A Second Stuffed Bird
Yesterday I drew this bird but did not like the background. Today I added more gouache paint to the background and scraped it around. Then I made the sketch less dark and cropped it by using Photos and Procreate.
Two Stuffed Birds
Today I did something new and sketched stuffed birds. The San Diego Watercolor Society created several still life compositions featuring birds and invited members to come by for a few hours.
I expected that since stuffed birds are unable to fly away in the middle of a sketch, that it would not be as difficult as drawing birds out in their habitats. However, I found that the closer I looked at the birds, the more I noticed what was lacking in my drawing. This is the best of the three I did today, and as you can see, I have a lot to learn. I used pastel and gouache.
Fixing the Sidewalk
This is a pastel and gouache sketch of a man fixing the sidewalk. I liked his bright shirt against the gray of the street.
Photoshop Final Project
This past fall I had the thought that it would be a great idea to take a Photoshop class and learn how to manipulate images digitally. In spite of the challenges of remembering how to use the keyboard as an artistic tool, I loved the class and gained some understanding of how graphic artists work.
For this final project, each student created an original ‘movie poster’ based on titles developed as a class. The goal was to locate a variety of images from a variety of different sources and integrate them into a coherent visual story by using the features of Photoshop. It was a fun way to learn, and my classmates created some amazing posters.
The title that got my attention was “Making Room.’ It reminded me of our chipmunk visitors last summer when we camped in Colorado. Although I did not like sharing our camper with the critters, I had fun imagining a story where a chip family moves into a cabin similar to my brother’s.
My Brother and Grandson
My brother met his grandson this week. Of course, it was well documented, and I have looked at one particular photo many times. It shows the contrast in age and size, the beauty of the child and in particular, the complex mixture of joy, wonder, humility, and bliss on my brother’s face. I wanted to capture this in a sketch but did not quite get it right.
Musicians at Balboa Park
It is really warm in Southern California just now. Today is December 15, and Balboa Park was full of people dressed for summer and enjoying San Diego’s weather, museums, green spaces, and trails.
I spent the morning at the art museum and left full of resolve to be bolder with shapes, colors, and textures. Then I paused to listen to three musicians who were basking in the sun and playing songs from my youth. They were a perfect subject for a quick sketch. I painted without first putting pastel or pencil marks down on the paper, trying to make my resolve materialize in my sketchbook.
This is a gouache sketch in a 9 X 9-inch sketchbook with black paper.
Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Again
I wanted to go back to the location where I painted yesterday to paint again today but was too busy. Instead, in the evening, I used yesterday’s painting along with a few photos and painted at my desk. My intention with both sketches was to make the lagoon the focal point. I think today’s sketch, although not as lively, keeps the viewer’s attention on the lagoon and beach.
This is a gouache and pastel sketch on a sheet of 17 X 12 – inch black paper.
Deliberate Sketching 