Sketchin' at the Faire - Part III

I must admit however that my favorite part of festivals, sketching and people watching is the kids...

So many darling little people -

jesters, peasants, squires -

and knights in training -

Very much their own little selves. I love that young yet strong sense of identity and individuality-

-complete with sense of wonder and magic and infinite possibility attached....

(the animals are pretty darn fun too)


(ok, I drew *everything*. Smattering of the pages and pages of 5-10 minute sketches we did all afternoon shown above)

We ended the evening with a most wondrous dinner at the Bors Hede Inne - traditional, period fare served sans fork and sans plate (you do get trencher bread), and with some serenading by the innkeeper. Lovely, lovely day....

Sketchin' at the Faire - Part II

One of the big events of the festival was the live production of Sir Ywayn, the Stone & the Well, an amazing masked dramatization of a 14th century Middle English Arthurian romance is featured by Camlann's troop of players. Taken from a translation of Chrétien de Troyes' Yvain, written in the 12th century. This summer we will present the first of three parts of the romance, in which Ywayn encounters a mysterious knight who guards a well and magical stone in the forest Brocelianda.

It had narrating 'minstrels' -

- knights, maidens, King Arthur and a hunky Ywayn (this is not a tale I'm familiar with, and I can't say I know it much better now. Did I mention I was mostly sketching?)

I did notice at one point that a pitched battle ensued, with much clanging of swords and shields -

The audience looked on with bated breath!

I *think* everything was resolved satisfactorily...

I was kind of busy watching the watchers...

Sketchin' at the Faire - Part I

Made my other summer pilgrimage today to the Camlann Summer Festival. It's a lovely, small, wooded venue - which I have photographed several times over, so this afternoon I spent a good part of my time in my sketchbook - trying to capture moving targets.

(Master Payne - the traveling jongleur)

And as for other demonstrations,there were people with great big arrows.

And great big swords.

I was rather crushing on the blacksmith.

(Not in a hunky way, like PG's Middle of Nowhere blacksmith) -

But because of the very cool wrought iron detailing he adds with abandon to the things he is working on.


Kinda had to take *some* photos...

More tomorrow...