Train sketches I

This past winter during my travel in India I made several sketches in trains and buses. In a series of posts I hope to share my experience and sketches.

Peepul Tree temple (Arasa Marathadi Kovil)

The Peepul tree (Ficus Religiosa) is a beautiful sight to behold. It's branches spread majestically and the heart shaped leaves shimmer as they flutter in the breeze. It is said that this shimmer is akin to that of the shine on a king's crown and hence the Tamil name Arasa Maram. I rendered this pen and ink sketch on the very first day of my recent visit to Bangalore.

Napping at the airport

Life Drawings - The Cleveland Symposium 2008

Here are my works chosen for display at the reception of the 2008 Cleveland Symposium.

Life Drawing

This 18 X 24 sketch was done in 2003

Amasa Stone Chapel (Rear view)

IF: Juggle (Jena 6 Racism)

Homework, Relationships, Racism......too much for school kids to juggle

Please visit the following links to see what I am talking about:
Democracy Now
Yahoo News
Friends of Justice

Left Hand Sketch

Here is another one drawn with my non-dominant hand. Please click on the label "left hand drawing" below for more.
Update: I have been asked if this sketch is that of Mohandas Gandhi. No, it is not. It is of a model in the life drawing class that I attend occasionally.

IF: Citrus

11X14
Charcoal and Pencil
2007
The yellow glow is from the lighting

I miss power failures. In India, as I pored over books during my school days I would heave a sigh of relief when the electric supply failed. It would be time for the Lemon shaped chimney lamp to come out of the cupboard. I would have fun with shadow play and would feed bits of paper (torn off the edges of textbooks) into the flame to amuse myself!

IF: Neighbour - This is my NEIGHBOURhood

In a recent post one of the visitors wondered what the result would be like if I tried sketching the same subject with both my right and left hand. So, yesterday, I sat on the steps of my apartment and sketched this scene. That is my neighbour walking...

I first sketched with my right hand (dominant hand) and then drew the same with my left. Dear viewers, I am eager to know which one of these sketches you like and why.

Update: The top one was done with my left hand.
I am clarifying because I see that my writing has been a bit misleading here (as I can see from the comments)

Veenai Jayanthi Kumaresh

Veenai Jayanthi's performance was one of the best concerts I have ever attended. To learn more about this talented and beautiful musician please visit her website. You can buy her music on itunes (among other legal sites).

This sketch is one among several that I made at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana 2007.

To see other sketches in this series click on the label Thyagaraja Aradhana Series below.

Violinist Nagai Sri R. Muralidharan

IF: Remember II

You have another hand, remember? Here are more sketches done with my left hand - my non-dominant one.

IF: Remember

You have another hand, remember? This 18 X 24 life drawing was made on a whim with my left hand - my non-dominant one.

Thyagaraja Aradhana

This sketch is based on a performance by Smt. Suguna Purushothaman at the Thyagaraja Aradhana in Cleveland (Cleveland State University).


I think I have made the singer out to be younger than she is. Hope she doesn't mind!

Tourists near Central Park, New York

IF: Snap

This sketch was made in a snap - less than half a minute. I was on the "2" train as it left Manhattan to enter Brooklyn. I was already doing a couple of sketches inside the train when bright sunlight flooded the train as it emerged from the tunnel. I looked out of the window and was struck by the sight of skyscrapers and bridges against the jetblue sky and water. I sat gazing at the beautiful landscape when I realized that I had just a few seconds (before the train got into the tunnel in the next borough) to put down the details on paper and made this hurried drawing.

I will be posting the other sketches made in NY over the next few weeks.

IF:gravity - Music Levitates Us

Musicians in a park

I think I killed this by adding too many details. I shall post this again after I eliminate some.

Airport sketches