weekend trip to Toronto
I've been itching to do more urban sketches, especially after seeing so many beautiful drawings from various members on the Urban Sketchers facebook page. I had an old sketchbook that I repurposed in order to do more urban sketches. During my short trip to Toronto, I took some time to do a couple sketches while waiting for my train and while on the train. Since I'm starting, I'm using what I already have and what's easy to bring along. I brought a Pilot fineliner and Crayola markers for a little bit of color. I added a couple photos below for reference.
In the first sketch, you see a portion of the Ottawa train station from the inside. People started lining up up when I was almost done so I didn't add them. I really like the architecture. It's very modern and bright, although I think the finishes and accessories need to be updated. The information booth is a circular structure covered in part by a wood laminate at the bottom and glass on top. It would be awesome if everything was bright white with bright color accent à la Karim Rashid. Also for some reason, it seems like they are trying to hide the beautiful columns with random plants. I don't think they realize what a gem they have there.
Inside the train (in the economy class), the decor is also very old school and a little tired. There's a faux finish on the ceiling of the cars representing the sky, which I don't really get. It looks like an old plane.
I had a $3 diluted coffee :(. I wish they followed the lead of the likes of Porter Airlines but for trains, offering "snack and beverage service on all flights, including complimentary soft drinks, wine and beer" and cool uniforms. Especially considering the price difference between a 45 minute flight with complementary snacks and beverage as opposed to a 4 hour ride with snacks and beverage for sale. If it wasn't for the fact that Via Rail had a major discount that weekend and that I wasn't in a hurry, I would have flown instead. But I made the most of it by taking the opportunity to do more sketches.
On the way back I was sitting close to the luggages, so I dedided to give it a go again. I still have quite a bit of work to get where I'd like to be, but the drawings are getting better.