Debate Sketch Revised

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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Debate Sketch

Debate Sketch

Debate Sketch

Ninety minutes of debate tonight made for a rich opportunity for sketching.

This is a charcoal sketch on multimedia paper. I used Snapseed to strengthen the darks in the background.

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Cerdos Farmers Market, Solana Beach

Cerdos Farmers Market, Solana Beach

Cerdos Farmers Market, Solana Beach

The San Diego Urban Sketchers met at Cerdos Farmers Market, Solana Beach today, in an attempt to stay cool as we sketched. This woman and her dog caught my eye as they sat waiting for their companion to finish his lunch. I first noticed how her flushed face and legs complemented the bougainvillea and umbrella. Then as I sketched her, I also noticed that I liked the way she sat up and chatted cheerfully, clearly enjoying her Sunday afternoon.

This is a charcoal and watercolor sketch on multimedia paper.

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Man Watches Election News

Man Watches the Election News

Man Watches Election News

We sat in the kitchen last night after supper, watching the latest news about the coming election.  It was so intense that I had dull the impact by pulling out my iPad and sketching. As I drew I noticed the expression of sad skepticism mixed with distaste and tried to capture it. The half open eyes and slumping shoulders said a lot.

This is a Procreate sketch.

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Flowers in a Pot

Flowers in a Pot

Flowers in a Pot

Pastels, another medium I have not used much, is on our supply list for the art class I am taking. Today I pulled them out and used them along with charcoals and watercolor to sketch flowers in our backyard. Not knowing the medium, I just went with the flow, had fun, and learned a bit about the way pastels go down on paper and interact with other mediums.

This is a charcoal, pastels, and watercolor sketch on multimedia paper.

 

 

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September Flowers

September Flowers

September Flowers

Continuing today with drawing in charcoal, I wanted to use it to add depth to my work. I began this sketch by chalking in the negative space and then the flowers. It had some depth at this point but was dull. So I used watercolor and watercolor pencil to add color and then finally went back with a Sharpie marker to darken portions of the sketch in order to emphasize the vertical lines of the flower stems. I think I lost depth when I used the Sharpie, but it was a tradeoff between the lines and depth.

This is a charcoal, watercolor and marker sketch on watercolor paper.

 

 

 

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Dinner with a Crossword

DInner with a Crossword

Dinner with a Crossword

I went to my new drawing class today and we drew with vine charcoal, mostly on its side. It was wonderful to see the technique modeled by the teacher and the other students. Their work inspired me and now I am eager to learn to draw with charcoal. I went home and tried it some more. On my home drawings I added some watercolor to help define the figure.

I liked the pose, a man recharging with dinner and a puzzle. His gaze is on the puzzle, his attention to his dinner is secondary, and his shoulders show some tiredness. It caught an end-of-the-day feeling despite my unfamiliarity with the new medium.

This is a charcoal sketch on drawing paper and was edited a bit with Snapseed.

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