Orangutans at San Diego Zoo - San Diego Sketch Crawlers

Point Loma Light House - San Diego Urban Sketchers

Coronado Ferry Landing with San Diego Urban Sketchers

Yesterday I got to sketch with the San Diego Urban Sketchers at the Ferry Landing on Coronado. This video shows the artists, their sketches and a bit of the area.

Lake Mira Mar - Sharpie September

I created this drawing with a Sharpie Ulta Fine Marker and watercolor while attending a paint out with Inland Painters. This is the dock at Mira Mar Lake, a reservoir located in North San Diego County. There is a 5-mile loop around the lake and is a popular place for picnicking, jogging, walking and bicycling.

Sharpie september

Sketching with the San Diego Sketch Crawlers at Spanish Village.

Sharpie September using a Sharpie pen and watercolor paint.

Hanging the show in Escondido - sketchbook journal entry

Field worker Carlsbad Flower Fields

This was drawn from a photograph taken at the Carlsbad Flower Fields many years ago.
It's a small sketch on brown craft paper created with Sharpie Brush Pens.

Coronado Ferry Landing

Sharpie September Day 4 was created at the Ferry Landing in Coronado. I visited the area to see which spot would be a good meeting place for the San Diego Urban Sketchers. I had a cup of coffee at the Coronado Coffee Company and sketched for a little while. It seemed to be the meeting place for retired men having their morning coffee, a destination for their morning bike ride.  I also walked over to the fishing area of the landing and sketched from there. A young couple was scurrying around trying to catch fish from both sides of the pier and reporting on the phone how many they had in the bucket. I wonder if they worked for a restaurant. They kept admiring my sketches every time they passed by me.

It was a peaceful morning with light sprinkles. It's hard to believe that it will be high 90's by the end of the week. I had my sweatshirt on the entire time.

Sharpie September Day 3

Today I used a Sharpie Ultra Fine Permanent Marker. Since I stayed home all day I sketched while watching Live PD. My sketch was created on brown craft paper glued to the back of one of my sketchbook pages. There were random bleed through marks fro the previous page so I used the brown paper to draw on.

red Sharpie brush on Kraft paper in a Watercolor Moleskine

Day 2 in Sharpie September
@sharpie #sharpieart #sharpiebrushpen #watercolor @moleskine #sketch#itsabirthdayparty #kraftpaper

Car show - Sharpie September

Today was the first day of Sharpie September. It is something I am going to try with a few of my friends. The first attempt was with a big fat Sharpie Magnum. I felt like I was drawing with a bar of soap! A few car enthusiasts came by to chat with me and when I told one of the men I was having trouble with my big Sharpie he brought me a smaller point. I am happier with my second attempt. There are many different Sharpies I have to look forward to for the rest of the month.

Lydia Velarde - Sketchbook Flip (Daler Rowney Sketchbook)

My latest sketchbook flip 

11 x 17 inch Daler Rowney

sheep

I am still practicing direct watercolor in my sketchbook. This technique helps me to see shapes and colors better than when I draw the image first. 

Watercolor at Lake Hodges

Direct watercolor while sketching at Lake Hodges in San Diego. I love line, and contour drawing so painting without drawing first was a fun challenge for me. 

Salerno Winery statue

 At the Salerno Winery, there is a set of very tall clowns lining the driveway and this is one of them created with watercolor in a Daler-Rowney 11 x 14-inch sketchbook.

Salerno Winery with San Diego Urban Sketchers

My sketch from the Salerno Winery in Ramona. 

What a great place to sketch. Located in Ramona, "Salerno offers guests an experience unlike any other – complete with award-winning handcrafted wines, an extensive collection of world-class sculptures and live performances by local musicians." We had it all!

Spectator at a chess game

A good opportunity to sketch when it isn't my turn at a chess game. This quick sketch was created with a Derwent Medium Wash Pencil. I used a water brush to shade and later used my finger (which wasn't a good idea). Gary moved his hands and arms a lot so even though I thought he was going to sit still, there was movement. I still need to remember to take my time to get an accurate drawing while sketching. 

Sketching at Spanish Village

It's been a while since I have sketched with the San Diego Sketch Crawlers and wanted to visit more than draw. I worked on several small sketches with my Rapido Sketch Pen and watercolor rather than concentrate on a full page drawing. I only stayed for a few hours but managed to sketch and take photos of the other artists.

This is a 1:07 minute video of the group and their sketches at Spanish Village in Balboa Park, San Diego. 

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico

I have been working on daily painting since attending the Plein Air Convention. This Daler-Rowney Sketchbook is 11 x 14 and a little too large to carry around as a constant companion so I have been working from photos until I fill it up. I have taken notes each time I sketch so I can learn from my exercises instead of just daily painting. So far I have worked on using more pigment, making better drawings before painting, and keeping up my momentum and enthusiasm until I am done with the sketch.

Oceanside Pier - San Diego Urban Sketchers 2018

I worked with a Rapido Sketch Pen and watercolor when I went sketching a the beach with San Diego Urban Sketchers. The video below is all of the artists, the Oceanside Pier area and finished sketches from the 2-hour event.