way too early." But I drug myself out of bed and into the pre-noon sun and fixed us up a tasty picnic of lunch meat and cheese and hand made rolls and salad and melon and we set off toward the park.

I had no idea what to expect. In Ruston parks are trees and a lake and maybe there will be some people there. When we got to the Memphis park there were golfers and a museum and what looked like a bunch of people out for a carnival. The number of people steadily grew. There was one group practicing drums in what looked to be a giant jam session. The beats colored everything, giving the day a nice boho feel. Some people with hoola hoops and some with these strange sticks or balls and fabric practicing to the beat of them. I'm pretty sure I smelled evidence that a lot of people were high. Along the way there were people dressed up in period clothing having sword fighting lessons and gathered around. There was a team of people playing ultimate frisbee. And there were a ton of people walking their dogs and letting their dogs swim in the lake that had a very large sign: "No dogs allowed off leash or in lake" I am paraphrasing, but the idea was the same. 

So I ended up drawing the people drumming, and I started drawing the trees and the lake, but I got distracted. (You can't really see a lake!) I think it will be fun to go there again. and paint some different people. I hope more sword fighters come again, because I didn't paint them. Honestly I couldn't, I kept cringing when the shorter guy wouldn't center himself and man up and block. And the other fighter was just moving his arms without any other body movement to help. As a sword fighter this disturbed me greatly and kept me from concentrating enough to paint them. I will try to be more artist than sword fighter next time though! I can't wait to see who else will show up, and what I will have a chance to sketch and draw!