This is from a Saturday game at a park in Oceanside. I liked how the strong light on the players showed their movement and focus.
I had fun abstracting the 20-minute poses this morning at the San Diego Watercolor Society’s weekly figure drawing session. I think this one is my best for the day because I finally lost my caution. I started with a red-orange casein underpainting and painted the rest with gouache.
Two days ago, I finished a five-day Plein air class, Golden Hour Watermedia Workshop with Ken Goldman. The artist/ teacher did a terrific job breaking down the topic, modeling, and coaching. I did not post any of my work from the class because Ken made most of the decisions about the composition, palette, and process. However, if you could see my work and the other students’ work across the five days, I think you would agree that we all learned a substantial amount.
Yesterday, I put the learning into practice when I painted this golden hour scene from a photo. It was great putting my new vocabulary onto paper as I painted sky glow, back lighting, and reflections.
I love standing in the Cactus Garden at San Diego’s Balboa Park and looking across to Florida Canyon. Those zig-zags on the hiking path catch my eye—and those ambitious hikers catch my eye, too! We are in the midst of our dry season, and the canyon’s colors are subdued and strongly textured, making for a fun painting challenge.
This morning, the San Diego Urban Sketchers met at Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach. The cove is a narrow stretch of beach that opens from a space between steep hillsides. We painted from a lookout point that looked down on everything. By 9 a.m., the beach was full of people enjoying themselves, and I wanted to capture that busy, happy vibe.
It was an unseasonably pleasant July morning in San Diego, and even the shadows seemed to bounce with joy. I sketched quickly, beginning with the light on the adobe walls, roof, and foreground, pausing only to add in a skipping girl and her mother as they passed.
The building, La Casa de Estudillo, is made of white adobe. After looking over my sketch, I darkened the walls to emphasize the light. I like this sketch because it catches the pleasure that perfect weather can bring.
Deliberate Sketching 