I met up with friends to paint at San Diego’s Shelter Island. This time of year, the sun is hot, and we pretty much need to stand in the shade when painting. I was in the shadows of the next tree over and about to paint the harbor. Then I noticed the adjacent group. Although they huddled under the same tree, each artist was turned and capturing a different slice of the surroundings. I thought their positions said something interesting about the group’s individuality. I also liked this scene because it conveys our local story of loving to be outside painting even as we do our best to stay hidden from the sun
Our younger child, David, has a birthday today. I wanted to celebrate by making a card that says something about who he has become in these last 38 years. The enormity of summarizing a complex and wonderful human on a single card nearly did me in. Eventually, though, I got to thinking about how his work brings him such pleasure and how accomplished he is. So I drew him at the computer and overlaid the screen with code and images that I hope convey blockchains. The next part, giving David’s face the expression it gets when an idea charms him, was harder, but eventually, I got one that I thought was true to him. Finally, I made a background with a hint of a graph since graphing goes with data crunching. Then I had the fun of including his age and a toss of confetti, in a nod to those childhood birthday cards.
My great-nephew is a great kid. He is an enthusiastic participator, and his presence makes everything more fun. At our reunion just now, he played all the games, went on all the hikes, made lots of art, and was fun to be with. He is also an avid follower of professional sports and kept up on all the latest baseball scores through his phone.
I like this sketch of him pondering the latest baseball results because it conveys his ability to focus intensely on matters he finds important.
I am back in San Diego but have a few sketches from our camping trip that I did not yet post. This one shows a few people from our large family doing crossword puzzles together. I like this sketch because it caught the looks of puzzlement and discussion that often pass over our faces as we consider possibilities.
It was clear and bright this morning. I looked across the meadow at the row of juniper trees that rim the meadow. I liked how the shadows were long and pointed at a particular juniper tree.
Something particularly wonderful about our summer reunions is painting together. I was so happy to sketch two of my great-nephews, niece, brother, and sister, sitting at the same table while working away on art projects.
Early in the morning, when it is too cold to leave my heated camper, I look out the window and see the light beginning to show the clouds, trees, rocks, and foliage. The light changes everything fast and I try to capture it all in my small 9 x 9-inch sketchbook with chalk markers and gouache.
This first sketch above focused on the contrast of the light clouds with the still dark treetops and the foliage below. I did not realize it at the time, but the grasses in the foreground were sketched when the sun was more overhead and so is not consistent with the the way the sun was hitting the tree tops. I sketched with chalk markers and then went in with gouache to smooth out some of the lines.
The sun was higher up in this second sketch, so the angle that it lights up the scene is more similar to the usual overhead sun that we experience throughout the day. I drew first with chalk markers and then covered most of them with gouache, leaving some chalk marks to indicate texture in the tree trunks and grass.
The sun is barely up in this third sketch and shines across the landscape at a near-horizontal angle. It is a sunny morning and it lights up everything from the side.
So far, I like the way these chalk markers allow me to quickly sketch what I see. Because they are soluble, they work well with gouache and add possibilities for showing texture and form.
Deliberate Sketching 