Did not know what to draw but felt like drawing something.
Author: Mel
I'm a painter, curious student of life and traveler.
Hanging Out in Athens
I´ve been in Athens for almost 2 weeks now. Got a bad cold just after getting here, so I have not done any major sightseeing yet. What I managed though is to find two aerial hoop studios in town. Of course I went there to try them out right away.
Stopover in Ireland
On the way to Athens I had a stop over in Ireland for a couple of days. I always love going back there. I stayed with very good friends of mine and as always it was also nice to visit these two old paintings of mine that are on their living room wall. Take a better look at them here.
Sorry for the bad picture quality. I finally managed to buy a new phone yesterday. So from now on I hope photos will be better quality.
Ciudad de México – Unfinished
These are the last two drawings for my take on”People of CDMX” as I just moved to Athens, Greece! Yes! This happened rather short notice. I fled the country of “ice and fire” and will be here for 5 months to stuff my face with olives and to enjoy the sun!
I wanted to finish these illustrations before I left Iceland but didn´t find the time. And I left the book behind because of luggage restrictions. But I already got a new one which is waiting to be filled.
The ballon seller guys in Polanco.
And the girl in the pink dress on Avenida Horacio in Polanco. I have a summer dress the same colour which I can soon wear in Athens.
Happy weekend!
Construction Workers in CDMX
On my stroll through Mexico City I encountered these guys, looking all serious business.
Taco Stand in Polanco
Taco stand part II. This time in Polanco in Mexico City.
We went a couple of times to Polanco to eat out. The best place we’ve been to by far was the japanese restaurant called Murakami. The food – sushi, sashimi and other delicacies, were amazing.
Scooter Girl in Polanco
Plenty people going around on scooters. I probably would do the same as traffic during rush hour is quite terrible. At least then you have a chance to make your way through.
I once made the mistake to take a cab when it started raining during rush our, which made the traffic pretty much come to a total stand still. It took us 20 min to cover about 300 metres, but for some reason I was also too lazy to get out of the car.
I have to admit I really did not pay attention to detail while doing the perspective and background on this one. I was watching a movie. So the lines are all over the place.
At the Bike Shop
I actually don´t remember seeing any street dogs in Mexico City but there are dogs everywhere. People have dogs of all shapes and sizes, and often more than one.
On my first visit in 2014 in CDMX we stayed in La Condesa were you can see dog walkers with 10-20 dogs of all sizes, from Chihuahuas to Great Danes in the park. I think I have seen more different dog breeds in Mexico City than Europe.
Moving on to Mexico City
I think I spent in total about 6-7 weeks in La Ciudad de México on my 3 visits there. I was there before and after my visit in Malinalco in April/May 2018. I stayed with a friend in San Rafael, which I thought was quite a nice part of town.
I took plenty of photos while walking around as I could not use the Uber app on my phone and could not be bothered to use taxis most of the time. And I dislike the metro or bus because of too many people. So I walked a lot. When I took photos I had a series of drawings in mind about “people of Mexico City”…. Something that was inspired by those “Humans of New York” photos that were trending several years ago. This is is my take on it.
I think this was somewhere around Juárez, on the way to La Roma.
I recently watch an artists advice video that suggested that you should mirror your drawings. I guess to see if they look right. Here is the mirrored image, the right way round of CDMX.
Tacos at Night
Lazy Sunday and I wish I had a taco stand around the corner to get some spicy comfort food.
This is one of the many stands that popped up each night in Malinalco with Tacos, tamales and other things I don´t know the names of, for all the hungry people out there.
No tacos for me tonight. I am off raiding the fridge instead.
Being Watched
1000 followers! Wouldn´t have expected this when I started drawing again less than a year ago. Thank you for your support and encouragement!
This little guy was watching me intensely while I was having lunch at La Casa de Valentina. It is a beautiful coffee-house with delicious food in the center of Malinalco. I can highly recommend it. One of the owners is an artist and the walls are covered with colourful wall art and drawings.
Rainy Day at the Mercado II
Rainy afternoon on market day in Malinalco. It was rather empty that day, as there was heavy downpour on an off. Even the dogs were looking for shelter under the tarpaulins that covered the market stalls.
Avocados at the Mercado
One of the avocado sellers at the mercado in Malinalco. I seriously miss my daily avocado and hot guacamole. I miss food with taste in general. Vegetables in Iceland taste pretty much like nothing. Watery at best.
The Roof Dogs of Mexico
Can you spot the roof dog? You never know when they pop out. I saw a couple of them in Malinalco. But there were even more of them in Mexico City.
They always caught me by surprise. This was a friendly one though. No barking, just quietly watching. I just noticed him becasue he was moving when I passed by.
The Dolphin & Other Toys
Malinalco has quite a few toy shops in my opinion. Especially the inflatable water animals in front of this shop always made me smile. I unfortunately did not go to any of the small pools that they have around there.
Dog Memories
It was actually the Jack Russell Terrier that caught my attention close to the Convento Agustino de la Transfiguración in the center of Malinalco.
The dog looked exactly like the one we had when I grew up. Her name was Jacky, a Jack Russel terrier mix. Brown head and just one big brown spot on the side. She usually would listen 50% of the time. But when it came to the sound of the fridge door opening, she would all of a sudden be all ears and be there within seconds. I really miss having a dog.
On The Way Home
Encountered this group of school girls in their uniforms on my way home from the market in the center of Malinalco.
Market day is the best. I miss my daily fresh fruits.
Siesta Mode
This is how I still feel like after the holidays. I suppose I am not the only one? Lazy and tired from too much food. So I decided it is time to go back to aerial hoop tonight!
This image is part of my Mexico travel book from last spring. I decided to fill up the remaining pages during the Christmas break and I still have a couple to go. It is nice to dwell in memories full of sun and bright colours.
This is one of the lovely street dogs I encountered during my walks in Malinalco, Mexico.
New Targets
With one week of extreme laziness behind us, I feel like it is time to get active again. I also have reached the end of my sketchbook and for the last aerial drawing I felt like revisiting the bullseye idea again that I did at the very beginning for World Watercolour Month last July.
I am not sure yet what to do next. I have been adding a few more drawings to my Mexico book, so I think I will post those next until I come up with something new. Let´s see what else 2019 has in store for me. 2018 was a year of many ups and downs but at least drawing wise it was a lot of fun. Thanks for following!
Keeping Your Cool Like a Snowman
Or something like it. I was not planning on a winter scene when I started inking this, otherwise I would have put some woolen socks and sweater on her…
Oh well. We are off to the countryside over the New Year´s with no internet. Only a bunch of books and plenty of wine and cheese! Really looking forward to it.
Thank you to everyone who supported me with their encouragement, positive comments and likes throughout the year. It was a pleasure to get back into drawing and also see and feel improvements. I will definitely keep on going. Let´s see what the New Year brings. This one was certainly one with many ups and downs. But as “they” say, if you hit rock bottom it can only go up again.
Happy New Year!
Melanie Franz 