Along the North Shore of Oahu

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan

Sketch of a beach Along the North Shore of Oahu by Sarah Sullivan

Along the North Shore of Oahu

Sketch of people Surfing on the North Shore of Oahu by Sarah Sullivan

Surfing on the North Shore of Oahu


Yesterday we circumnavigated Oahu, stopping to sketch, swim and enjoy the island from time to time. I wanted to convey my admiration for the island, surf and the people who take pleasure in it and made a series of quick pen and watercolor sketches. I was challenged to capture a single moment in fast moving scenes of crashing waves and dashing surfers. I think the sketches where I used quick broken pen lines and very wet paint to mimic the motion are the most effective.

Posted in Deliberate Practice, Landscape, Telling a Story | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Morning at Kapi’olani Beach 

Posted on March 19, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
Sketch of Morning at Kapi'olani Beach by Sarah Sullivan

Morning at Kapi’olani Beach

Although I did not have much time for sketching yesterday, I did get this fast sketch of early sunbathers at Kapi’olani Beach before we took off for the day at the Pearl Harbor Memorial. I think it works better than the sketch I posted yesterday because the shapes are simplified and the pen marks show through the watercolor.

This is a pen and watercolor sketch. 

Posted in Deliberate Practice, Landscape, Telling a Story | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Waikiki Sunrise From a Hotel Window

Posted on March 18, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan

Sketch of a Waikiki Sunrise by Sarah Sullivan

Waikiki Sunrise From a Hotel Window

Looking out the hotel window this morning at dawn, the sun was rising behind the hotel on my left. Some of the palm trees and the grass below were illuminated but the hotel’s shadow fell across most of the area to the right. I did not really capture this although it was my goal with this first sketch on our Hawaiian trip. I think I can simplify this scene and then try again another morning.

This is a gouache sketch on black paper.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Same Intersection, Different Sketches

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
Same Intersection, view 2
Same Intersection, view 3

Here are two more sketches of the same intersection as yesterday’s sketch in Old Town at Twiggs and San Diego Avenue that I dew in this past week. In each sketch I stood where a line (the double yellow line in the street or the crack in the sidewalk) recedes back to the vanishing point on the horizon. Although the line acts as a reference and helps me think about how to draw each scene, in retrospect I see that I still have inaccurately drawn objects in each sketch. I think my intuition about how to draw cityscapes leads me astray. I should probably draw many similar scenes and take the time to measure how the parts fit together.

Both sketches are gouache and pastel, one on white paper and one on black.

 

 

Posted in Deliberate Practice, Landscape, Learning | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Working on Perspective in San Diego’s Old Town

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
San Diego's Old Town

San Diego’s Old Town

The landscape painting class met in San Diego’s Old Town today and it was a perfect opportunity to think again about perspective. I stood in the park at Twiggs Street, looking down San Diego Avenue, where the double yellow line pointed directly at an ideal vanishing point and the sidewalks, cars, and buildings formed perfect rays leading to it. Of course if you start thinking about it, you can see where I got away from the perspective. Nevertheless, I like the way the wedges of the street, buildings, and hillside come together. I hope I have time in the next few days to paint some variations of this sketch.

This is a gouache and pastel sketch on black gouache paper.

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

Simplifying the Shape

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
Simplifying the Shape

Simplifying the Shape

It is so worthwhile to go to art class and work on projects alongside my fellow students. Not only do I have the chance to learn from the wisdom of an amazing teacher, I also see how other artists interpret the same directions using the same model.

Today we simplified our subject down to a few strong shapes and then painted each shape with strong pigment. This was such a perfect exercise for me, given my deliberate sketch focus of, how do I use flat gouache color, big shapes, and black paper to convey what I am thinking. Because I was influenced by the work of the other students, I let more of my brush strokes show and I think this adds interest to the composition.

This is a pastel and gouache sketch on black paper.

Posted in Deliberate Practice, Learning, Telling a Story | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Watercolor Critique

Posted on March 12, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
The Watercolor Critique

The Watercolor Critique

The Watercolor Critique II

The Watercolor Critique II

Yesterday I attended a watercolor demonstration and paint out. As we ended, the artist critiqued the paintings that attendees made. During the critique I drew 2 sketches of this scene with simple pastel lines on black paper. Today I added color.

My major deliberate sketch focus for some time has been, how do I use flat gouache color, big shapes and black paper to convey what I am thinking. More narrowly, today I thought about how much black paper should be left showing in a sketch. In the first sketch above I think I overdid the paint. It was a stronger sketch when more of the figures were left with unpainted black paper. But did I leave too much unpainted in the second? Figuring out the balance of paper and paint will be my focus this week.

These are gouache and pastel sketches on black paper.

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