Main Street, Vista Village with San Diego Urban Sketchers

This sketch was created on location on Main Street in Vista, CA. The location of the San Diego Urban Sketchers event on Sunday. The area has many outside sculptures and murals to enjoy. The first minute of this video shows the artists and their work and the second minute shows the street art. Enjoy!

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: 

Urban Sketching in Old Town San Diego

The San Diego Urban Sketchers met on the corner of Twiggs Avenue and San Diego Avenue in Old Town to sketch and welcome 2 out of town sketchers. We had Urban Sketchers from France and New York join us for the morning. Making friends around the world is one of the benefits of urban sketching.

Lydia Velarde Sketchbook Flip - Homemade Book Sept. - Nov. 2018

This book was made in a workshop at the Mingei Art Museum in San Diego. I used the papers they gave us which was from various promotional material and stationery. It created a challenge with watercolor. I gessoed some of the pages and used various media in this book.

Drawing from Life - "Chess Retreat"

Every year our friend drives down from Los Angeles for a Chess Retreat. He stays at our house and we play marathon chess. I am the one that warms him up because I am not as skilled as Ray and my husband, Gary. This time I won one game and he won 4 or 5. After he is warmed up he plays with Gary and Gary wins most of the time. It doesn't really matter who wins, we have a good time playing chess, reminiscing about our younger days and listening to classic rock music.

The best part is they are mostly still while I practice my life drawing.

Chess game

Playing chess with an old buddy of ours.

Life Drawing at the San Diego Watercolor Society

Left: Five 2-minute sketches with a Japanese Brush Pen
Right: Two 10-minute Sketches. Pendil Contour Line Drawing and Watercolor

Two 20-Minute sketches with Watercolor

20 minute with interruptions. Watercolor pencil.

a time filler, pencil with watercolor

A MIni Book Made With Scraps

This is a #littlebook I made with #scraps during the #commonthreads#workshop with #orlyavineri and #beatrizheaton #leather #bookarts#bookbinding #minibook 2x3 inches

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.

Still Life - Flowers in Watercolor

Practicing flower painting from life in watercolor. This is a section of my Valentine Bouquet.

I started with a contour sketch.

The flowers.

Practice. What have I got to lose?

Casein sketch of Crow

This was my first time using casein. I have struggled to learn gouache and decided to give casein a try. My son gave me a nice set of James Gurney Shiva Paints (set of 6) and it was a good introduction using this medium. This painting sketch painting was done from a photograph.

Neighbors en plein air

This small gouache is a plein air sketch of my neighbor's house.

Sketchbook Pages 13-24

These are pages 13-24 of my current sketchbook. The pages mostly contain exercises from a Charles Reid DVD I have been watching. I also have some gouache practice sketches in this video.

Scissors

Painting my scissors for more gouache practice.

Pistachios

I am not going to let my bad eyesight get me down. Still practicing my watercolor. These are pistachios, painted with watercolor.

Common Threads

This book was created in a workshop given by Orly Avineri and Beatriz Heaton. The Common Threads workshop was 4 days long. There were so many steps and methods learned during those 4 days. The experience was just as exciting as the outcome.

The finished book I made during the workshop.

These are some of the pages from the book.

Self Portrait

I updated my social media profile pic based on what I look like lately. I no longer wear a patch after eye surgery but my eye is still very red.

Attempt #1
This was drawn with colored pencil.
I have limited vision so I accidentally drew my good eye a little wonky.

Attempt #2
I think this is a lot better.
I used a jpg of my social media profile drawing and altered the color of my eye in Photoshop.

Burns and Bruises

I made this cartoon based on my experience in the pre-op for eye surgery.

I suppose it is customary to check for signs of domestic violence.

My portrait by a friend.

My friend, Vern, sent me this portrait after he heard I had eye surgery.

Mini Lap Journal

Today I worked in my mini lap journal. I was given this blank book (bound by another artist) at an Orly Avineri workshop a few years ago. We dyed it and enhanced it in the workshop and there are many more pages I have to work on. Due to eye surgery earlier this week my eyesight is still not up to par. I found working in this book very relaxing.