Urban Sketching in Chula Vista

Today the San Diego Urban Sketchers met on a street corner in Chula Vista. We had views of the village, Fuddruckers, Memorial Park and the Third Avenue street sign. 

I chose to work in gouache because the next page of my sketchbook had toned paper and I wanted the paint to show up.

While creating the video for this event I asked the San Diego Urban Sketchers how they choose their subject when sketching outdoors. You can hear their answers and see their artwork in this video:

#100daysofsketchbookentries

#the100dayproject This gouache was done from a reference photo taken yesterday at Lake Hodges. I painted it in my homemade sketchbook.

Sketching in the Waiting Room

I was very active with my sketching habit for many years. I still carry my sketchbook with me but most days it stays in my purse. In an effort to get back to the sketching habit, I am participating in #The100DayProject by doing #100DaysofSketchbookEntries.

I started my first day by drawing people in the waiting room of my doctor's office. I used a Uniball Signo.

Urban Sketching at Farmers Market at Old Poway Park

I went to Old Poway Park with the intent of sketching. Having music while I was Urban Sketching was a treat. I drew the musician with the saxophone first and was going to stop after drawing him but then I decided to fill my page. If I had done more planning I would have put them in their correct positions and scale. I use Winsor and Newton Watercolors with a Paper Mate Flair Pen. I did the drawing first, then filled with paint.

Los Rios Street with Urban Sketchers

This sketch was created on Los Rios Street this weekend while attending an event with Los Angeles Urban Sketchers, San Diego Urban Sketchers, San Clemente Urban Sketchers and Long Beach Sketch Meet Up. I normally sketch for 2 hours but this event was 4 hours which included coffee, visiting, taking photos and sketching. This extra time allowed me to tackle a full spread in this handmade sketchbook.

This is the video I created for the event: 

Flowers in Gouache

In the past, I have not been too fond of painting flowers but I have this lovely still life on my kitchen table and have taken on the challenge. This time I focused in on a section that had high contrast. Using its' negative shapes to create the little flowers. Painted in Gouache.

Sharpie september

Sketching with the San Diego Sketch Crawlers at Spanish Village.

Sharpie September using a Sharpie pen and watercolor paint.

San Diego Steam Punk Picnic 2018

I created this watercolor while attending a San Diego Urban Sketching Event at Old Poway Park. We met during the San Diego Steampunk Picnic which gave us many costumed figures to sketch. It was a fun exercise even though it was hard to find one sitting still.  My sketches were done in an 11 x 14 inch Daler Rowney Sketchbook with pencil and watercolor.

View the 3:46-minute Lydeo of the event below.

My bird nest

I have a friend that has a nest collection, one that has a million bird nests in her horse barn and a teacher that talks about them like they are SO very special (which they are). I have always wanted one. Not just to have one but to find one. To see it in the tree, to think about the life it held and all the amazing work the mother bird did to find all the little elements that go into the nest. Carrying the pieces back and forth and creating a birth home for her babies. THAT is why I was so happy when my husband found one for me and brought it to me in it's branch, then showed me another abandoned nest in our orange tree.

Gargoyle in a Stamp

I started practicing my gouache with a gargoyle this morning. I then turned to doodling and then stamp carving. Even though I use a small v-gouge I have trouble getting fine carving lines. It was still a fun process for me.