A Huge Poinsettia

Posted on December 1, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Huge Poinsettia

Huge Poinsettia

Every year I buy two of the largest poinsettias I can find and put them out on the front steps. I love seeing them as I come and go and they came in handy today as a subject for my sketches.

Yesterday I got discouraged about my understanding and control of color as I tried to paint the boats in the marina. I just kept adding colors to the painting, and ended up with a jumbled mess.  So today I got out my books, read up on color theory and thought about how to better select and mix watercolor.  This is a huge subject but I did read enough to know I should rearrange the colors on my palette and then practice a lot so I know my colors well.

This is a pencil, watercolor and pastel sketch on multimedia paper.

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Boats at Shelter Island

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Boats at Shelter Island

Boats at Shelter Island

The landscape class met today for the first of three sessions at Shelter Island in San Diego. It was beautiful but I had trouble capturing the look of boats in water. I wanted to be able to define the individual boats but there were so many that they visually merged together and this confused me. This is the second sketch I did this morning and, while better than the first, shows I have a lot to learn about rendering the look of a marina.

This is a watercolor and pastel sketch on watercolor paper.

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Woman with a Scarf

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Woman with a Scarf

Woman with a Scarf

Our figure drawing class is working on portraits, which pleases me greatly. It was wonderful to hear someone knowledgeable talk about the structure of human heads and the art of drawing likenesses. We worked on placing features and most of us used charcoal, as it is so easy to make adjustments with it. Our model wore a scarf, which was challenging to draw.

This is a charcoal sketch on pastel paper.

 

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Grading Exams in a Camper

Posted on November 24, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan

Sketch of a man by Sarah Sullivan

Grading Exams in a Camper


Last night we sat in our camper, sharing a very small space, while Peter marked his midterms and I sketched. I liked watching his range of expressions as he considered each exam, particularly his delight, dismay, puzzlement, surprise, and approval. There was a lot of thinking going on as he graded and that was the most consistent expression I saw as he worked through the huge pile. I think his attention to the grading and what the results might mean is conveyed through his upright posture, tilted head, tight mouth, hands that hold an exam and pen, and his steady gaze.

This is a conte crayon sketch on multimedia paper. 

Posted in Body Language, Facial Expression, People Learning, Telling a Story | Tagged | 1 Comment

After the Storm

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
After the Storm

After the Storm

Yesterday we had a pretty good storm for San Diego and I was eager to get out to Cabrillo National Monument and enjoy its aftermath. There was a brisk breeze, the sky was cloudy and foggy, and the sea was more wild than usual. It was a perfect day for mimicking the movement of the sea with brush strokes and chalk marks. The bright spot in the center of this sketch is from white gouache squeezed directly onto the tinted paper and smoothed out a bit with my finger.

This is a pastel and gouache sketch on tinted paper.

 

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Working with Pastels 

Posted on November 19, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Sketch of an artist by Sarah Sullivan

Working with Pastels

I went with a large group of Urban Sketchers to the Bernardo Winery this morning and sketched a nearby artist who was also working with pastels. I liked her intense focus on her work and the way her face and skin caught the light. I am going to use this sketch as a basis for a similar sketch tomorrow so I can make some changes to the background and figure.

This is a charcoal and pastel sketch. 

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Street Ball

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Shooting Baskets

Shooting Baskets

I looked out my window and saw my young neighbor shooting hoops and dribbling the ball around the street. I was able to get a few quick charcoal lines that showed his movement, drawing him several times on this same page. Later I removed most of the charcoal from the figures and then used pastels to fill in the remaining shapes with color.

This is a charcoal and pastel sketch.

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