They Must Be Snowbirds

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
They Must Be Snowbirds

They Must Be Snowbirds

We sat on the seawall feeling cold but sketching away, bundled up in jackets and long pants. They were down on the shoreline. Their limbs were bare, the kids played in the water. How could they stand the cold? They must have been snowbirds.

I liked so much about this group of five, they seemed so glad to be just where they were. The figure on the right caught my eye first; she stood a long time with her face lifted into the wind and clouds. The two seated women talked away, enjoying the conversation and the two smallest went back and forth between the sea and the sand, clearly delighting in it all.

I brought this sketch home, liking the five figures, but with a sky and sea that did not convey the wild windy weather.  I reworked it to add movement to the waves and clouds, using a few photos for reference. Gouache is wonderful for making changes to a sketch.

This is a pen, pastel and gouache sketch in a black sketchbook.

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Father Daughter Frisbee

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
Father Daughter Frisbee at Mission Beach

Father Daughter Frisbee at Mission Beach

It was probably a little too cold to really sketch at the windy beach but I went anyway with a friend. We lasted a good hour and I caught this father and daughter as they played frisbee. The little girl was about 8 or so and really into the game. Each time her dad threw her the frisbee, she bent down with her hands on her thighs and waited, as though she was waiting for a tennis serve.

This is a pastel and gouache sketch.

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A Good Place to Read

Posted on February 5, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
A Good Place to Read

A Good Place to Read

Tonight I looked to my right from my desk and sketched what I could see. Earlier I had been reading by the fire with a small blanket in my lap, and the coziness of it all caught my attention.

This is a gouache and pen sketch.

Posted in Telling a Story | Tagged , | 4 Comments

The Sun Was So Warm

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan

 

The Sun Was So Warm

The Sun Was So Warm

I was waiting for a friend on the patio of a cafe. The sun was so delightfully warm that I wanted to lean back and snooze. Looking around I noticed I wasn’t the only one with that desire and got out my sketchbook to capture my sleeping neighbor. Her companion seemed amused and I wanted to capture his expression too.

This is a pen and gouache sketch.

 

Posted in Body Language, Facial Expression, Telling a Story | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

We Were Refugees, Too

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
We Were Refugees, Too

We Were Refugees, Too

This evening I attended a meeting, Immigrants and Refugees: A Jewish Call-to-Action. There was standing room only. People listened intently as a panel of elected officials, rabbis and thought leaders explained why it is imperative that we advocate for immigrants and refugees.  It was incredibly moving to be in that room with so many caring people.

We were given suggestions for helpful resources. Three that I looked at this evening were: the ACLU website, the San Diego Anti-Defamation website, and perhaps best of all, a pamphlet, the Indivisible Guide. I see now how to make my calls and letters to elected representatives more effective.

I sketched during the meeting in a black sketchbook with a white gel pen. Later at home I painted this sketch with gouache and then made adjustments with Procreate.

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Bird Show

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
Bird Show!

Bird Show

Relatively few people were at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park today. Between the low attendance and gorgeous weather, conditions were awesome for a day of sketching. This is a sketch of a small audience enjoying the bird show. I was in a rush to capture the action and the proportions of the presenter and bird are inconsistent with the audience’s, but I like the sketch anyway.

I began this series of sketches with white charcoal on black paper, thinking that it would help loosen me up for quickly capturing animal movements. Later I abandoned the charcoal for gel pens to avoid the smearing and blurring of detail. I carried a very small palette with twelve gouache colors, a spray bottle and three water brushes, along with two sketchbooks, and an assortment of pens, pencils, and charcoal.

This is a gel pen and gouache sketch on black paper.

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Luke Takes a Nap

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
Luke Loves His Bed

Luke Takes a Nap

I intended to rework yesterday’s sketch but after a few attempts instead spent the evening sketching Luke as he slept beside me. Since last week when I saw my sister-in-law’s delightful sketch of a lamb, I had been wanting to try painting fur with gouache, and this was my opportunity. While I sketched I kept thinking about the difference between the work of trying to fix yesterday’s sketch and the fun of sketching Luke today.

Yesterday’s sketch was developed from an idea I wanted to write about. The writing was my primary focus and the sketch was secondary. The reference photo I used was not quite the right match for the concept and then I got caught up in copying the photo rather than just using it as a guide. Yesterday’s sketch was hard work.

Today’s sketch was less conceptual and more playful. The painting, not the writing, was my primary focus. Luke shifted his position as I painted so I made adjustments from memory, which gives a more real feel to the sketch. Then, because I was relaxed, I changed the color of his bed for the pleasure of using blue. Today’s sketch was fun, but I do still want to get yesterday’s sketch right, sometime soon.

This is a pen and gouache sketch  black Bristol paper.

Posted in Deliberate Practice, Story Creation | Tagged , | Leave a comment