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Recent Posts
- Tropical Nights March 29, 2026
- A Building and a Bird March 18, 2026
- Saturday Morning at Miramar Reservoir March 15, 2026
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Author Archives: Sarah Sullivan
Spring Green
After a week of rain, it was spring today in San Diego. I went over to Torrey Pines expecting to paint the sea, but the tide was so high that the beach was closed. Instead, I painted a view of … Continue reading
A Los Peñasquitos Morning
This small abstract of the landscape near Los Peñasquitos was done on white watercolor paper that I had prepared ahead of time with a stripe across the bottom of yellow ochre casein. When I was at Los Peñasquitos, I used … Continue reading
Posted in Landscape
Tagged Casein, Gouache, Inktense Pencils, Los Peñasquitos, Plein Air, San Diego
1 Comment
Three Twenty-Minute Sketches
This morning I sketched with the San Diego Watercolor Society. It is not obvious, but each of the sketches above is based on the same creative model. She had a magenta scarf, and wrapped it around her head, wore it … Continue reading
A Gardening Lesson
I went to the cactus garden at Balboa Park expecting to paint cactus. Instead, I was taken by a school group learning about public gardens. I watched them awhile and liked the way the students leaned forward as they listened … Continue reading
Posted in Landscape, Learning, People Learning, Telling a Story
Tagged Balboa Park, Gouache
3 Comments
Cactus with Inktense Pencils
I set up this still life to explore using gouache with Inktense pencils. I wanted to work with both smooth and textured surfaces and a limited palette so I would not be distracted by lots of color choices. I put … Continue reading
California Rain
My sketching group had a model this morning who was quite expressive. Towards the end, she picked up an umbrella and had fun channeling our mixed feelings about our week of rain here in California. I used my new Inktense … Continue reading
Posted in Body Language, Telling a Story
2 Comments
Inktense and Gouache
I bought some Inktense pencils this morning and had to try them out. Inktense pencils combine qualities of traditional watercolor pencils and permanent markers. The pencil marks dissolve with water but once dry, the color is bright and durable. I … Continue reading