Mt. Tallac from Fallen Leaf, Plein air watercolor

After climbing it, I had to paint it! While soaking my sore feet in Fallen Leaf Lake, I plein air painted Mt. Tallac.  Although I had painted Mt. Tallac from Kiva Beach last year, just a little bit of a change in location makes a whole different perspective on the mountain.

Santa Cruz seascapes in watercolor

So here is the watercolor of my lighthouse sketch. I added the sailboat to add some interest to the right side of the painting.  I really like the effect I got with the marine layer (payne's grey) and the blue sky. I simplified the waves, and darken the lighthouse...maybe a little too dark.  

Some watercolor painters it's tell me they work on more than one plaiting at a time. So while waiting for one to dry, they work on the next. As I worked on my second Santa Cruz inspired painting, I realized that in order for painting more than one painting at a time to be effective, they need to have similar palettes. I kept having to completely rinse off each brush.

 This second seascape was done from a photo I had taken. I needed to crop more of the foreground out.  On this painting I tried to put more focus on the waves.

Santa Cruz lighthouse in pencil

It's been a while since I have painted due to crazy schedules, so with some free time, I find myself at the beach.  The only time I painted a seascape was a couple of years ages with a Watercolor of Sea and Sky and that was from a photo. As I am sitting on the beach, I decide that a pencil sketch is going to work better than a watercolor due to the sand getting all over everything.
 The morning sun was shining from behind the lighthouse, just starting to burn through the marine layer. The waves are a particular challenge, and how can I differentiate between blue sky and grey clouds when I just have a pencil? I will need to redo this in watercolor...