Daily Sketches, photos, videos and assorted ramblings of San Diego Artist, Lydia Velarde.
Rocky is part boxer. Rocky is a common name but the other choices were Evander which was just too long ("Evander! Evander! Here Evander!"), and Tyson which was just too mean. (I could just see him biting all the time...) Rocky is a nice name.
The North County Society of Fine Arts Sketch and Paint Out
was held at the San Diego Wild Animal Park today.
We met at the Lowland Gorilla exhibit where the big giant gorillas kept moving because they consider staring a sign of aggression. They just didn't like us staring at them. When the big fella finally got used to it he stared back, growled and looked like he might be able to stare us down.
I remember the vultures looking like interesting characters the last time I was there so I left my partner, Edith to take a look at the . . . Vultures. It took forever to find them and they weren't quite what I expected.
The lagoon is where Edith settled down
and did a pretty nice finished piece on watercolor paper.
I just sketched people and the pelicans.
Whoa, the lagoon gets pretty crowded at feeding time.
Clementine was there too but we lost her.
The best part of this sketch was using my new
I have probably owned every brush pen on the market,
including a few real Japanese brush pens with real hair. . .
Thinking that sketching with a brush may help painting brush work.
This Pentel Brush Pen has a synthetic tip but it is not stiff like some others I have used.
The best surprise came when I put a watercolor wash on my sketch and it didn't feather out all over the place. Now if I can just keep from losing this one . . .
Stephanie Goldman gave the critique at the NCSFA meeting. She kept stressing drawing from life, "to expand your memory bank". She could tell which paintings were painted from life by the absence of camera colors. I have never attended a critique like that before, it was quite interesting AND educational.
These were done a few weeks ago before I started feeling like poo poo. My friend Susan is back and ready to go out sketching again. This sketch was done at the Rancho Bernardo Winery. We don't drink the wine, we just sketch! We had lunch too. Man . . . It's good to have her back . . .
I haven't been feeling up to par. I think you can tell by the sketches and paintings I did at the NCSFA Sketch and Paint out Oct. 6th. I had to go because I am the chairperson. Luckily there were 4 people there. That would have been sad if I was the only one. I tried 2 little pieces on the same sheet of paper, Joan (center) worked with acrylics on canvas board, and Margaret worked in watercolor. Clementine took pictures of the scenery which was awesome! We met at the Orfila Winery in Escondido.
One of my ink and w/c pieces on watercolor paper.
Sketch book journal entry.
Japanese brush pen with watercolor.
The 2 sketches above are just HUGE sketchbook entries.
11 x 14 inches.
When I went to Arizona I bought everyone in my family a little souvenir.
I found the perfect gift for myself at this little shop on the way home.
I know it's a messy drawing. I don't use an eraser.
This habit has helped me to not care
about being a perfectionist with my sketching.
"It's just a sketch"
In the spirit of A Painting a Day and Sketchbook Drawing a Week (Other sites on the web)
It's a big, fat, fun pencil.
If you haven't used one yet, I suggest you give it a try.
Valerie ran the glaze through a sieve to make it smooth and creamy then used her air compressor and a wheel that turns while she applied the glaze. In this picture she is applying a transparent glaze over my Chinese lettering pot that says Eternity (not Harmony).
This pot had a lot of texture so I tried Valerie's suggestion of painting on the glaze while the wheel was turning it round and round. The indented areas are left without glaze.
The glazed pots ready to be fired.
Panera: a great place to draw people.
Waiting for food.
