Category Archives: Telling a Story

Do They Like My Work?

Posted on October 12, 2018 by

I am taking a ten-week illustration course at a local university. Our first assignment was to select text from an unillustrated book and then to illustrate it using five types of pencil marks- hatching, crosshatching, scribbling, tick marks, and pressure … Continue reading →

Posted in Deliberate Practice, Telling a Story | Tagged | 6 Comments

Primates

Posted on October 5, 2018 by

I sketched along the Monkey Walk this morning at the San Diego Zoo. I noticed how much we enjoy our cousins and showing them to our children and wanted to capture this familial feeling in a sketch. This is a … Continue reading →

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A Conversation with Daniel Ellsberg

Posted on October 2, 2018 by

  Daniel Ellsberg, the author of the Pentagon Papers, spoke at San Diego State University this evening and I was in the audience. He talked for two hours about the danger of government keeping information from its citizens, and of … Continue reading →

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Beach Day!

Posted on September 30, 2018 by

What could be more delightful than the beach on the last day of September? I wanted to capture all the swimmers, birds, surf, splashes, waves,  and fun of summer. This is a gouache and charcoal sketch on brown paper.

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Three Giraffes

Posted on September 29, 2018 by

Here are three very sweet giraffes from the San Diego Zoo. This started off as a gouache and charcoal sketch on brown paper, and then I imported the sketch into Procreate on my iPad and added the gray wall and … Continue reading →

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The Romantic Came Next

Posted on September 21, 2018 by

Yesterday, the woman who posed for our figure class brought costumes. For the second portion of the morning, she dressed as a dreamy romantic and leaned against the studio wall. I made more use of the acrylic markers in this … Continue reading →

Posted in Story Creation | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Frida Dress-up Day

Posted on September 20, 2018 by

Our model today came with costumes and started the day dressed as Frida Kahlo. I used acrylic markers and gouache and had fun trying to capture the Frida spirit.

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Artist in the Park

Posted on September 7, 2018 by

I noticed an artist bent over her work and quickly sketched her. I liked her intensity as she focused on her work. This is a 9 X 9-inch (22 X 22-centimeter) gouache sketch on black paper with some pastel pencil … Continue reading →

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Looking Afar II

Posted on August 31, 2018 by

Yesterday I did a series of 20-minute sketches of a wonderful model. She had a pensive air that was communicated through her long limbs and facial expressions. Although I had to work fast, choosing colors and brushes was intuitive because … Continue reading →

Posted in Body Language, Facial Expression, Telling a Story | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Looking Afar

Posted on August 31, 2018 by

I painted with other painters Thursday morning. Our model seemed pensive and trying to capture this in a sketch became my goal for the morning. I got a good start in this twenty-minute sketch and left the studio with several … Continue reading →

Posted in Body Language, Facial Expression | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Early Morning on a Ranch

Posted on August 14, 2018 by

Last week we spent a night on a friend’s ranch in Utah. In the morning, I heard footsteps and looked out the window to see our host going out to start his day. It was really early. The sun was … Continue reading →

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Lounging with a Strawberry

Posted on August 9, 2018 by

  I missed a week of painting while traveling and it was wonderful to meet up with friends today at the San Diego Watercolor Society and sketch for a long morning. We did 5, 10, and 20-minute poses, this one … Continue reading →

Posted in Facial Expression | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Telluride Town Talk

Posted on July 24, 2018 by

During the summer, the Telluride Science Research Center offers a weekly talk of general interest by a visiting scientist. I enjoy these talks because they are provocative- for instance, today’s topic was, Geo-Engineering a Climate Change Solution. But even better, … Continue reading →

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Artist at Work

Posted on July 14, 2018 by

  This morning I went to see a local artist, who I admire very much, paint. I also got in a few sketches of my fellow observers. My eye was caught by the posture of three women who sat on … Continue reading →

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Running up the Path

Posted on July 13, 2018 by

I was sitting on a shady bench in the Japanese Friendship Garden at Balboa Park, thinking about how to show the sunlight on the path. I noticed three young women, probably in their early years of high school, running up … Continue reading →

Posted in Body Language, Groups Interacting, Landscape, Telling a Story | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Keep Families Together

Posted on June 30, 2018 by

What could be more American than celebrating the Fourth of July with your family? Picnics, rodeos, reunions, fireworks, we spend the day enjoying each other and the blessings of a good life in a good country. As we get ready … Continue reading →

Posted in Facial Expression, Telling a Story | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Cabin Near Estes Park

Posted on June 27, 2018 by

Yesterday I wrote about trying to find the cabin near Estes Park that once belonged to my college roommate’s family. Today, with directions from my friend, I was able to find it. Part of the problem, in addition to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Landscape, Telling a Story | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Dessert

Posted on June 22, 2018 by

How wonderful to finish a meal at a sidewalk cafe in Portugal and then sit and admire the landscape. This is a 12 X 12- inch gouache sketch on black paper.

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Guimarães and Children

Posted on June 18, 2018 by

We are in a new-to-us city, Guimarães, Portugal. It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site because the city has maintained its medieval character while also developing into a modern city. The city is quite a change for me from my … Continue reading →

Posted in Cityscape, Telling a Story, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Eibsee and Bike

Posted on June 15, 2018 by

This was probably too ambitious a composition-cloudy sky, mountains, lake, bike, and a bench with a person, but before I leave Bavaria I wanted to have a sketch that shows it all. So, I worked to captures the incredible beauty … Continue reading →

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Bavarian Cows

Posted on June 11, 2018 by

Yesterday evening as we walked through the Bavarian countryside at dusk, we came across a flock of sheep. The sheep lifted their heads and stared us down and I was charmed by them. So I planned to return today with … Continue reading →

Posted in Landscape, Telling a Story | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Old Friends at Work

Posted on June 4, 2018 by

My husband and I have been visiting Denmark. One of its attractions is meeting up with our many old friends. The first Dane we ever met was in grad school 1975 and since that time I have often sketched this … Continue reading →

Posted in Body Language, People Learning, Telling a Story | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Under the Influence of Münter and Calder

Posted on June 3, 2018 by

I was delighted to see that the Louisiana Museum in Denmark has a retrospective exhibition of Gabriele Münter’s paintings and photographs. It is an impressive collection and covers the 50- 60 years of her work. It was an opportunity to … Continue reading →

Posted in Groups Interacting, Landscape, Telling a Story | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Odds and Ends

Posted on May 28, 2018 by

We drove north from Bonn late this afternoon and stopped much later in Flensburg for the night. Since this was not a good day for sketching, I decided to post some sketches from the past week. One of the pleasures … Continue reading →

Posted in Cityscape, Interior, Landscape, Telling a Story, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Bonn Beer Garden

Posted on May 26, 2018 by

Bonn Beer Garden We are in Bonn visiting an old friend. The weather is gorgeous and we took a long walk through the pedestrian area in the city center. Later we stopped at a beer garden for a drink and … Continue reading →

Posted in Cityscape, Groups Interacting, Telling a Story | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Along the Cornish Coast

Posted on May 22, 2018 by

Along the Cornish Coast Although the climate in Cornwall is relatively mild, I tested the water and found I lacked the courage to join the many enthusiastic swimmers at Marazion’s coast. As I sketched instead, these three sisters caught my … Continue reading →

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Between the Azores and Brittany

Posted on May 17, 2018 by

Last Sunday evening our ship left the Azores Islands and this morning we docked at Brest on Frances’ Brittany coast. Here are five sketches from the last five days. Watching the Azores Islands Disappear It was still warm as we … Continue reading →

Posted in Interior, Landscape, Telling a Story | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

During Four Days at Sea

Posted on May 13, 2018 by

During these past four days at sea, I sketched very little. But here are three sketches, two of people aboard the Prinsendam, and a third sketch, my favorite, of the bottom of a lifeboat. Looking out the Window of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Groups Interacting, Landscape, Telling a Story | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

At Sea on the Prinsendam

Posted on May 8, 2018 by

Today our ship, the Prinsendam, is at Hamilton, Bermuda. We got up early to watch the ship come in through the Bermuda straights and then went on a walking tour of this lovely port. Here are three sketches from our … Continue reading →

Posted in Body Language, Groups Interacting, Telling a Story | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Cruise Security

Posted on May 5, 2018 by

We passed through cruise security and then waited to board, just long enough for me to pull out a small sketchbook. We are off on a two week crossing of the Atlantic, our first cruise. As a child I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Telling a Story | Tagged , , | 2 Comments