Sketch of Building in Midtown

Here is a sketch I did while waiting for my wife to get her hair done. Midtown Sacramento has some unique buildings, and the roof lines of the one caught my eye. The bottom floor is the hair salon, and upstairs is a jewelry boutique (I think). I like the perspective challenge on this, with lots of lines that are not quite parallel (and my pencil lines which aren't quite straight).

Portrait of the Bacherlorette, Jojo

I hate to admit it, but I'm a big fan of The Bachelorette. This season, with JoJo Fletcher, is almost over with the season finale coming this Monday.  She has to choose between the last two bachelors, Robbie or Jordan.

I realized it's been a while since I did a portrait in watercolor, so it was good practice. I was focused on leaving the white of the paper for highlights, which I think really works. Her eyelashes seem a little thick to me but she is always wearing fake eyelashes anyways, so I guess that's a good thing?

My reference photo was actually a screen shot from when she was in Thailand, freaking out about the monkeys 🐒

Tutu's snack shop, watercolor

This house is located on the edge of Hana Beach Park in Hana, Maui. Apparently it used to be the location of Tutu's Snack Shop, but is now closed. The day we were here it was pouring rain, so we were under cover in a picnic area with a bunch of locals eating lunch. It rains almost every day in Hana, with an average rainfall of 84 inches per year. Luckily this rain storm only lasted about 30 minutes.
In the background, I tried to depict the mist floating between the trees, but it just ended up looking like I painted the sky green.

Haleakela watercolor

Another Maui inspired painting, this is a painting I did from a reference photo I took from Kalahaku Overlook, looking into the Haleakela crater from the side. It kind of took on this abstract look, especially since there is no horizon or sky to orient it with. The colors vary from green, red, and even some purple, giving it an "other worldly" feel that you get when you are actually there.

Plein air at Regan Beach, South Lake Tahoe

I found a new spot on Lake Tahoe That I hadn't been to before, Regan Beach. Not much of a beach because of rocks and grasses growing in the water, but a quiet and peaceful park! This dock and boathouse we're calling to be painted. This is 11x7, a half sheet of what I have used to paint with plein air in the past due to my available time.

Oregon coast watercolor

One of my favorite places along the Oregon coast during our trip down hwy 101 was Hug Point State Park (great name, too!). We got there at low tide so there was lots of beach.  It also had cliffs, caves, rocks, a waterfall, and a bald eagle. There was even a group of plein air painters. Although it didn't inspire me to get out my paints right then and there, it did inspire me to take a lot of pictures so that I could paint once I was home.

I added in the figure of a person as an afterthought...not sure if it comes across as too cartoony? 

Note taking at its finest

Sometimes, when I go to trainings, there is quite a bit of "extra time" when there isn't a whole lot of important information being shared. So I get a little distracted...drawing from what (or who) I see around the room, copying pictures, or just from my imagination. Here are some of my latest doodles, switching between #2 pencil and ball point pen. Some are inspired by children's books, while others are people in the training. Some are definitely better than others but I just put them all in here for the fun of it.

Oregon coast sketches

Although these sketches of the Oregon coast should have been plein air, it was just too cold and wet to sit and draw ( a welcome change from 100 degree weather back home). Plus, when I am on vacation, I have a hard time sitting still for very long in one place ...I want to go see what's around the next bend in the road.
The first sketch was done with an ink pen in the bedroom of an Airbnb in
Seaside, Oregon. View of Tillamook Head from Seaside beach.

The second one was done back home on my lunch break during a summer training, with a #2 pencil. View of Indian Point and Tillamook Head from Ecola State Park.

Stay tuned for some watercolors of Oregon