The days where we can comfortably stand in the sunshine and paint for hours in San Diego usually come to an end in June. So I went to San Dieguito Lagoon near the Del Mar Fairgrounds, and enjoyed the good weather, thinking that this might be my last day painting there for this season. I stood looking east across the wetlands because the color in the water appeared so rich from that angle.
The Fresno Zoom sketching group has many terrific models. One of my favorites is a young art student, Bobby Brown. It delights me when Zoom opens up, and I see him on my screen. There is something about his quiet demeanor and the emotion he projects that I find captivating. It makes me work hard to get it on paper.
Last night, all the artists in the Zoom group produced strong beautiful pieces that conveyed a message about the subject. Whenever that happens, it is because the model gives us something worthwhile to say with our art.
I was on Zoom with six friends from our critique group. I began to sketch one of them as she was focused on by the computer software. Soon another friend began to speak and the software shifted its focus to her. I continued sketching, using the second friend as inspiration, but the focus shifted again. And so it went until our session was over and I had this amalgam sketch of all six friends.
It was overcast and cool, but this did not discourage the dog beach enthusiasts from enjoying the beach!
Our Tuesday night Zoom model was great. First of all, she is beautiful and that alone made her fun to draw. But second of all, and more importantly, her expression was really interesting. She seemed as though she might be considering sharing her thoughts, and I was eager to try to capture this look with my drawing.
In addition to gouache on black paper, I used a Stabilo product, the Woody color pencil, which is water soluble. It easily goes on the paper and dissolves well. I like the textured look and the fact that you can work rapidly with it.
Our house has been full of family again. It is wonderful to look up and see someone else across the room, in this case, my son.
Our Tuesday night Zoom model took a reclining pose for the evening. Perhaps because I was at the beach today, she reminded me of a sunbather. So I filled in the background accordingly.
Deliberate Sketching 