Same Model, Same Hat
I did not paint today but here is one from yesterday. Same model, same hat, similar mood.
Holding On
Our model, this morning at the San Diego Watercolor Society, was gorgeous but somehow I did not catch that aspect of her in this sketch. I like it anyway because the white diagonal that connects her two elbows catches my eye. I also like the moodiness of it all.
This is a 12 X 12-inch gouache sketch on black paper.
Morning Sun at Pacific Beach
I loved the wintery redwoods from last week, but it felt great to start and finish a sketch in the relative warmth of San Diego this morning. We are experiencing a cold spell here too but, as you can see, it is still warm enough for shorts and definitely warm enough to paint comfortably outside.
I began this painting because I liked the way the shadow on the left side of the scene and rails across the back and right made a visual box. When the man came along and sat on the bench, I debated waiting him out but eventually, included him.
This is a 12 x 12-inch gouache sketch on black paper.
Under the Redwoods II
Using photographs from our recent camping trip in Humbolt County, I spent the day trying to convey how very large and old the redwoods are. I will need to keep working on this but want to share the two sketches that come closest to this goal.
I used a figure of a man in both sketches to give an idea of how tall the trees are, and made the colors close to the forest floor dark to show the difficulty that light has penetrating the brush. In the second sketch, I used both sides of a narrow sketchbook so that there was space for the trees to soar above the man.
In my next sketches of this subject, I will move my viewpoint back so there is more space between the bottom edge and the figure.
Walking Under the Redwoods
We camped for several days in the Redwoods of Northern California. We had lots of rain, mist, cold and wind, and between hiking excursions greatly appreciated the heating system in our camper van. Although it is wonderful to be back with amenities like the internet and plumbing, it was something else to stay in solitude beneath those ancient trees.
This is a gouache sketch on black paper with some editing using Procreate.
Sitting Figure
I liked the way the model sat on the platform, centered by a hula-hoop and leaning against a wall but was at a loss about how to finish it when I drew it last Thursday. Today I added more paint to the foreground and background areas, trying to influence the eye movement of the viewer by using the direction of my rough brushstrokes to lead the viewer on.
What’s with the view to her left?
This model had attitude, and it showed in the way she sat and evaluated what was going on out towards her left side. I liked the way I captured her expression in this sketch but felt it lacked the context needed to reflect her personality. Today I went ahead and added a western background. Now I wish I had put in a fence or corral
This is a gouache and pastel sketch on 12 X 12- inch black paper.
Deliberate Sketching 