Buildings Begins

Sketching Now Buildings begins and I couldn’t be more excited!

I sketched my home and the first of the intro assignments, which I’ve done before. I’ve never finished the course, so I’m determined to do so this time! It is really interesting to see my own growth in these exercises. If you’d asked me, I wouldn’t have thought I’d improved much, but there it is, in ink and watercolor, all I’ve learned in the past months! This, of course, confirms what I’m learning every day. It’s practice that matters most!

Still working on my landscape skills. I took some notes on various paint brushes that Terry Harrison used/designed for landscapes. He works a lot larger than I typically do!

I was hoping to get a bit more blending in my sky, but I’m really beginning to think that it’s not me, it’s my paper that isn’t quite up for the blending I’m thinking of. I’ll have to try both cotton paper, and a different style to experiment!

I took a short trip to Boyce Thompson Arboretum. My intention was to paint on location, but I’ll admit I chickened out. Again! So these are done from photographs I took. I was experimenting with different techniques with my brush to get different effects.

You can sure tell I struggle with open layouts in sketchbook design. I’m not sure if the amount of white space here is perfect, or dreadful! LOL! I’ll keep practicing, though, because clearly that’s the only way to go! Plus, it’s super fun.

I had no intention of making this map and entire double page spread, but it really got away from me! I love it, however. I do love maps, and one of the things I’m eager to add more of into my sketchbook is maps!

Since I did not sketch on location at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, I was determined to do so somewhere, so I went to the Japanese Friendship Gardens and painted this on location. While not my first on location effort, it is the first since Pandemic started. It is also the first time anyone spoke to me about it! He was so complimentary and impressed! So that’s a new first for me, and what a pleasure it was!