I stopped by the Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego’s Balboa Park today to find that the cherry trees are in bloom. There were many people walking along the canyon paths and admiring the beauty. Using my iPad, I tried to capture both the lovely spring day and the admiration that people feel for the blossoms.
PB & J at the Zoo
I sat down near a family at the zoo today and after admiring the speed with which the mother made PB & J sandwiches on the spot, decided to sketch them. I started with the baby on the right. Within minutes I could see that the other two kids were ready to move on and began to sketch faster and faster.
This is an iPad sketch.
Burton House at Heritage Park
I sketched this morning with the San Diego Urban Sketchers at Heritage Park, adjacent to Old Town in San Diego. Heritage Park features restored Victorian homes and the first synagogue in San Diego. This is a sketch of the Burton House, which today was overshadowed by all of our new spring greenery. It started out as a learning sketch, a sketch to figure out what to do with all the possibilities in front of me, but became my final sketch when I ran out of time. I will have to go back for a more developed painting soon.
Walking Along Harbor Island
We walked along Harbor Island earlier this week, and I took several photos with my smartphone. Today I got to looking at the photos and composed this gouache sketch from them. I liked the interplay of the lights and darks.
Figure from Three Different Angles
I sketched this morning at the San Diego Watercolor Society’s Paint-in.The model was angular, expressive, and wonderful to draw. We started with two-minute warm-ups, a favorite of mine. Later at home I smoothed out some of the gouache.
Back in San Diego, I got out to the Mission de San Diego Alcala. This is a a 9 X 9-inch gouache sketch of the fountain as seen through a massive aloe vera succelent.
We spent a last afternoon on the beach yesterday and I did my best to soak up as much of the scene as possible. Mazatlan is a charming city with a gracious people. The seaside, framed by old brightly painted buildings and greenery is captivating. My only regret is I did not come close to sketching as much as I would have liked. I pretty much stayed by the ocean for the three weeks. Perhaps next year I will move beyond the beach into the plazas and streets.
Deliberate Sketching 