Tuesday 9 December 2014

Sketches from the Krëschtmaart

I have to admit that I had to push myself to go out and sketch, with the cold and all, but I'm really glad I did. It was fun to be among the Christmas crowd and to experience the Krëschtmaart in a different way.

We (this time only Leen and I) started out at Place d'Armes, where you can find a lot of food stalls, music and even a carousel and blacksmiths.

Krëschtmaart
There were pumpkin carriages, elephants, ducks, bears, even a Mickey Mouse

Krëschtmaart
They were crafting angels out of metal
Before heading out to another one we made a stop at a coffee shop called Kaale Kaffi (litt. cold coffee). Luckily they also had hot beverages and we were able to warm ourselves up.

It was my first time there and I have to say I loved the place. It's full of second-hand clothes and old items that you can buy. One of the waiters told me that the interior decoration was constantly changing.

In short: a sketcher's paradise.

Kale Kaffi
Very elegant mannequins

Kaale Kaffi
Apparently this Thierry Mugler piece is very popular
Leen and I finished our tour at the Christmas market on Place de la Constitution, where the Gëlle Fra (litt. golden lady) is.

What I love about this particular market is that every year they dedicate one part of the location to one specific country or region. This year it's Alsace, so you can get tasty tarte flambée (or Flammekueche, as they call it there) and other specialties from that region.

There is also a ferris wheel and even a Santa Claus waiting for people to take photos with him inside a giant bubble. It almost looks like a giant snow globe.

Santa at the Krëschtmaart
Santa seemed a tiny bit lonely in there

Monday 8 December 2014

December Sketches from Mersch

Thank you Beliza for leading another Sketchcrawl in the Grand Duchy yesterday! I was not able to join in the city, but made some sketches further up north in Mersch. So happy to finally be sketchcrawling again... I used a pigment liner, a brush pen and some oil pastel sticks from my kids. The oil pastels turned out to be oversized and frustrating for the size of my sketchbooks. At home, I added wax pastels which allow more control with color and line. I am already looking forward to the next Sketchcrawl in January :-)

michele graedel sketchcrawl mersch


michele graedel urban sketching mersch

Michèle Graedel - Sketchcrawl Dec. 2014 in Mersch, Luxembourg