Pacifica - Mori Point

Nice day to dust off the cintiq companion hybrid and get back into some digital plein-aire sketching. The Air was crisp and the wind varied from light to moderate, but the umbrella I brought was a life saver in stopping the glare on the screen. In the distance is San Pedro point and the Devil's Slide area.

St. Joseph Parish, San Mateo

I saw the morning light of early fall casting shadows on St. Joseph's Parish on the way back from dropping my son at school. I realized, wait a minute, I am freelance... I can just grab my watercolor pencils and sketchbook and run across El Camino and paint this right now!

   I took the sky in between the steeple and chapel too dark , if it was the value of the was on the left of the steeple, basically "just" there, it would have read much better. Live and learn. Used Ultramarine blue, Light Ocre, and burnt sienna.

A couple of sketches from last months trip to Europe

A church just inside the western wall of Dubrovnic's old town. (AKA King's Landing)

A canal in Venice. You have seen a scene like this a thousand times no doubt, but being there in person for me, still shocked me with its mystery and beauty. Often things seem like they have been overhyped when you finally get there, but Venice, I could have spent much more than the 48 hours we had to see as much as possible.

bar at the Aladdin

I got in to Iain McCaigs workshop today and that made my trip worth it for me. Watching a master concept artist at work, and witnessing the enthusiasm which animates him and those around him is an example of what is best in the human spirit. And it was just plain entertaining. Sat here in the second floor bar at the Aladdin hotel which is a historic building from 1925. There is a feeling of class in here, even though it must have been really something when it was brand new  during the roaring 20's. Michael the bartender was the only guy there when I started the sketch, after about 20 min, in walked a lady in a red dress as if my pondering the hotels former glory had somehow summoned this mysterious dame from a noir film. Turned out she was actually another artist named Prissila who was just dressed up for the award show. So perhaps there is no truth in the Aladdin being haunted, but it does turn up as such in a google search to be just that.....

Rainy Day

Sketch of the day 11

Another class at the atelier, progress on the drawing has moved into the rendering phase. I love this meditative component, my biggest challenge at this point is slowing down and being methodical as my commercial work has tended me toward speed and trying to resolve all areas of an image a once . So fun!!!