Monday morning you looked so fine...

While there were no posts, there was a lot of drawing going on.  I traveled to Hyderabad on work, and then immediately went on vacation.  These drawings were done on the flight back and forth.  What is of interest is the perspective mess up in my head when I look to draw.  The airplane insides are full of challenges, curved walls, with intricate repetitive seats and other paraphernalia.  And the airports, given regular delays, ensure my subjects stay in front for long periods while twisting and turning in their place.

Ahab Flex pen with Noodlers permanent black. Koi waterbrush

Exorcise the confusion

Spent two days at a "Chief learning Officer Summit" in Mumbai last month.  We didn't have a booth and I was attending a few sessions.  The "take away" was that Indian companies need thousands of employees to sustain growth and that the potential employees are just not skill-capable to do almost anything.  Hence employers need to train the ungroomed and incapable masses that the Indian School systems churn out.   This unhappy task belongs to the Chief Learning Officer.

I drew the horrified onlookers as every speaker drew a gloomy picture of his or her challenges that he or she then overcame triumphantly.  It was great drawing people who seemed transfixed and held their poses.
There was a lot of "Nurturing", "Mentoring", and "Leadership inculcation" mentioned.   Further, assorted "Aspirational" motives of the aforementioned ungroomed and incapable youthful masses were also identified.  Good lord.

Drew these with a Ahab Noodlers Flex pen, a new yellow one.  I lost my older one the day I met Matt Groening ( Creator of the "Simpsons").  I met Matt Groening at the INK conference in Pune.( !!) Noodlers Bulletproof black ink and a Sakura Koi waterbrush.

Ink and pen and paper

It has been awhile since I went out and drew.  I just inked this tonight to mitigate the guilt.  The old city has some strange structures. This one was bristling antennae for a reason I could not fathom.  They didn't look like the omnipresent mobile phone towers.  And the building was a really acute slice in an angled narrow lane.  And the dark rain stains that dominate all Indian architecture.
Was listening to "Miles runs down the voodoo".  14 minutes of driving bass with Miles trumpet on top. Most excellent.  And then "Jean Pierre".  It was one of those "Essential" music albums that I never thought I would buy but that's what you get in music stores in India currently. Compilations, "Best of's", and other selections " Dance Party XXX".  I also possess "Essential Bruce Springsteen".  You can order stuff on-line now but browsing for music is always nice.

Six Blade Knife, do anything for you.

"..Do anything you want it to. One blade breaking my heart.
One blade tearing me apart."

Today was Ganesh Chaturthi. First day of the Ganesh festival.  Took the day off.  In the afternoon went to the  old city to draw and look at festivities. Found this stone facade that was quite ornate.  "Nagarkar "Dagdi" ( stone) wada".  This doorway encloses a traditional courtyard and homes around it in a contained neighbourhood called a "wada".  The colorful banners line this really narrow street in Budhwar Peth.  Close to Appa balwant Chowk.

Started a new sketchbook.  Also found my "Legend" CD.  And heard my "Dire Straits: Dire Straits" a few times over on my drive to a  trek to Visapur this weekend.  "Six Blade knife".  The whole album is so laid back and great to hear.

High Sierra

Watching Humphrey Bogart as I finished inking and coloring this.  This is one "machine" from an astronomical observatory in the middle of New Delhi.  It was built around 1700's by the Maharajah of Jaipur. I was on my way to a meeting near the Indian Parliament house. The largest democracy in the world debates and passes bills and legislature there.   It rained suddenly and I waited under a Frangipani tree full of white blossoms.  I stood and drew with a pencil and then inked the outline.   Not too much smudging despite the rain.   It was very gratifying to draw it there.  You notice so much more than when just taking a picture.

In the shuffling madness

This is Martin Bradburn.  I like Sebastian Kruger's art, his focus is rock musicians, the Rolling Stones in particular.  I was tempted to draw some but then thought maybe I should start close to me with musicians I knew and liked (ok, not really liked).  This glowering person does not usually play bass.  Nor does he usually glower.  However, I liked this picture because of the lizards and his focus.  His lovely wife may disagree about the likeness but its what it is.  ( If it is really objectionable, Ill take it down !).  He and Wayne are part of MeccaLilly, a Rhode Island redneck banjo playing outfit that will make you squeal. 

Two turntables and a microphone

There is this community of "Lambadi's" near where I live.  They have essentially squatted on land that has now become a large slum/shanty town. They are different from the locals with their own language and customs.  Some say they are the original gypsies ( Romany) who migrated to Europe.
They work as day labor.  The women wear colorful dresses decorated with mirrors.
I have been busy and lazy, alternately, and my blog did not get updated.  Haven't been watching the London Olympics at all.( Almost).
This was a poor digitization effort. It is pencil and watercolor.  And not so garish. The real life colors they wear are quite bright. This green in her blouse was almost fluorescent.

Grotesque tributes

Most drawings of famous people, sometimes created as a tribute or an expression of adoration are scary and disturbing to me.  They are not very well done for the most part, and tend to be grotesque caricatures.
I try drawing well known people because it lets me know how well I have done in creating a proportionate reproduction. It's just a millimeter here or there, and this could be Bill Murray or Bob Hoskins.  It still might, but it was Phil Collins that I had in mind.   Caricatures are actually easier, the distortions typically used to emphasize the distinguishing characteristic ( Phil's forelock for instance here) take away the expectation to see a true likeness.  Not dissing that art form, but its not what I intended to do here.  I'll find "Abacab" and listen to it today.

Gym Cycle Generator

In  old Pune city this is an old temple dedicated to Ganapati ( or Ganesh).  Since the city of Pune has so many temples dedicated to Ganesh, the temples are referred to by their location. This one is called Kasaba Peth Ganapati.  This temple is a few hundred years old.
In the back courtyyard I found this stationary excercise bike that has been adapted by the local electrical/electronics  industry as a human powered generator.  Pune has numerous and unpredictable power outages.
As I drew this, a person who worked in the temple, came and looked at my drawing. On his cell phone, he showed me a picture of Ganesh he had painted.  He seemed to feel both sorry for me, and superior, as he asked me if I was limited to my sketch book and one black pen.  All his paintings are large and  in color. Oils. Winsor-Newton (a famous English paint manufacturer).  He then told me he was a "hard" man but his anger and rage issues have been calmed by this Ganesh in particular.    It was very uncomfortable looking into his dark glasses as he shared this.  Big vermillion mark on his forehead framed by long greasy hair.   I said it looked like rain and left hastily.

Winehouse R.I.P.

For some reason I remembered that it will be a year already since she died.  I was not a big fan but she had a very unique voice. Good band as well.

Kimchi

Saw a pile of Chinese cabbage at this vegetable and meat market in the Pune cantonment. Shivaji market.  I have found a genuine Korean restaurant near where I work.  I had been advised by the proprietor to grab and buy a head of Chinese cabbage whenever I saw one before the 600 or so Koreans who live in Pune got to it.  To fulfill my dream of making kimchi at home in Pune.  So I did!  Its being salted down as I write, along with some daikon radish. Tomorrow, the pepper and garlic.  It will be a vegetarian one.

Goodluck

Goodluck Cafe. Iranian restaraunt.   Deccan Gymkhana landmark. I stood and drew this, its a crowded intersection.  The motorbikes and scooties effcetively block  of the entrance.  Too many to draw.
I like the bun omellete and irani chai breakfast.

Deep stambh

This is the area leading up to a temple on a small hill called Chaturshringi in Pune.   It's a temple to the goddess '"Chaturshringi".  Quite an old temple that is flourishing now.  This area is lined with shops and eateries for the faithful before and after their visit to the see the temple deity.
The stone post on the left with the many protrusions is old ( possibly sixty to a hundred years old) and used to be lit up with oil lamps.  A small lamp was placed on each of the "holders" during certain religious festivals .  It was carved from basalt, the native stone of the Deccan trap.  Sadly, now it serves as a holder for a modern spot light placed on it and as a general purpose post to tether shops and what nots.
The grotesque Mickey Mouse bounce house is the star attraction.

Marriott

Came out of the Crossword book store on Senapati Bapat road and looked directly ahead and saw this large crane at the construction site between where I was, and the Marriott.  It was dusk and the rain clouds had come in. In the grey and deep blue gloom the Marriotts neon was the only color in the depressing landscape.  "... and the land is dark and the Marriotts neon is the only light we'll see... stand by me." Sorry Jerry Lieber and Ben E. King. 

Laxminarayan temple

Small old temple near "Sakal", the Marathi language newspaper, offices and old press in Pune.  The backward lean in the drawing is all mine.  Its a quirk I am aware of, but it creeps into drawings once in a while.  I'm lopsided on the inside it would seem.

Landour houses

View looking down the hill from a restaurant close to Ruskin Bond's house.  (Indian born Englishman who has written many novels set in India.).  I had a hearty Tibetan noodle soup.  Quite cold outside. Late December 2011.  This is halfway down to the main Mussoorie market and is free from the crowds and the dirt and chaos that seem to follow.

Kellog memorial Church.

British church for the convalescent home and hospital at Landour, north of Mussoorie.  Built in times past.  Now part of a DRDO Institute.  I was sitting across the street that goes down to Mussoorie,on cold concrete steps.  This also houses an Urdu language school for what appeared to be mostly western students.  Beautiful stone church.  It had a gallery upstairs.  They still have a service on weekends.

Old house and autorickshaws

Backstreet street close to Appa Balwant Chowk.  Narrow winding streets with these old houses that will be torn down to make way for the multistory concrete structures, like the one looming behind.  It was a really hot afternoon in the last days of Pune summer. The auto rickshaws were parked in the shade before they went out to ply in the busy old town later that evening.

Verandah: Marzorin.

On the verandah at Marzorin. Really hot outside in the afternoon. I was glad to sit inside and draw.  The good part about Punes summer heat is that the wind still blows and its quite cool and soothing when you are out of the direct sun. Like in this verandah on the first floor.  Those arches look out into the street and let in the air.

Inside: Marzorin.

Drinking a cold Lichi shake.  Old Parsi restaurant.  Cool and dark inside.  The doors lead to the verandah I drew a little later. This is a landmark in the Pune cantonment area. Milk shakes, pastries, ice cream, vegetarian and non vegetarian curry puffs.  More cakes and pastries at Pasteurs downstairs. Quite a popular hangout for youngsters.

Post box

This is at the bus stop near the main National Chemical Laboratory gate. I was walking from home to the NCL shopping center to get a haircut on Sunday afternoon.  Very hot.  Gulmohur trees in the background.  This road goes up the neighbourhood where I spent my teenage years.  Now this road is incredibly busy in the evenings and mornings during office hours.  Back then it used to be pretty much like this all day long. And you would see trucks from the National Defense Academy carrying horses with their heads sticking out one side.

Lunch spot.

New breed of small restaraunts near work. On Baner road. The cafe is called "Linger on". The service ensures you do the same. The pasta is pretty good!

First one.

From my occasional morning walk.  There is a small hill across from this house that I used to run up and down at one time. Now I walk and then sit my behind down on a stone and draw.  The stone was not comfortable.  Small house for house hold help behind officers bungalows. Defense land.