vol 028 – Page 2 – Jamie's Sketchbook

Sketchbook: March 2026

A dramatic sketchbook page with a deep red and soft teal ink background made with Diamine Ruby Taffeta and Diamine Overcast inks, with three gold shamrock coin stickers and a detailed Trim Castle sticker showing stone ruins against a green lawn.

I started recording the weather alongside the daily dates in my sketchbook back in January 2023, Volume 12. Over three years now. It’s become one of those quiet anchors of my sketchbook. Even in the months where I sketched almost nothing else, the dates and weather hold the line. After an inflammation hit, or a hard week, or even death in the family, I come back and I catch up the weather. I fill in the gap from whenever I fell off to when I’m picking the sketchbook back up. There’s something grounding about that return.

It makes the sketchbook practice a living, breathing reflection of life itself and that is worth capturing. Here is the flow of the full sketchbook pages for the month.

I had such great energy and joy at the start of the month! I was feeling the spring bloom, and painting my pages with the Winsor Newton Sap Green. Edges class was starting and I was super excited about that.

A dual page sketchbook spread — dates and weather log for Saturday 28 February through Thursday 5 March 2026 with moon phases and astronomical events on the left, and the March 2026 Coloring Book of Shadows page painted in greens, yellows, and warm browns depicting a witch's kitchen cottage, on the right, with Edges course notes on a bright green wash in the background — February tail end and March — A Witch’s Kitchen, CBOS 2026

A dual page sketchbook spread — Edges Lesson course notes with painted examples including a red onion and a figure in yellow on a bright green wash on the left, and the January 2026 Coloring Book of Shadows page painted in purples, greens, and golds depicting a magical home with a cat, on the right — Edges Lesson notes and January CBOS — A Magical Home

Since I really want to include the Coloring Book of Shadows monthly designs in my sketchbook this year, myy completist brain couldn’t leave January and February’s pages missing from the record. So in they went. They really are so pretty when colored.

A dual page sketchbook spread — the February 2026 Coloring Book of Shadows page painted in purples and greens depicting an altar and hearth cottage on the left, and a handwritten journal entry in Robert Oster Cherry Blossom ink with small decorated collage images on the right — February CBOS — Altar and Hearth, with Cherry Blossom ink journaling

I’ve been making a deliberate effort to do more journaling in the sketchbook this year. Apparently I was doing journal notes back in January 2023 as well, and I just forgot! I like it, as it captures actual life, not just sketches. It is also a great excuse to use the large collection of fountain pen inks I have!

A dual page sketchbook spread — the March 2026 Coloring Book of Shadows elements page painted in greens and pinks with dates and weather log and journaling in Cherry Blossom ink on the left, and a bold watercolour gradient wash from Sap Green to Hansa Yellow Light with Hearts and Honey written vertically in Cherry Blossom ink and small painted collage images on the right — March CBOS — The Elements, and a Hearts & Honey gradient closing page

Hearts and Honey is the book I’m currently writing, and it’s very hard to document a writing project! They aren’t very sketchable unless I start doing storyboards (those are Hard!) but it’s a big part of my life and it deserves to be documented.

A dual page sketchbook spread — three sketches of the Frank Lloyd Wright Spire at Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd on the left with handwritten location notes and journaling on a teal colour block wash, and a painted watercolour study of the spire with Edges course notes on the right — Frank Lloyd Wright Spire, three sketches

This is where the spire series lives in the sketchbook. Three attempts, ink through to direct watercolor. You can read more about that in the March Theme: Three post!

Bathtime at the Reflection Pool — Lovebird in 3 Poses, with Gradient Bar

Sketch outing notes on a color block, and the lovebird page that ended up anchoring the Three post. One bird, three poses, with a watercolor gradient bar.

A dual page sketchbook spread — twenty watercolour portrait studies in small numbered grid squares on green and blue washes on the left, and ten loose ink figure studies in sepia on the right, labelled One Week 100 People, 30 including the children — One Week 100 People — 30 done, faces and figures

I did not do as much as I wanted for One Week 100 People, but I’m happy I got one day of sketching in!

double page sketchbook spread. The left page shows a handwritten dates and weather log for March 11–19 2026, with weather icons and temperatures climbing from 84°F to 103°F, an Extreme Heat Watch notation, a watercolor Irish flag sticker with shamrock, and a decorative red and green tile washi tape border along the bottom. The right page has a dramatic background of Diamine Ruby Taffeta and Diamine Overcast inks in deep red and soft teal, with three gold shamrock coin stickers and a detailed Trim Castle sticker showing stone ruins against a green lawn. — Dates and weather 11–19 March, with a St. Patrick’s Day page in Diamine Ruby Taffeta and Overcast ink.

March broke heat records, by a lot! Over ten degrees above the previous records, some days. The washi border and Irish flag sticker are for St. Patrick’s Day — a little celebration tucked into the data. A dramatic sketchbook page with a deep red and soft teal ink background made with Diamine Ruby Taffeta and Diamine Overcast inks, with three gold shamrock coin stickers and a detailed Trim Castle sticker showing stone ruins against a green lawn. The stickers and washi tapes are from this month’s Cora Crea box.

A double page sketchbook spread showing a handwritten dates and weather log for March 20–31 2026, with red exclamation marks on record breaking temperatures reaching 105°F, Ostara noted on March 21st, a trailing ivy sticker on the right side, and two decorative washi tape borders in blue-green tile and red tile patterns running along the bottom of both pages. — Dates and weather 20–31 March — breaking records all week. Ostara at 105°F.

I wanted to sketch, but inflammation hit badly, so a string of dates and weather is all I managed. At least the weather is cooling off! Still unseasonably warm, and matching the record high temperatures.

A double page sketchbook spread. The left page shows dense handwritten notes from Edges Livestream 2 covering lessons 3 and 4, written over a warm Gansai Tambi Cosmic Olive green wash, with small ink sketches illustrating concepts like foreground, middle ground, prioritizing tone, and lost and found edges. The right page shows five large granulating watercolour swatches of the Gansai Tambi Granulating 2 Cosmic palette, labelled Cosmic Violet, Cosmic Red, Cosmic Olive, Cosmic Blue, and Cosmic Green. — Edges Livestream 2 notes on a Cosmic Olive wash, alongside the Gansai Tambi Granulating 2 Cosmic palette swatches.

Ending the month with some notes from the second and final Edges livestream, then a little color exploration. I had to swatch out this Gansai Tambi Granulating 2 colors.

Like most of my sketchbook pages for the last several months, I have more notes than sketches, but it does capture life as it’s happening. Honestly, I’m surprised I have as many pages done as I do! That’s not nothing. Here is March, on the page.

March Theme: Three

A sketchbook page showing three lovebird poses in watercolour, with five painted colour swatches across the top labelled Shadow Violet, Cobalt Turquoise, Sap Green, Hansa Yellow Light, and Transparent Pyrrol Orange, a handwritten title reading "It's Bathtime at the Reflection Pool," and a green-to-orange gradient bar along the bottom.

March Theme: Three

Liz Steel’s Patreon community theme for March was Three. Three sketches, three objects, three colors, a triad palette all counted, and it is a very versatile theme. I didn’t sketch as much this month as I wanted (hello inflammation hit!), but when I looked back through my sketchbook, three had been quietly showing up all along.

A gestural ink sketch of a tall spire, drawn with energetic angular lines suggesting faceted stonework, with loose grass sketched at the base. — Thumbnail ink sketch of the Frank Lloyd Wright Spire, getting acquainted with the subject.

An ink sketch of the Frank Lloyd Wright spire with complex angular planes and faceted surfaces, showing careful attention to the changing directions of the glass and ironwork. Cactus landscaping sketched at bottom. — Thumbnail ink sketch of the Frank Lloyd Wright Spire, getting acquainted with the subject.

The most obvious was the Frank Lloyd Wright spire. I drew it three times. First just ink, getting acquainted with the energy of it. The second ink sketch was working on getting those complex angles and changes in plane. The spire has this wonderful jagged, faceted quality and it took real concentration to follow all those shifting surfaces. Much more challenging subject than I anticipated!

By the third, I went straight to direct watercolor. I always seem to love direct watercolour. It’s so much more forgiving! . There’s a looseness and confidence that comes from having already worked through the subject twice. Another aspect of three, was using just three colors: Winsor Newton Cobalt Turquoise Light, Winsor Newton Sap Green, and Daniel Smith Transparent Pyrrol Orange.

Something lovely happens when you sketch a single subject three times. I should do this more often. It looses you up, and you get more familiar with it.

Three watercolour lovebirds painted in bright greens, orange and yellow, sitting along a grey perch with soft reflected colour below, on white paper — One lovebird, three poses — green, orange, and full of personality

I loved this bird! One lovebird, in three poses, taking a bath. I drew these from photographs I took at the time. One sketch wasn’t enough to capture his fluttering energy during his bath at the reflection pool outside. Fifteen grackles were also present, focused on their own baths. Having those three poses meant I could tell the whole little story of this bath on a single page: the cautious approach, the full splashy middle, the ruffled aftermath.

I worked with a very limited set of colors across both subjects. The spire was a three color palette of Cobalt Turquoise Light, Sap Green, and Transparent Pyrrol Orange. For the birds it was a three color palette of Hansa Yellow Light, Sap Green and Trans Pyrrol Orange. I did add a hint of Cobalt Turquoise for the dark shadows on those wing feathers, and of course, Shadow Violet quietly sneaking in for the water. Technically five colors. Spiritually still three. Ha!

Then I had to add three design elements to this page! So we have the color gradient. (I do love painting a nice color gradient! Been practicing those for years!), the color swatches, and, of course, the main subject of the sketch. My swatches might be over-large for the best page design, but I still like how it tells the story of the colors as well as the love bird. After all, his colors are what makes him so special!

So that’s my exploration of the theme of three for March. One spire, drawn three times. One bird, three poses. A page with three design elements. Lastly, a palette that tried very hard to stay at three colors and almost made it.

Bathtime at the Reflection Pool

Concluding The Messy Middle from last week, you saw a sketchbook in progress — pages waiting, spaces held open, intentions taped into place. This is the update. The pages are filled. Titles are added.

This is my Edges Lesson One outdoor outing — the Frank Lloyd Wright Spire at the little commemorative park at Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd, sketched on location. I knew it was going to be the last good weather day for a while, so there was no hesitation — I had to get out there while I could.

The sketches are chaotic in the best way — three poses of the spire, which also happens to tie in perfectly with Liz Steel’s Patreon March Challenge of three things. The outing felt messy and alive, and I wrote all of it down right there on the page while I was still sitting in the shade. I finished this page by adding the date and the Title to it. I also tried to lift the wet paint transfer that the wind had put on the ink sketches.

A dual page sketchbook spread — handwritten journaling in black ink on a teal colour block wash on the left describing the Edges outdoor outing and the surprise lovebird sighting at the reflection pool, and three watercolour lovebirds painted in greens, oranges and yellows with the header Bathtime at the Reflection Pool on the right — Bathtime at the Reflection Pool — 15 grackles and 1 lovebird

But this is the page that made the whole outing. I’d gone to sketch the spire, and I found a lovebird.

Fifteen grackles and one lovebird, bathing at the reflection pool. A few escaped from a pet store years ago, apparently, and they’ve been surviving in the wild ever since. I spotted it, grabbed some photos, and left the blank page so I could paint these birds at home.

Three lovebirds — one lovebird in three poses, because it was there taking a bath. They’re green and orange and yellow and absolutely full of personality. The journaling on the left is written in that teal colour block wash, and it holds the whole story of the outing: the victory of getting outside, the chaos of the spire, the unexpected gift of the birds.

The One Week 100 People page got its finishing touches too — thirty people including the children, faces in watercolour on the left, ink figures on the right. I added the numbers and the titles to finish off this page.

A handwritten weather log for Wednesday 11 March through Thursday 19 March 2026, with hand drawn weather symbols in yellow and red, noting temperatures rising from 84 degrees Fahrenheit to 103 degrees, with annotations reading Extreme Heat Watch, Record Breaking, and Extreme Heat Warning to 22nd — Weather log 11–19 March 2026 — record breaking heat in March

I knew my outing day was the last cooler day for awhile, but wow has the heat spiked! Breaking records by a mile! And it’s just going to get hotter, if you can believe that. I don’t usually see these kind of temperatures until May. We went from a warm pleasant 84°F on Wednesday the 11th to 103°F — record breaking — by Wednesday the 18th, with an Extreme Heat Warning extending through the 22nd. In March. The thermometer icon I drew in red says everything. And it’s only getting hotter!

Titles and notes help complete pages, and aid in telling the story of the everyday life I’m documenting with my sketchbook. This mini series of posts has shown a bit of the process for what is usually only shown completed. It’s easy to think I should complete pages in just one sitting, all perfect, but the truth is that isn’t how it’s done, really, if you are going to add a little sketchbook design to your pages.

What a Difference Color Makes

A watercolour gradient wash fading from deep Winsor and Newton Sap Green at the top to bright Daniel Smith Hansa Yellow Light at the bottom, with a small painted collage image of a besom broom with a yellow flower in the upper right corner

Last week I wrote The Messy Middle, with these pages in their unfinished state — collage laid down, journaling written, color promised but not yet delivered. Well. The color has arrived.

This first spread is the one that started the catching up. Dates and weather for the last days of February and the first days of March, alongside the March Coloring Book of Shadows page — A Witch’s Kitchen. The facing page is still doing its job as an Edges course notes page, now with that bright green wash making all those handwritten diagrams and observations feel like a proper sketchbook page rather than a notepad.

The January CBOS page finally got its color too — yes, in March, and I stand by it. The Edges Lesson Two notes on the left with the red onion and the figure in yellow are a good reminder that messy working pages can be beautiful ones.

This is the spread I’m most pleased with. The February CBOS page painted up beautifully, and the Cherry Blossom ink journaling on the right ties it all together. Reading back through what I wrote there — missing daily sketching, thinking about Ostara, the mention of Danny Gregory’s Start Your Sketchbook Journal course that I’ve been putting off since May — it’s a good reminder of why I keep this kind of sketchbook. It holds things.

And this is the one that closed the loop. More dates and weather, more journaling about Hearts & Honey and the Edges group run, and that final wash of green fading to yellow with Hearts & Honey written vertically down the side. It’s the most designed page of the section and it feels like a proper ending. The pinks of February moving into the spring colors of March!

A note on materials: the bright yellow you see in the CBOS images is ink — Diamine Pineapple Spritz from the 2025 Inkvent calendar, and it is exactly as cheerful as it sounds. The rest is watercolor from my usual palette. The greens throughout — the frames, the notes pages, and that final gradient block — are Winsor & Newton Sap Green, with Daniel Smith Hansa Yellow Light pulling the gradient toward that warm yellow finish.

The pages aren’t perfectly painted. Some of the CBOS collage images have text I’ve blurred for copyright reasons, and there are spots where I rushed. But color does something that no amount of careful collage and journaling can do on its own.

One Week 100 People 2026: Twenty-Seven People

A grid of twenty small watercolor portrait sketches, arranged five across and four down, each in a green-tape-bordered square. Faces in warm skin tones are painted against washes of green, blue, purple, and sienna. Hair colors range from dark brown and black to bright orange and golden yellow. Several figures wear glasses. The wet-into-wet watercolor technique gives many faces a soft, blooming quality.

I made it to the gym.

The plan was to sketch at the gym business center, dedicated time and space, no excuses. It worked. I spent an hour there on Thursday with my sketchbook open and my palette out. Having that contained, intentional time made everything easier. Even the faces from Stargate SG1, which I was sketching from photos, came more readily than they do at home. There’s something wonderful about sitting down to sketch rather than sketching when distracted.

Photograph of an open sketchbook on a dark marble counter in a gym business center, showing a grid of small colorful watercolor portraits on the left page and loose sepia gesture figures on the right. A watercolor palette, woven bag, and red backpack sit nearby. The room behind has dome pendant lamps and tall spiky plants.

The portrait grid was directly inspired by Liz Steel’s approach this year, Mine are small watercolor faces in a taped-off grid, about 1-inch square. I used narrow green masking tape, which you can see in the photo. The portraits are mostly SG1 faces, though mixed in among them are three self-portraits I drew holding up my camera!

A grid of twenty small watercolor portrait sketches, arranged five across and four down. Faces in warm skin tones are painted against washes of green, blue, and purple. Hair ranges from bald to dark, blond to grey. Several figures wear glasses. The wet-into-wet watercolor technique gives many faces a soft, blooming quality.

I painted directly in watercolor, no pencil underdrawing, and I did not wait for paint to dry. The color blooms that resulted are some of my favorite things on the page. I was working pretty wet, and puddles of color bleeding, especially in the backgrounds, did beautiful things! Colors drifting into each other, faces softened by wandering washes. The whole grid has a dreamy, watercolory quality I really love.

Skin tones came from Buff Titanium, Potter’s Pink, and Van Dyke Brown. Other colors included Monte Amiata Natural Sienna, Sap Green (Winsor & Newton), Forest Green (Sennelier), Cobalt Violet, and Shadow Violet. (All paints are Daniel Smith, unless otherwise called out.) One brush throughout: the Rosemary & Co. R13.

The gesture figures on the facing page are a different story. Real people, sketched live, with brush and Van Dyke Brown wash. People walking past, sitting, moving. Seven of them. I’m proud of those. I love the parent with two kids the best.

even loose gesture figures painted in Van Dyke Brown wash on a white page, arranged in two informal rows. The figures are caught in various poses — walking, sitting, looking at a phones, carrying and holding hands with small children. The brushwork is fluid and gestural, with shapes suggested rather than detailed.

Twenty-seven people total. The challenge calls for a hundred in a week, and I started on Thursday. We will see if I am able to do more this weekend, but if this is where I land, I’m happy with it. Twenty-seven faces, one good hour, and a page I genuinely love.

The Messy Middle

An open sketchbook showing black and white collage images, dates and weather symbols, and handwritten class notes and diagrams, with a small bottle of yellow ink and a well-used open watercolor palette resting on top.

Not every sketchbook page is ready for its close-up.

Right now my sketchbook is deep in what I’m calling the messy middle — pages that are made, but not finished. Collage laid down, journaling written, tape applied in anticipation. Color promised but not yet delivered. And I’ve decided that’s worth a post, because this is what a sketchbook actually looks like when it’s being lived in.

A dual page sketchbook spread in black ink — dates, weather, and temperature log for February 28 through March 5 with collage images from the 2026 Coloring Book of Shadows by Amy Cesari on the left, and handwritten notes and sketches from an Edges course livestream on the right.

I’m a little behind on my seasonal pages — this first spread catches up on the tail end of February and the first days of March. Dates, weather, temperatures. The facing page is covered in handwritten notes and sketches from the Edges course livestream. Messy and functional and very much in progress.

A dual page sketchbook spread in black ink — continued handwritten notes and sketches from an Edges course livestream on the left, and collage images from the January 2026 Coloring Book of Shadows by Amy Cesari on the right.

And speaking of catching up — that’s the January collage on the right. Yes, in March. I forgot it at the time, I like the images, so in it went. No apologies.

The collage images throughout these pages are from the 2026 Coloring Book of Shadows by Amy Cesari. They’re pasted in and waiting to be painted. That painted version is coming. Eventually is the operative word.

A dual page sketchbook spread — February collage images from the 2026 Coloring Book of Shadows by Amy Cesari with touches of spot color in Robert Oster's Cherry Blossom ink on the left, and a handwritten journal entry in the same pink ink with smaller collage images on the right.

This is where a little color starts sneaking in. I’ve been reaching for Robert Oster’s Cherry Blossom ink — a soft rosy pink — for both spot color on the collage images and for journaling. It wasn’t an accident. I’ve been thinking about sketchbook design, using a single ink color across multiple spreads to create a visual thread through this section of the book. Even in the messy middle, there are intentional choices happening.

A dual page sketchbook spread — March collage images from the 2026 Coloring Book of Shadows by Amy Cesari with spot color, dates and weather log for March 6 through 10, and a handwritten note in Robert Oster's Cherry Blossom ink on the left, and a handwritten journal entry in Cherry Blossom ink with small decorated collage images on the right, with half of the page left blank.

The Cherry Blossom ink continues here — more dates and weather, a note marking the start of the Edges course, and a half page of journaling with small collaged images tucked into the corners. The pages are full. They’re just not painted yet.

There’s also a half page left blank — and I’m genuinely undecided whether that’s a space waiting for a sketch, or whether it should stay as white space. Sketchbook design is something I’m always thinking about and not always getting right. White space does not come naturally to me!

A dual page sketchbook spread — handwritten journal notes from an on location sketching outing to Frank Lloyd Wright Commemorative Park on the left, and a page header reading 'Bathtime at the Reflection Pool' with the remainder left blank and edges dotted with narrow green masking tape on the right.

You might recognize the right hand page from my last post — the header for the lovebird sketch that’s still waiting to be drawn. The green masking tape dotting the edges is there because the other side of the page is already taped up for something else. The blank space is intentional. It’s waiting.

A single sketchbook page prepared with a 4 by 5 grid of narrow green masking tape, ready for the One Week 100 People sketching challenge.

And this is my favorite kind of messy middle image — a page that’s completely empty but completely ready. Narrow green masking tape laid out in a grid, waiting for this week’s One Week 100 People challenge. No sketches yet. Just intention and tape and anticipation.

This is what a sketchbook in motion looks like. Not every page is finished. Not every page is painted. Some pages are still becoming what they’re going to be.

And that’s fine. That’s actually the whole point.

Sketching the Spire

A loose, luminous watercolour of the Frank Lloyd Wright spire in cobalt turquoise, sap green, and transparent pyrrol orange, with the architectural geometry dissolving into fluid washes of colour above a softly painted garden bed.

Sketching the Spire (A Chaotic Victory)

Yesterday, I went out and sketched on location, which I rarely do

This was Lesson One of my Edges sketching course — the outdoor assignment. I picked the Frank Lloyd Wright spire in Scottsdale. I’ve photographed it many times, but never tried to sketch it. The assignment was to sketch a monument, and this spire came to mind. I had no idea how complicated that thing actually is.

The base and lower section of the Frank Lloyd Wright spire, showing the angular architectural details, with desert cactus landscaping at its base, Frank Lloyd Wright Commemorative Park, Scottsdale, Arizona.

I picked the best possible day for it, keeping a sharp eye on the swings in temperature lately. Clouds were big and plentiful, temperatures a gorgeous 74°F, with plenty of shade. I knew I had to grab it — next week is forecast to hit 100°F, which would be the earliest I’ve ever seen it that high. So Tuesday it was.

I did two ink sketches first — the assignment was to sketch edges where planes change, so I did one thumbnail of the whole spire and one attempting a closer view. I liked how the plants came out. The angles on the spire itself? Not so much. It is genuinely, mercilessly complex and I had completely missed that fact until I was sitting in front of it with a pen in my hand.

Ink and line sketches of the Frank Lloyd Wright spire — a thumbnail of the full spire and a closer view of the lower section with cactus, with paint smudges.

Then I moved on to a direct watercolor sketch to do the changes is color assignment. This became a wet, blobby situation. And then the wind caught the wet page, flipped it over, and smeared wet paint all over the ink sketches on the other side. Ack!

Of course it did.

A loose direct watercolor sketch of the base of the Frank Lloyd Wright spire, painted on location, in sage green and turquoise, Frank Lloyd Wright Commemorative Park, Scottsdale, Arizona.

A dual page sketchbook spread showing ink and line sketches of the Frank Lloyd Wright spire on the left page, and a loose direct watercolor sketch of the spire base on the right, painted on location in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The wind had danced with my page, and I had a puddle of water in my palette because I forgot a water container, but I had water. Oh yeah, I also forgot to refill my fountain pen, so I ran out of ink and had to use a fineliner. I was lucky I had my paint! I wrote my notes for next time right there on the page, on location, because some lessons need to be recorded immediately:

Don’t run out of ink — good thing I carry many pens
Do carry a water container — I was using a well in my palette
Do bring a clip — even a little wind will flip a wet page and ruin everything
Do think about page design a little first
Do enjoy the birds

That last one is important.

A handwritten journal page describing a sketching outing to the Frank Lloyd Wright Commemorative Park, with a list of notes for next time, from the Edges sketching course outdoor assignment.

There were fifteen grackles at the reflecting pool while I was sketching. And then — a lovebird. A few escaped from a local pet store years ago and a small flock has somehow survived in Scottsdale ever since. It came and went so fast I barely registered it. I thought I’d missed my chance.

It came back. I got a photo.

A lovebird perched on the edge of the reflecting pool at Frank Lloyd Wright Commemorative Park, Scottsdale, Arizona, one of a small flock of escaped pet store lovebirds that have survived in the wild locally.

I have a spot waiting on the page next to my journal notes for a proper lovebird sketch. That’s a whole other post.

A sketchbook held open to show ink sketches and a direct watercolor painting of the Frank Lloyd Wright spire, with the actual spire visible in the background — Frank Lloyd Wright Commemorative Park, Scottsdale, Arizona.

My sketches are a mess. The watercolor is blobby, the angles on the spire are wrong, the wind made a disaster of my pages. And I sat there on location and wrote in my sketchbook that it felt chaotic, and also that it felt great.

Both are true. That’s the joy of sketching on location, isn’t it?

I will have many chances to improve my rate of on location sketching this year. Not only do I have the four outdoor assignments for the Edges course. but this year is rich with Sketching Now courses that are outdoor. The Travel Sketching course is running in May, and the Watercolor On Location will run this summer. In the heat. Oh dear. I’ll need some strategies for that!

Finally Taking Edges

Finally Taking Edges

There’s a sketch in my files from 2019 — a small, loose drawing of a little elephant jade plant I’d just bought for the yard. I was proud of it at the time. It was my “current sketch” for Sketching Now Edges, Liz Steel’s intermediate drawing course, which I was just about to start.

I did not start it.

A loose direct watercolor sketch of a small elephant jade plant with ink line details, with color swatches alongside, drawn in 2019.

Life happened, as it does. The class ran again in 2021, which was not a good year for me. I kept thinking I’d wait for the next live run. And then I kept waiting. And waiting.

This year I decided I was done waiting.

A sketch of half a heart painted in purple and pink with gold thorns twisting around the outer edge and piercing into the heart, drawn from the cover of Losers by Harley Laroux, January 2026.

This is my current sketch for 2026 — a book cover drawing I did in late January, a thorny heart with thorns digging into its edges. And honestly? Other than assignments for my watercolor course, it’s just about the only thing I’ve sketched all year. That’s not a confession I make proudly, but I’m making it anyway, because it’s exactly why taking this class right now matters.

My drawing skills feel weak to me. I want them better. I’m probably too hard on myself — but wanting more is also what keeps me moving forward.

So here we are. Finally taking Edges.

What is Edges?

Sketching Now Edges is Liz Steel’s intermediate drawing course, and it’s built around one deceptively simple idea — that understanding edges is the key to convincing, expressive drawing. The four lessons break it down:

Lesson One: Edges as changes in plane versus changes in color
Lesson Two: Hard versus soft edges
Lesson Three: Prioritizing edges in line
Lesson Four: Prioritizing edges in tone

If you’ve spent any time around Liz’s work or teaching you’ll have heard her talk about lost edges — edges that disappear, that suggest rather than define. That concept lives especially in Lesson Four, and it’s one of the things I’m most looking forward to exploring.

The class is running as a group run right now rather than a full live session, but Liz is doing two bonus livestreams, which is a lovely addition. I’ve taken all of her Sketching Now classes multiple times — except this one. That changes now.

It’s going to be a good class. Even if it took me seven years to start it.

February Wrap-Up: Cupcakes and Color Swatches

Spring is bringing better energy! Despite a challenging start to the year, I’m thrilled to announce I’ve officially wrapped up my Watercolor course. This month was all about marking moments—from Valentine’s cupcakes to the early blooms in my weed-filled (but vibrant!) backyard.

Watercolor Course Completed!

I’ve continued working through my Watercolor course, and I finally crossed the finish line! Honestly, completing this despite such a difficult couple of months feels like a huge win.

A completed sketchbook page featuring watercolor exercises from Lesson Four, including the cupcake sketch and backyard study integrated with handwritten notes.

To celebrate, I painted these Valentine cupcakes from a photo I found online. It was a fun way to mark the holiday and just play with color (Quin Rose and Pyroll Scarlet.)

A cheerful watercolor sketch of four cupcakes with pink frosting and small heart-shaped sprinkles, painted from a reference photo to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Record-Breaking Heat & Overgrown Weeds

My yard has officially been taken over by weeds this year! We are experiencing record-breaking temperatures, so everything bloomed a full month earlier than usual. It’s a bit chaotic out there, but it makes for interesting sketching.

A loose watercolor sketch of a backyard featuring a vibrant pink blooming bougainvillea bush in Quinacridone Rose. The scene includes overgrown weeds, a leafless pomegranate bush, and a couple of broken-down planters, capturing the early spring growth.

Paint Experiments and Palettes

I spent some time diving into the technical side of things this month. I wanted to see the true differences between Naples Yellow Reddish from Schmincke and Roman Szmal, as well as The Tint (Roman Szmal). They look so similar at first glance!

A double-page sketchbook spread. The left page features technical watercolor swatches of Naples Yellow Reddish (Schmincke vs. Roman Szmal) and The Tint. The right page displays an 8-color palette of Gansai Tambi paints in muted, dusty purple and violet shades, including a shimmering Opal Violet.

I also swatched a cute little 8-color palette of Gansai Tambi paints that I’d intended to use for February. Even though I only managed this one swatch page, these muted, dusty shades are so inspiring. The palette includes: Purple (37), Mauve Taupe (303), Opal Violet (638), Graphite Violet (261), Alizarin Crimson (304), Lilac (13), Cobalt Violet (139), and Old Mauve (301). That Opal Violet adds just the right hint of shine!

An 8-color palette of Gansai Tambi paints in muted, dusty purple and violet shades, including a shimmering Opal Violet.

For the color blocks over my notes, I also played with a gorgeous gradient between the two Naples Yellows Reddish. But the real star? Roman Szmal Lava. That shading and granulation are just incredible—what a fun, moody color to work with!

A sketchbook page featuring a color-blocked text areas, one painted with Roman Szmal and Schmncke Naples Yellow Reddish, and one with Roman Szmal Lava watercolor, showcasing its unique heavy granulation and earthy shading

The Return of Food Sketches

With my health still being a bit troublesome, I’ve decided to restart my food sketching habit. I’ve picked up my 3.5×5.5 Epsilon landscape book from last summer. I’m diving back in and focusing on making the page designs more visually interesting this time around.

A pocket sketchbook spread in an Epsilon landscape book featuring grocery costs.

A pocket sketchbook spread in an Epsilon landscape book featuring ink and watercolor sketches of daily meals, including handwritten nutritional data and grocery costs.

Looking Ahead

What’s next? The “Edges” course from Sketching Now starts next week! I’ve never made it past lesson one before, but I’m joining the group run this time to stay motivated. My skills feel a little rusty after the last few months, but I’m ready to get back into the flow.

Watercolor 2026

This is my 6th run through this course! Sketching Now Watercolor was my very first Sketching Now course, back in 2018. I also did it in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024

Here are all the exercises I did this year for it. I used a handmade paper for some of the assignments that was so very different to work with. Colors are luminous on it, and it is highly absorbent. It takes forever to dry, and so colors really merge and blend. Detail is lost and I was too impatient to go back and try to add more details after it had dried, so my work has a very soft, and blended look. It has taught me a lot about the paper, and how much of impact paper really does have on watercolor. With each new practice I’m getting better and better at it.

My biggest takeaway this time through was the effect of paper on how watercolor performs. I think if I use that handmade paper my sketches will need some lines to bring out the subjects, but for class, I enjoyed experimenting with direct watercolor, no lines.

Next up with be Edges and I’ve never done that course. I think I did the first half of lesson one the last time it was run live, in 2021. I’m really looking forward to shifting my focus from watercolor, to line and practicing my drawing.