Winter Project "Toronto Cafes 2016"

My winter project "Toronto Cafes 2016" is kicking in! I will challenge myself to go sketching at cafes in Toronto from November to March. It is a great way to beat my winter blues. I made an accordion watercolour sketchbook myself following instructions at citizensketcher.com - Marc Taro Holmes. Cool, isn't it?  I used hot pressed Fabriano paper instead because it was the only large size of watercolour paper I had with me. I don't know how many cafes I will sketch to fill up my sketchbook but I know it is going to be fun!!

My Travel Watercolour Palette

Some people keep asking me about what kind of travel watercolour set I am using/  what do they consist of. I have to say I am an amateur painter who is still finding the colours that suit my style best. I have yet to try all of the different watercolour brands or art supplies out there.
A few years back I wanted to sketch on location, I started off with Winsor&Newton Cotman Watercolour Set for my first travel watercolour palette. The reason I bought this set was because of its small size, convenience and the colour quality is good enough to paint on my tiny sketchbooks. Later I realized some of the colours were not bright enough for my style. I personally love vibrant colours, so I purchased some artist grade watercolour paint to try out.

Here are the colours I am using in  my travel watercolour palette - Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow Hue, Winsor Red, Cadmium Orange, Purple Lake, Lamp Black, Sap Green, Viridian Hue, Cerulean Blue, French Ultramarine, Indigo, Burnt Umber and a couple of tiny colours I put on the top are Cobalt Blue Hue and Permanent Rose.
I would love to hear what travel watercolour set are you using. Want to share? Comment below.

Royal Bank Building, Toronto

I kept thinking about sketching the old building on Yonge and King Streets when I came to Starbucks nearby. I love the huge scaled Corinthian columns and the details above the windows of the building. Today was my chance! I picked a spot near a big window facing the old building across the street.

Another food sketching @ Balzac's Coffee Roasters

Yesterday I stopped by Balzac's coffee roasters (Market St. location) before doing grocery shopping at St. Lawrence Market. I grabbed a seat near the entrance door and thought it would be a perfect spot for sketching. The interior of the coffee shop looks very cozy and rustic.

 

I indulged in a decaf coffee and a lemon tart and started a quick sketch. It was challenging by painting watercolour without the outlines. The result was not bad at all. For the counter angle, I sketched like I always do with the pen lines and watercolours.

Sketching at Neo Coffee Bar

Sketching food is one of my favourite things to do. Today I went to Neo Coffee Bar which is a new Japanese-style coffee shop on King St. East. I wanted to try J-desert and coffee. This time I got a "Rose and Berry" roll cake with a blueberry, raspberry and a blackberry on top. I thought I would like to use my bright watercolours painting berries. I wanted to try a latte but I ended up getting a cold brew coffee instead. I loved the aroma of the coffee while I was sketching food at the coffee shop. It took 30 minutes to sketch, but less than a minute to finish my roll. That was my reward!

The temporary St. Lawrence Market North

Today it was nice in the afternoon even though it rained in the morning. I went to sketch the temporary St. Lawrence Market North which has moved to the south side of  St. Lawrence Market on the Esplanade. 

It is a good place to check out the farmer market and the antique market on the weekend. The old location is currently shut down and going to be demolished.