Christmas Cactus
We got a wonderful day of rain, which was good for San Diego and good for indoor sketching.
This is a pencil, pen and watercolor sketch.
Bird of Paradise
My neighbor has an enormous bird of paradise plant whose colors are particularly striking on cloudy days like today. I have been eyeing this plant as I pass it but have hesitated to sketch it because its colors are so uneven and my present skill set for dealing with color transitions is still shaky. I’m glad I tried it and I see how I would work with the color a little differently next time that I sketch something like this.
This is a pencil and watercolor sketch.
The Moon above Us
The full moon over San Diego tonight is gorgeous. There are flimsy clouds that catch the reflection of the moonlight. Together with the light that our house gives off, it creates an inviting and warm feeling. I tried painting this outside in the dark but, as beautiful as it was, it was too hard to see and too cold to persist for long.
This is a watercolor sketch on watercolor paper.
Street Ball
The model yesterday at the figure drawing class conveyed fitness. She was strong, limber and full of energy and I caught some of her athleticism in the brush drawing of her above.
One of my goals for this blog is to tell a story through image and today I developed the sketch further with this end in mind. The model’s fitness reminded me of my neighbors and the street ball they play in front of our house. I went out and sketched the basketball hoop and ball using Procreate on my iPad, thinking the detail would strengthen the message. I thought about adding shoes but the shoes never looked quite right so I left the woman with bare feet.
This is a brush drawing on multimedia paper with a background layer using Procreate.
Brush Drawing
Taking an art class means using unfamiliar mediums and this morning we drew with a paintbrush and black paint. The big difference from the way I use watercolor is that we painted directly on the paper without first drawing in pencil. Our beginning efforts were quick two and five-minute sketches so we could become familiar with the materials.
After I got to know which brush to use, how much paint to put on the brush, and how hard to press down, I began to enjoy the medium. I tried to use the direction of brushstrokes and color strength to show the shape to the model. The morning flew by and I am looking forward to using this medium on my own.
This is a brush drawing on multimedia paper using black watercolor.
Man in Plaid Grades Papers
Another weekend, another pile of papers to grade and thus a great model who is willing to still for a long time while I paint him. Not bad for a Saturday evening. I overdid the pen lines on the face but like the lines in the clothing.
This is a pen, pastel and watercolor sketch.
At the Park
I went over to Spanish Village today and got a few line and watercolor sketches. I liked the way this man was sitting with his foot up while he looked at his phone and had fun exaggerating it a bit. Although I was making an effort to use strong colors, when I got home they still seemed too light. So I imported the sketch into Procreate and tried out several versions, finally going with colors that were darker and more vibrant than my original sketch.
This is a pen and watercolor sketch that was adjusted in Procreate.
Deliberate Sketching 