Fierce Afternoon Storm

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
Afternoon Storm

Afternoon Storm

A wild storm swept in this afternoon, the second of three storms that may end our seven- year drought here in Southern California. We had high winds and, for San Diego, a lot of rain. The trees on the canyon side above our house swayed and bent under the force of the wind and I had fun trying to show the fierceness of the storm with paint. I painted on a sturdier paper and it did not buckle like yesterday’s sketch. I think for the time being I will stick to Bristol for gouache.

This is a gouache and marker painting on black Bristol paper.

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So Tired He Can’t See Straight

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
So Tired He Can't See Straight

So Tired He Can’t See Straight

Some of the most interesting facial expressions I have captured in my year and a half of daily sketching are on people under the influence of jet lag. This tired house guest of ours is no exception. The saying, ‘so tired he can’t see straight’ sure seems to fit.

I used a much lighter weight paper today, a paper for pastel drawings, and it buckled from the moisture of the gouache paint and water. I’ll go back to the Bristol paper or the black paper in the Moleskine sketchbook tomorrow.

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

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Nearly Naptime

Posted on January 19, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan

 

Nearly Naptime

Nearly Naptime

This sketch is based on one of the many photos I took of family members during our Mazatlan trip. Painting from a photo is a less intuitive process for me than drawing from real life, perhaps because thinking about a photo is so different from actually being in a place and interacting with people. In any case, this sketch took four attempts and two days before I came close to capturing what I liked about the snapshot- the contrast of my nephew’s large arms with his daughter’s small arms, the twist of her body, her dangling leg, their sleepy look and cozy relationship.

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

 

Posted in Body Language, Facial Expression, Groups Interacting, Story Creation, Telling a Story | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Afternoon Connection

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
Afternoon Connection

Afternoon Connection

I am especially drawn to sketching people as they connect with each other. As I waited for a friend this afternoon I was caught by what looked to me like the body language of stressful reflection and sympathetic listening. The figure on the left sat up straight with folded arms and but kept looking down as she spoke, sometimes pausing. The figure on the right leaned forward and kept her eyes on her friend’s face, spoke seldom and exuded sympathy. I was glad that by the luck of being early I had the chance to sketch this interaction.

I am using a larger variety of brushes and planning the strokes before making them, attempting to show both texture and shape with each stroke. The colors were not this vivid but I love using these bright gouache paints.

This is a pastel and gouache sketch.

 

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Garage Sale

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
Garage Sale

Garage Sale

I had a terrific view of my neighbor’s garage sale from my bedroom window.  I liked the action of people looking over items on the tables and, now that we have finally had some rain in San Diego, the contrast of the greenery to the red roof was eye catching. This is the third sketch I made of the scene and wish the garage sale was still going on because I never did get the slope of the yard and driveway right.

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

 

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Into the Waves

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
Into the Waves

Into the Waves

One of the joys of Mazatlan is body surfing in its warm strong waves. I love catching a wave at the perfect moment and then being propelled a long way up onto the beach. I wanted to capture this feeling in sketch.

I began this sketch in Mazatlan of my brother and his two sons as they body surfed and thought it captured the feel of the sea swirling around swimmers. However, I put it aside because the colors were dull compared to the vibrant colors of Mazatlan. Today I took pastels and more gouache and brightened the figures, sky and sea.

This is a gouache and pastel sketch in a Moleskine sketchbook with black pages.

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Beach Frisbee

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Sarah Sullivan
Beach Frisbee

Beach Frisbee

I am now back in San Diego and have a few sketches from the Mazatlan trip that I have not yet posted. I did a few sketches of people playing frisbee along the shoreline and like the action of the people and waves together in this one.

This is a gouache and pastel sketch.

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