Category: Outdoors/Landscape

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Art supplies Drawing Landscape Oil Painting Outdoors/Landscape Painting Studio

Painting Pt. Bonita Part 2: Oils and Oil Pastels

Point Bonita #3, Oil on Gessobord Panel, 12x9"
Point Bonita #3, Oil on Gessobord Panel, 12x9"

After I did the watercolors I posted yesterday, I set up the sketch, the watercolor and my iPad displaying the photo on the table beside my easel and painted the scene once again, this time with oil paint. After a month or two of being totally frustrated with oil painting, trashing everything I made and about ready to give it up, suddenly painting was easy and I was loving it!

Point Bonita Painting set up in studio
Point Bonita Painting set up in studio

The entire painting worked like a charm except the foreground mount of dirt and ice plant which was the last thing I painted and which I did over and over. It kept trying to call too much attention to itself. I think I finally successfully muted that foreground while still keeping the light on it.

Then I was looking at some delightfully free and vibrant oil pastel work on Aletha Kuschan’s blog which inspired me to try the scene in oil pastels too. I know nothing about oil pastels so I quickly read a few how-to’s on the web and dug in.

BUT before I show you the drawing, I have to say that I made a fatal misstep: I chose a sheet of the totally wrong paper to work on. Instead of starting small on a sheet of white or blue pastel paper, I chose a large sheet of brown Stonehenge drawing paper. What was I thinking? Brown under a turquoise sea?

Point Bonita #4, Oil pastel on Stonehenge paper, 17x13"
Point Bonita #4, Oil pastel on Stonehenge paper, 17x13"

It was impossible to cover all the brown paper because even though the oil pastels got really thick in some areas—so thick that no more could be applied—in other spots they just wouldn’t cover.

Although my Holbein Oil Pastels are very old, purchased for a small project I did more than 20 years ago, they were still in good shape. But I didn’t have the right colors, and I had trouble blending. I didn’t have blending stumps, didn’t want to use my fingers and was wearing gloves which didn’t work. I tried a paper towel but it just smeared and left paper towel lint.

Compared to paint, oil pastels seems like a lot of extra work, having to fill in so much area by scribbling over and over. And it was messy; my gloves and the pastels got dirty from colors transferring onto them.

But maybe if I knew what I was doing, or had used the right paper it would have been easier or less messy? (Not to say that oil painting isn’t messy! Everything I own has paint on it!) I like the look of oil pastels done well so I’ll try another experiment with them. But on the right paper this time! Any tips?

Categories
Landscape Marin County Outdoors/Landscape Painting Places Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Painting Pt. Bonita Part I: Watercolor

Point Bonita, watercolor, 7x5" in journal
Point Bonita #1, watercolor, 7x5" in journal

When I got frustrated with painting from life last month, I took a break and experimented in working from the same photo in different media. First I did the sketch above in my journal from the photo below which I took at Point Bonita in the Marin Headlands last year.

Point Bonita photo cropped to 9x12"
Point Bonita photo cropped to 9x12"

I took the photo during a very cold and windy plein air paint out where I did a plein air sketch (posted here) and planned to eventually paint the scene in the studio. As you can see, I did what I call “imaginating” (a combination of imagining and exaggerating the colors I see in a photo or a scene) instead of rendering the photo as is.

Point Bonita, Watercolor, 12x9"
Point Bonita #2, Watercolor, 12x9"

After I did the little journal painting at the top of this post (which I like very much), I tried it again  4 times bigger on a 12×9″ Arches watercolor block (above). It was fun to get back to painting in watercolor on something other than a small journal page. I didn’t use any masking on either of these, just painted around areas I wanted to stay white.

I enjoyed working larger on a watercolor block–I could work at a slant, mix juicy washes, and not have to worry about trying to keep the pages flat and the journal open. I’m falling in love with watercolor painting all over again.

Stay tuned for the oil and oil pastel versions tomorrow.

Categories
Animals Bay Area Parks Ink and watercolor wash Landscape Outdoors/Landscape Places Sketchbook Pages

Summer Stinky Bridge at Pt. Isabel

Pt. Isabel in the Dry Summer, ink & watercolor 5x7"
Pt. Isabel in the Dry Summer, ink & watercolor 5x7"

Pt. Isabel is the USA’s (if not the world’s) largest off-leash dog park with 500,000 doggie visits a year. It is situated on what would be prime waterfront property if it weren’t all landfill that will likely return to the sea in an earthquake.  Since it doesn’t rain all summer in California, gold, brown and grey-green are the primary colors of the landscape.

Without rain, there’s nothing to wash away the “marks” made by every dog who crosses the stinky bridge that goes from one part of the park to another.  I always hold my breath when I cross in the summer. In a few months rain will wash the park clean and everything will be green again.

Categories
Ink and watercolor wash Landscape Outdoors/Landscape Painting Places Plein Air Sketchbook Pages

Sunset at Sunset View Cemetery

Sunset View Cemetery shadows, ink & watercolor, 5x7"
Sunset View Cemetery shadows, ink & watercolor, 5x7"

The shadows and ridges in the grass (and what might have caused them) fascinated me so I tried to capture them before the light changed, which it does rapidly at sunset. At one point I had to stop drawing and just watch the glorious sunset over the bay and the way the fog moved in and out and back in.

View of the Chapel, the flat lands and the Bay from the cemetery, ink & watercolor 5x7"
View of the Chapel, the flat lands and the Bay from the cemetery, ink & watercolor 5x7"

The light was so odd when I painted this last one before it was too dark to see that the colors came out really pale. I tried over painting later at home and only ended up overworking instead, I’m afraid.

I’ve struggled with trying to paint the view from the hills to the bay many times. I either put in too much detail so it doesn’t read distance or get the proportions wrong. Someday soon I’ll challenge myself to paint it again and again until I get it.

Categories
Flower Art Ink and watercolor wash Landscape Outdoors/Landscape Painting Places Plants Sketchbook Pages

Water Lilies Part II: In Sun and Shade at the Cemetery

Lily in the Sun, ink & watercolor, 5x5"
Lily in the Sun, ink & watercolor, 5x5"

When I was sketching the lily pond at the cemetery the only camera I had with me was my iPhone. I took a few photos even though I didn’t expect them to come out well (which they didn’t since I was too far away). But I was able to get enough information from them to do two more little studies when I got home of the lilies in sun (above) and in shade (below).

Lily in the Shade, ink & watercolor, 5x5"
Lily in the Shade, ink & watercolor, 5x5"

Sunday, just one week later, I returned to the cemetery with my good camera, looking forward to taking some good photos from which to paint and continue my water lily investigation. Sadly our recent warm weather had dried up half of the pond. I couldn’t get a single good photo and was uninspired to sketch the tangles that remained.

I’m surprised the cemetery owners don’t replenish the water in the pond. Although we’re supposed to conserve water, I know they water the lawns or they’d all be brown since it doesn’t rain in the summer here. What’s a few more gallons to maintain the lovely water lilies?

I guess I’ll have to wait until next spring or summer to continue my lily studies unless I can find another lily pond nearby.

Categories
Drawing Ink and watercolor wash Landscape Outdoors/Landscape Painting Places Plein Air Sketchbook Pages

Sketching Lily Ponds at Sunset View Cemetery, Part I

Sunset View Cemetery Lily Pond #2, ink & watercolor 5x7"
Sunset View Cemetery Lily Pond Sketch #1, ink & watercolor 5x7"

When I was hiking with a friend in the large, beautiful, hilly cemetery near my house, we discovered a small pond full of lily pads and flowers. That afternoon I drove back up to the cemetery with my sketchbook and paints and set up my chair beside the pond. It was such a peaceful spot; quiet, serene and green.

Sorting out the shape of lily pads and flowers with Pentel Pocket brush pen
Sorting out lily pads and flowers with Pentel Pocket brush pen

I took a break to figure out the shape of lily pads and flowers, filling up a page of lily shapes, first with my regular pen and then the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen, until I understood the lilies.

Sunset View Cemetery Lily Pond Sketch #1, ink & watercolor 5x7"
Sunset View Cemetery Lily Pond Sketch #1, ink & watercolor 5x7"

The water was really confusing because of all the reflections of the sky, trees and shrubbery, and the quickly encroaching shadows since it was nearing sunset.

Sunset View Cemetery Trees, ink & watercolor 7x5"
Sunset View Cemetery Trees, ink & watercolor 7x5"

When the pond was completely in shadow, I turned my chair around to face the other direction and do a quick sketch of a meadow glowing in the sunset, surrounded by shadows.

Categories
Drawing Emeryville Ink and watercolor wash Landscape Outdoors/Landscape Painting Places Sketchbook Pages Urban Sketchers

Emeryville Marina Chevy’s Sign at Sunset (Updated)

Emeryville Marina Chevys Sign at Sunset, ink & watercolor
Emeryville Marina Chevy's Sign at Sunset, ink & watercolor

(Apologies for posting twice–forgot to include all three images the first time).
I noticed this palm tree-lined street when I was exiting Highway 80 in Emeryville and suggested it as a place for our Urban Sketchers group to meet. I guess the directions I provided to the spot weren’t very good because everyone else went down to the end of the marina and I sketched alone all evening.

Photo of sketch before I painted it
Photo of sketch before I painted it

I knew we’d meet at Chevy’s Mexican Restaurant at 8:30 so I wasn’t worried. This was one of those really fun drawings where I started by deciding what I most wanted to fit on the page (the lamp post, palm trees, Chevy’s sign and water). I started with the lamp post because I could use it to figure out where other things lined up to it. And then I just kept seeing and drawing more and more until it was all in there.

photo of the scene
photo of the scene (slightly different angle)

I painted the sketch just as the sunset was at its brightest and everything looked so pretty, pink and yellow. It’s such a lovely spot, and yet so urban, within a couple blocks of two major freeways and the entrance to the Bay Bridge. You can see Cathy’s sketches of  the bay bridge and the freeway on our Urban Sketchers Bay Area blog.

Categories
Bay Area Parks Drawing Ink and watercolor wash Landscape Outdoors/Landscape Painting People Places Sketchbook Pages

Lake Anza Life Guard On Duty

Lake Anza Lifeguard, ink & watercolor, 5x7"
Lake Anza Lifeguard, ink & watercolor, 5x7"

I took my two favorite 12-year-old girls to Tilden Park for a Friday afternoon outing on a rare sunny day in this horrible summer of fog and wind. My plan was to relax and read on the beach while the girls played in the water and then take them to the carousel and the Little Farm Nature Area.

Sketchy people, Lake Anza
Sketchy people, Lake Anza

After a little picnic the girls gleefully headed into the water, I reached for my book and discovered I’d forgotten it. Fortunately I had my journal so instead of reading a book I drew in one.

More sketchy people
Wrong lifeguard stand and more sketchy people

My first attempt at drawing the lifeguard stand got the perspective all wrong so I used that page for more sketches of people.

The girls were having so much fun in the water, swimming, chatting, and fooling around that I couldn’t get them out until 5:00. I promised that if we have another sunny Friday this summer I’ll take them again. But this time I will remember my book and, if it’s warm enough, my bathing suit!

Categories
Gouache Landscape Oil Painting Outdoors/Landscape Painting Places Sketchbook Pages

Here Comes the Fog

Here Comes the Fog, Oil on Panel, 5x7"
Here Comes the Fog, Oil on Panel, 5x7"

“Here Comes the Fog” is an all too common saying around here. It can be a hot, sunny day like this one at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica. Then the fog comes rolling in, the sun disappears, and you need your jacket instead of your bathing suit. It was one of the first things I learned when I moved to the Bay Area: never leave home without a jacket, no matter what. (Painting available here).

Watercolor & Gouache preliminary study
Watercolor & Gouache preliminary study

This was a quick study in my sketchbook from the photo I took when I visited the beach in June. I used watercolor and gouache to ease back into that day at the beach.

Original photo reference
Original photo reference
Categories
Building Drawing Flower Art Ink and watercolor wash Outdoors/Landscape Painting Places Sketchbook Pages Urban Sketchers

Sketching Ikuko’s Garden

Ikuko's Garden, ink & watercolor, 7x5"
Ikuko's Garden, ink & watercolor, 7x5"

My friend Ikuko invited our Tuesday night sketching group to sketch in her lovely and lovingly tended garden. I picked a spot that was still in the last bit of sun and sat in a lawn chair to sketch and relax. For a change I tried to just be loose and free and it was really fun.

Ikuko's at Sunset, ink & watercolor, 7x5"
Ikuko's at Sunset, ink & watercolor, 7x5"

I was interested in all of the odd contraptions on top of her fireplace and the glowing light of the sunset on the bricks and the windows. I managed to fit almost everything I wanted on the page (with a little rearranging from real life; the mail box was below the frame but I liked it so stuck it in.) I was a little annoyed when I finished the sketch that I’d “messed up” the house numbers (the 2 is too big) but a week later, who cares!