October Beach Day

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
October Beach Day

October Beach Day

Our watercolor class met today up on the Torrey Pines plateau that overlooks the sea below. We were in the midst of coastal scrub and pine trees with sandstone mesas in the distance. Lots to paint and I painted away but left without a painting that came close to conveying the incredible view from Torrey Pines.

I stopped at the beach below to walk and sketched this group with a marker and a pocket watercolor kit, while the man kept an eye on me. I think this quick sketch somehow captures the feeling of a beach in October much better than my carefully composed two-hour painting.

This is a marker and watercolor sketch.

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Debate Night Body Language

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Debate Night Body Language

Debate Night Body Language

Another debate means I had another chance to sketch along and interpret for 90-minutes. This sketch is a composite of three different sketches, which I arranged later after the debate using Procreate. By that time I had seen enough of their body language to know I wanted to show a surly Mr. Trump following a confident Mrs. Clinton around the stage. Trump’s hand is over his genitals to remind us about his thoughts about women. An abstract design indicating the town hall audience went behind the two figures.

I wanted Mrs. Clinton’s expression to show more of a “He didn’t say that, did he?” Alas, I couldn’t figure out how to show it better. I like the way Mr. Trump turned out stout and cranky.

I initially drew on multimedia paper with a water-soluble pencil and then imported the three sketches into Procreate where I added color. Later I used Snapseed to make adjustments to the values and textures.

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Sunset on the San Diego Freeway

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Sunset along the San Diego Freeway

Sunset along the San Diego Freeway

I drew as we made the slow trip home down I-5 from Los Angeles to San Diego this evening. Each time I looked up from the iPad to add more to my sketch, the scenery was different, so this is a composite sketch of a 30-mile stretch or so between Camp Pendleton and Del Mar.

Yesterday I used blurry highlights to indicate people moving and I used blurry highlights again today to show cars moving. I’d like to learn to use it more deliberately, so perhaps it will show up again soon.

This is a Procreate and Snapseed sketch.

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People on the Move at the LAX Baggage Area

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Sketch of people at a LAX Baggage Area

People on the Move at a LAX Airport Baggage Area

This afternoon I waited a bit at the LAX airport for the arrival of our Chicago cousin. I tried to quickly sketch people as they moved across the baggage area but they moved so quickly I was unable to complete even a single person. Then I decided to skimp on the details of color and shapes and I think this helped me catch the feeling of people on the move.

This is a Procreate and Snapseed sketch.

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Relaxing at a Yosemite Campsite

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Relaxing at a Yosemite Campsite

Relaxing at a Yosemite Campsite

We went camping at Yosemite last weekend. It was gorgeous, cold and dry and the forest was deep and green. We got there early and I was able to sketch the next campsite over on my iPad while we waited for the rest of our group to arrive.

This is a Procreate sketch.

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A Third Attempt to Get the Debate Sketch Right

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
A Third Attempt at the Debate Sketch

A Third Attempt at the Debate Sketch

Monday night I sketched the presidential debate in charcoal and on Tuesday I worked in Procreate to improve the sketch. My cousin Ann commented on the second sketch, “Like it but I’d put him further back on the right and have her front and center.” 

It was an awesome suggestion and I used Procreate to alter their relative sizes and make a few other changes to this third sketch of the debaters. I got to thinking that for me it is the terrible hateful things Donald Trump says about our fellow human beings that diminish him and box him in. I wondered if I could show this idea visually. The first two sketches have him with a closed mouth but I altered this third sketch so it looks like his mouth is open and then shaded the background area around him to look like a box. I am not sure this meaning leaps off the page or anything but it was interesting to give it a try.

The more I read about reactions to the debate, the more impressed I was with Hillary’s tenacity and spunk. I strengthened Hillary’s expression- her backward glance, wry smile, lifted chin, and bright face-because this body language not only suggests that she had a plan, but it better shows that she was pleased with how her plan was turning out.

 

 

 

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Debate Sketch Revised

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Debate Sketch Revised

Debate Sketch Revised

I wanted to improve yesterday’s sketch. In it both of the debaters appear too thin. I did catch a bit of Donald Trump’s peevishness, but did not convey Hillary Clinton’s air of confident readiness.  But what really bothered me was that although one of my my goals for sketching is to communicate with image, yesterday’s sketch did not clearly indicate which candidate I will be voting for.

Today I worked to address these issues. I added color and took out some of the stronger lines and shading. Sadly, I diluted the skeptical look on Hillary’s face as she listened to Donald, but perhaps on October 9 I can try again.

I imported yesterday’s charcoal sketch into Procreate where I made all the changes.

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