Guest Post: Sandhill Cranes—Drawing What You See, with John Muir Laws

This hour-and-a-half class from the Nature Journal Club will be repeated over three days at 7 different locations around the Bay Area. (See details below.) These events are free, but I encourage you to support this work by putting $20 in the donation bucket.

Tuesday December 13

Tiburon: Richardson Bay Audubon (https://www.google.com/maps/place/376+Greenwood+Beach+Rd,+Belvedere+Tiburon,+CA+94920/@37.895093,-122.4995746,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x8085852952145d4d:0x5a6a31a1098dd66b!8m2!3d37.895093!4d-122.4973859?hl=en), 376 Greenwood Beach road, 10:00-11:30 AM

San Francisco: Building 989 (https://www.google.com/maps/place/983+Marine+Dr,+San+Francisco,+CA+94129/@37.8083088,-122.4728789,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x808586e9f33dbbad:0x759debd596b7109b!8m2!3d37.8083088!4d-122.4706902?hl=en) in the Presidio (behind the Warming Hut in Crissy Field) 12:30-2:00 PM

Burlingame: Burlingame Library (https://www.google.com/maps/place/480+Primrose+Rd,+Burlingame,+CA+94010/@37.5792568,-122.3514091,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x808f9df3e6e7f4eb:0xb5724d3ee2ca4e74!8m2!3d37.5792568!4d-122.3492204?hl=en) 480 Primrose Road, 3:30-5:00

Wednesday December 14

Lafayette: Library and Learning Center (https://www.google.com/maps/place/3491+Mt+Diablo+Blvd,+Lafayette,+CA+94549/@37.8919014,-122.1180625,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x8085624514c1c555:0x4f77bf1a4be0d506!8m2!3d37.8919014!4d-122.1158738?hl=en) 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. 11:30 AM-1:00 PM

Oakland: Rotary Nature Center (https://www.google.com/maps/place/600+Bellevue+Ave,+Oakland,+CA+94610/@37.8071939,-122.2581662,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x808f8748c54bfd29:0x1be49f5af4a471ff!8m2!3d37.8071939!4d-122.2559775?hl=en) 600 Bellevue Ave. 2:00-3:30

Thursday December 15

Cupertino: McClellan Ranch: Santa Clara Valley Audubon (https://www.google.com/maps/place/22221+McClellan+Rd,+Cupertino,+CA+95014/@37.3137573,-122.0653416,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x808fb46702d9954b:0x16ceddb237c37210!8m2!3d37.3137573!4d-122.0631529?hl=en) 11:30 AM-1:00 PM

Fremont: Coyote Hills Regional Park (https://www.google.com/maps/place/8000+Patterson+Ranch+Rd,+Fremont,+CA+94555/@37.5539961,-122.0939709,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x808fbde450431883:0x59b9fbcbb609ac3f!8m2!3d37.5539961!4d-122.0917822?hl=en), 8000 Patterson Ranch Road 2:30-4:00

Here's the class description, from John Muir Laws:

Sandhill Cranes: Using shape, structure, and light to draw what you see

This workshop is not about drawing Sandhill Cranes. It is about how your ability to draw anything improves when you understand what you see and train your eye to capture critical negative shapes, gestures, and angles. We will start with a detailed look “under the hood” of the Sandhill Crane so we all have a rich understanding of the anatomy and structure. Then we will learn how to make fast gesture lines from moving birds and how to fill these out to completed sketches. We will also explore how to escape from your understanding of what you “should see” to accept what you do see and get that down on paper. This approach is not just a technique for drawing cranes, it applies broadly to any subject you may wish to draw

This program is free, with a $20 suggested donation. No registration necessary. All levels of experience welcome. Bring a journal and pencil.

More information

It's a good idea to check all times and locations on John Muir Laws' events page (http://www.johnmuirlaws.com/events/upcoming)
before the event. Also see the Nature Journal Club facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/banjc/

Note that this is a Guest Post: not an official SF Sketchers meetup, but a sketching-related event that I think a lot of sketchers in our group would find useful.