They Must Be Snowbirds

We sat on the seawall feeling cold but sketching away, bundled up in jackets and long pants. They were down on the shoreline. Their limbs were bare, the kids played in the water. How could they stand the cold? They must have been snowbirds.

I liked so much about this group of five, they seemed so glad to be just where they were. The figure on the right caught my eye first; she stood a long time with her face lifted into the wind and clouds. The two seated women talked away, enjoying the conversation and the two smallest went back and forth between the sea and the sand, clearly delighting in it all.

I brought this sketch home, liking the five figures, but with a sky and sea that did not convey the wild windy weather.  I reworked it to add movement to the waves and clouds, using a few photos for reference. Gouache is wonderful for making changes to a sketch.

This is a pen, pastel and gouache sketch in a black sketchbook.