Stalking a Zucchini Flower

Posted on May 2, 2020 by Sarah Sullivan

I am finding my neighbor-cat to be a delightful diversion. He has a nice shape and is fun to draw. Today he made a place for himself on a steppingstone in the vegetable garden and seemed to be stalking a zucchini flower.

I began this with acrylic paint on a nice black watercolor paper, but had trouble getting the paint to flow the way I wanted. I switched to gouache near the end for the grassy areas so I could get a fluid look.

This is a 7 x 10- inch acrylic and gouache sketch on black watercolor paper.

Posted in Telling a Story | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

My Neighbor Came Back for Lemons

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Sarah Sullivan

As soon I went outside this morning, my neighbor popped over the fence. He may not respect my efforts to hide from the coronavirus, but his charming way of looking intently at objects, such as these two lemons, make up for it.

Although he kept his distance, I think he knew I was interested in his every pose. This time my camera was ready for him and I snapped a stream of photos.

This is a 5 x 7-inch acrylic and gouache sketch on black watercolor paper.

Posted in Telling a Story | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

A Neighbor Dropped by for Coffee

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Sarah Sullivan

I was beginning on the third version of ‘Sunshine on a Patio’. This time I wanted to paint it with a bright orange coffee mug for a focal point. I planned to feature the sunlight on the top of the table by bringing the table closer to the bottom edge of the paper.

My neighbor’s cat, who has not been sheltering in place at all, came by and hopped up on the table. After deciding against drinking my coffee, he moved on. I was not quick enough to get a photo of him with my orange mug, but I did get one as he walked along the patio wall. I loved the new composition and got right to work on it.

This is a 13 x 13-inch gouache sketch.

Posted in Landscape, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

More Sunshine on a Patio

Posted on April 28, 2020 by Sarah Sullivan

I love the mix of light and shade as it falls on a landscape. Something unexpected about sheltering-in-place has been how much more time I have to admire it. Now I am trying my hand at showing what it looks like mid-mornings on my patio.

This sketch is similar to yesterday’s. But this one has a stronger diagonal with more space in the foreground to show the interplay of light and dark on the patio floor. The shadow is bluer, the plants are brighter, and the wooden table’s angle is changed to feature the edges of the slats.

This is a 13 x 13 gouache sketch on black Bristol board.

Posted in Landscape | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Sunshine on a Patio

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Sarah Sullivan

The interplay of shadows and light on the patio caught my attention. I liked the shadows cast by the furniture and the unseen trees and wanted to capture it with my gouache paints.

Posted in Landscape | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Zoom Sketches

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Sarah Sullivan

A habit I developed during my school and working years is drawing the people around me whenever I am in a listening situation. I had a positive attitude about lectures and meetings because they gave me a chance to sketch and doodle. These days I particularly enjoy Zoom because it allows me to sketch while seeing my family and friends.

Here are some Zoom sketches I made while meeting up with some long time friends this evening.

Posted in Figures | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

In a Canyon

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Sarah Sullivan

I notice now, after six weeks of sheltering-in-place, that our daily walk has gone from a duty to a treat. We have gotten away from our predictable 40-minute routine and moved out much further from home, seeing something wonderful most days.

We took such a great walk today into one of San Diego’s canyons, which was green and full of flowering plants from our recent spring rains. There were children playing in the creek and people with face masks walking their dogs. It was so lovely and different from walking along a street. I took photos with my phone and later used them to make this sketch.

Posted in Landscape | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments