New Orleans 2019

​I went to New Orleans again, with some of the best people, as usual, for pre-Mardi Gras Mardi Gras. We like to go a couple of weeks before fat Tuesday because it's just as fun but slightly calmer and slightly less expensive. 

​Sketching at the parades is fun, but I struggled with what supplies to use. The activity of the parades requires sketching quickly, but it also feels important to differentiate people from background, floats from bystanders, etc. So I would end up holding several pens and colored pencils, but didn't feel satisfied with my results that first night. 

​On day two I remembered my multi-pen (HI-TEC-C Coleta with 5 colors). Though I used to sketch with it often, it had fallen out of rotation. Luckily, I always carry one in my purse! I had a great time sketching with it, just clicking from color to color and really playing up the scribbles. I quickly ran out of blue-black! When I came back home I ordered every color available, and I now carry several multi-pens in my purse. I'll need some kind of holster for them next year!

​Went to Felix's, or course. 

We stayed in Uptown in a house a block from Magazine Street. This church was catty-cornered to where we stayed. I put down the color first, then added ink with my Lamy Safari and carbon black ink. There were at least two other churches we could see from our porch, so we heard a lot of church bells.

I feel like I didn't sketch as much this time, but I think I always feel like that. I also always feel like it is over too soon, and this year was no exception.