What Sketchbook Are You Using? - USKSan Diego at Oceanside Harbor

7 Urban Sketchers share what type of sketchbook they were using and also open up their books to show us a few of their sketches. This video was taken at a San Diego Urban Sketchers event at Oceanside Harbor, San Diego, California.

Oceanside Harbor

Sketching with the San Diego Urban Sketchers at Oceanside Harbor. My eyesight is still bad, that's probably why I painted in large shapes. Details don't show up very good. I painted this with watercolor then added lines with a Rapido Sketch Pen.

WHY DO YOU SKETCH?

Today I asked 6 Urban Sketchers the question, "Why do you sketch?" This is a 2-minute video of their answers.

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:

Taking Flight - an Origami Stab Bound Book

On the left is a "practice" crane we made to get used to making the cranes for the book structure taught by Gina Pisello. On the right is the finished book made of 6 pages of cranes and bound by a Japanese Stab Binding. #100daysofsketchbookentries #The100dayproject

Spanish Village with the San Diego Sketch Crawlers

Once a month the San Diego Sketch Crawlers meet in Spanish Village to draw whatever strikes our interest. Today I noticed a little black chair so I decided to paint it and include everything around it. This is part of my effort to participate in #100daysofsketchbookentries and #the100dayproject. I use Holbein Watercolor and a Rapidosketch pen.

#100daysofsketchbookentries

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

At Lake Hodges with my Gouache Palette

I decided to work in gouache when I went painting with the Inland Painters at Lake Hodges this morning. It rained today and has been raining at least once a week for a month or so, which has made everything very green. I only have one green in my palette so I get to try mixing with black, yellow and blues for a variety of greens. I'm glad I worked small (4x6) because it got pretty cold and I was ready to pack it up after a few hours.

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.

Watercolor with Inland Painters in Escondido

Painting with the Inland Painters at the head of an Escondido Trail.

I have poor eyesight

Healing from retinal detachment surgery and looking forward to cataract surgery I am facing many challenges with my poor eyesight.

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.

Some people just don't like vegetables

My husband is a meat and potatoes man. 

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