Finished Sketch from Falstaff

I sketch often with the San Diego Urban Sketchers and one of the guidelines we follow when we post to their site is that our sketches should be completely done in a live setting from direct observation, not from photos, memory or imagination. Yesterday’s live sketches from the San Diego Opera rehearsal of Falstaff were classic Urban Sketchers sketches because they were done completely on location from direct observation.

However, the sketches were also rough and unfinished because I had trouble sketching fast enough to keep up with the action on stage. Since I want to refine some of the sketches, these will no longer meet the Urban Sketcher requirements of being done completely in a live setting.

Today I began to develop a few of my sketches further by filling in gaps in the color with more gouache and pastel. I took a few pictures yesterday as I went along and was able to use them for reference today to develop the large moon and tree in the background of this sketch.  Tomorrow I hope to work on a few of the other sketches.

This is a gouache and pastel sketch on black paper.