“As long as you have a good book, you are not really waiting.”

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
"As long as you have a good book, you are not really waiting."

“As long as you have a good book, you are not really waiting.”

I was standing in line behind this woman in pink and overheard the receptionist tell her that she was 45-minutes early for her appointment. I was charmed by the woman’s response, “It’s OK, as long as you have a good book, you are not really waiting.” By the time I sat down, the woman was sitting, head bowed and clearly into her book.

I barely had time for a line drawing before I was called and did not get a chance to add watercolor until I returned home. A 45-minute wait would have been perfect for me as well. Perhaps someday I will have a chance to say, “As long as you have a good subject to sketch, you are not really waiting.”

This is a pen and watercolor sketch.

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Relaxing after Dinner

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Relaxing after Dinner

Relaxing after Dinner

 

Sketching with an iPad is so relaxing. With traditional media I do not always know when to stop. I often make additions to my sketches that detract from what I have already put on the paper and then ruin my work. The final moments of a traditional sketch can be pretty tense. I totally appreciate the ‘undo/ redo’ feature of software. It is so helpful to see and compare the various possibilities and makes it much easier to get the stopping point right.

This is an iPad/ Procreate sketch.

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

Back to the Marina at Shelter Island

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
The Marina at Shelter Island

The Marina at Shelter Island

The landscape class met for the second time at a marina on Shelter Island. My trouble with capturing the look and feel of a marina continued and the watercolor I did was muddled.

After I got home I made several sketches of the scene I had painted earlier, using my watercolor and a photo for reference.  This sketch is closer to what I wanted, but is more of a drawing than a watercolor because it relies on lines to give it shape and structure. We have one more day at the marina next week so I can try again to paint it, or, if all else fails, sketch it.

This is a pen and watercolor sketch on watercolor paper.

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Sketch on Tinted Paper

Posted on December 5, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Sketch on Tinted Paper

Sketch on Tinted Paper

Today our figure drawing class continued to work on portraits. There were six models so we were able to get up close. I chose this particular model as her facial expression and posture are so lovely and the textures in her hair and shirt were challenging.

I used a strongly tinted pastel paper and was uncertain about how to use it along with the pastels to show the lighter and darker parts of the sketch. I began with a contour drawing with a fine point pen. Then when I added the pastels the drawing disappeared so I went back with a sharpie and strengthened some of the lines. I mostly let the tinted paper show skin color but feel I could do more with it. This week I hope to do a few more sketches along this same line in order to learn how to use this medium.

This is a pen and pastel sketch on pastel paper.

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Palm Trees over a Parking Lot

Posted on December 3, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Palm Trees over a Parking Lot

Palm Trees over a Parking Lot

I sat in my favorite parking lot towards the end of the day and sketched this scene, thinking hard about how to use color to show what I was seeing. Mort of this is done with Quinacridone Rose, Yellow Ochre, and Viridian, although I did use some other colors as well. It caught the sunny look of late afternoon, I think. Later at home I painted over the distant hills with even more yellow to make them seem more distinct than the shrubbery in the parking lot, which added to the end-of-the afternoon feel.

This is a pencil and watercolor sketch on watercolor paper.

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Waiting for a Walk

Posted on December 3, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Winter Evening

Winter Evening

Although I continued to work on color this afternoon, this quick sketch of Luke and two guests is my favorite sketch for the day. I like the expressions and the story it suggests.

This is an iPad/ Procreate sketch.

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Study of a Poinsettia

Posted on December 2, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Study of a Poinsettia

Study of a Poinsettia

Sketching this poinsettia with watercolor was a motivating way to continue working on color and brushwork. I restricted this sketch to a triad of three cool colors, Hansa Yellow Light, Winsor Blue and Quinacridone Rose, and reminded myself of the power of keeping the paint choices simple. Additionally, most of the sketch is done using wet paint on wet paper, a much slower but much more defined method of painting than I usually use. I am certain that these techniques would have helped the ‘Boats at Shelter Island’ sketch from November 29 and am looking forward to going back next Tuesday to try it again.

This is a pencil and watercolor sketch on watercolor paper.

 

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