Monthly Archives: July 2017

Preliminary Sketch 

Posted on July 31, 2017 by

If my goal for the day’s sketch is complicated, it helps a lot to make a preliminary sketch or two. That way I can work through some of the challenges without worrying that I will wreck my work. My preliminary … Continue reading →

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Tree Trunk

Posted on July 30, 2017 by

Sketching a close up of a tree trunk is an unusual choice of  a subject for me as I mostly like to tell a story with my sketches. However, I was taking a class called, ‘Why Draw a Tree’ and … Continue reading →

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One With the Couch

Posted on July 29, 2017 by

I sketched this last night shortly after sketching, End of the Last Day of the Workshop.  Today I added watercolor and ink to it. Although it is not as well drawn, I like it because it shows these three tired … Continue reading →

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End of the Last Day of the Workshop

Posted on July 28, 2017 by

I sketched these three lifelong colleagues two weeks ago on July 17 at the start of the workshop they were organizing together. Their workshop ends today and they are in the same living room sharing some last thoughts. Sketching them … Continue reading →

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At the Counter

Posted on July 27, 2017 by

This is a quick pen and wash sketch showing a restaurant in Telluride. People are figuring out what they want and workers are taking orders and preparing food. I liked the liveliness of the scene and had fun trying to … Continue reading →

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By the Pond

Posted on July 26, 2017 by

I walked over to the Telluride Town Park this afternoon. I never made it past the Kid’s Fishing Pond near the entrance because a grandmother and child sitting on the pond’s bank caught my eye. They were watching something off … Continue reading →

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Telluride’s Oak Street Plaza

Posted on July 25, 2017 by

I set off to do abstract gouache sketches of landscapes but somehow ended up sketching with pen and watercolor in a 9 X 12 inch sketchbook.  This is a small plaza in Telluride where people catch the free gondola that … Continue reading →

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The San Miguel River Again

Posted on July 24, 2017 by

In yesterday’s sketch I worked to get a fairly realistic sketch of an actual place along the San Miguel River just outside Telluride Colorado. The parts of the finished sketch that I found most pleasing were the large abstract trees … Continue reading →

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Along the San Miguel River

Posted on July 23, 2017 by

We have had rain most afternoons and the landscape is about as green as possible. Before the rain I biked along the San Miguel River Trail until I came to a particularly gorgeous spot. It seemed like the perfect location … Continue reading →

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Indian Paintbrush 

Posted on July 22, 2017 by

The other day I did some small simple sketches of fields, mountains and sky using gouache on small sheets of black paper. I was practicing quickly placing the big shapes down in a free sort of way and did not … Continue reading →

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Clouds Crowd the San Juan Mountains

Posted on July 21, 2017 by

After getting help from friends, a cousin and the internet, I now know some of the characteristics of a mountain scene that I can look for as I study possibilities for a sketch. A foreground is important, it should be … Continue reading →

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Along the Jud Wiebe Trail

Posted on July 20, 2017 by

I spent the afternoon sketching along Telluride’s Jud Wiebe Trail. It is a steep three-mile trail with a climb of 1,300 feet. Stopping to sketch along the way definitely made the assent much easier for me than normal and is … Continue reading →

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Telluride Mountains and Meadows

Posted on July 19, 2017 by

I have been working on sketching the mountains in this area and am having trouble getting a feeling of distance in these sketches. I think I need to fade out the distant mountains more and include more of the vibrant … Continue reading →

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Telluride Street

Posted on July 18, 2017 by

Telluride is located in the cusp of the Sneffels Range and its bare jagged peaks are visible from just about everywhere. This is my third day sketching the mountains and so far I have not been able to get a … Continue reading →

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Planning for the Next Day

Posted on July 17, 2017 by

Three tired co-organizers gathered tonight to plan for the second day of their Workshop, just in time for me to sketch them with a gel pen. The figure on the right was too small compared to the other two so … Continue reading →

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First Try On The Rise

Posted on July 16, 2017 by

Today we drove about 50 miles to Telluride Colorado where I will be sketching while my husband works here for the the next four weeks. What with breaking down our old campsite and moving into the rental here I never … Continue reading →

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Walking Up the Rise

Posted on July 15, 2017 by

As you walk up the rise on my brother’s land to look out at Horsefly Mesa, there is a stunning moment when you can see the sky both under and above the boughs of the ponderosa pines. I like the … Continue reading →

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Sneffels Range in the Middle of July

Posted on July 14, 2017 by

Mount Sneffels and the whole Sneffles Range command attention when in view. I spend a lot of time admiring these mountains when I visit my brother’s land and, with two days remaining, worked up my bravery and painted them.  This … Continue reading →

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View From Our Campsite

Posted on July 13, 2017 by

All week I have been enjoying the view of the forest and road from our campsite. While not as spectacular as the meadow, I love the way the trees disappear into the dark green of the forest and decided it … Continue reading →

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Cutting Away the Scrub Oak

Posted on July 12, 2017 by

Sketching in ink is something I have not done very much of recently because so much of my energy has gone to gouache. This afternoon I picked up my micron pen and sketchbook and drew my husband while he cut … Continue reading →

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In the Meadow

Posted on July 11, 2017 by

The first two times I sketched this meadow I stood up above it and could see the mountains beyond it. This time the view is from within the meadow and the surrounding mountains are no longer visible. I added a … Continue reading →

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Clouds Build Over A Colorado Meadow

Posted on July 10, 2017 by

This is the same meadow that I sketched on July 8, but the view is looking to the south towards Colorado’s Sneffels Range. The colors seemed cooler today, perhaps because the monsoon clouds began building midmorning and it never got … Continue reading →

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Morning Comes Again to the Old Snag

Posted on July 9, 2017 by

Thirty-five years ago the snag, a dead but still standing tree, was the tallest ponderosa pine in the area. Its broad branches dominated the sunlight so there were no other pines nearby. After a lightening strike burned most of it, … Continue reading →

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Meadow Below Horsefly Mesa

Posted on July 8, 2017 by

In the spring it is a pond but by midsummer it is a meadow with a soggy center. Even in the heat of July it is lush and full of life. In the morning some of its grass is crushed … Continue reading →

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Under a Blue Tarp

Posted on July 7, 2017 by

The part of the San Juan Mountains we are camping is waiting for the summer monsoons to come. The grasses are turning brown and yellow, there is a lot of dust and heat, and the rains will be welcomed when … Continue reading →

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Bill Is a Builder

Posted on July 5, 2017 by

My brother Bill is a builder. He builds homes for families and builds our extended family through sharing his cabin and land with us. This week many of us are camping on his land in Colorado for an annual family … Continue reading →

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Sweet Caroline at the Pond

Posted on July 4, 2017 by

Although I am no longer at the ranch where I did the basic drawing for this sketch, I liked the drawing of the figure sitting on the float and wanted to finish it. I liked the way she looked off … Continue reading →

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Wedding Card for an Adventuresome Couple 

Posted on July 3, 2017 by

Sending great good thoughts for this young adventuresome couple as they set off on married life!

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At the Pond

Posted on July 2, 2017 by

Sometimes you see something special and grab your sketchbook, working as fast as you can to capture it. I am at a working ranch in Colorado for a wedding tomorrow and suddenly had a chance to make some rapid line … Continue reading →

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