Watercolor Sketching News

 

I did a watercolor sketch at Lido Park in Newport Beach.  I had never been to Lido Park before so I had an enjoyable time walking around before settling on what to sketch.  

My sketch from Lido Park

Lido Park

Sketching is so much fun and the supplies are easy to take anywhere.  It allows you to use the time you have...perhaps 15 minutes or even an hour...to sketch an impression of whatever you feel like sketching.  It doesn't have to be perfect...in fact, those little imperfections are charming and they're what makes your sketch unique!  

Below is a photo of my sketching supplies, these are all I need to do a full color sketch.  Everything is lightweight and fits into a tote bag including my 9" x 12" sketchbook.  I have a new YouTube video featuring an in-depth discussion of a variety of watercolor and sketching supplies.  The link to view it is at the end of this blog post.

My complete sketch kit

We are members of The Living Desert Zoo and Botanical Gardens.  I enjoy walking around the park and sketching.  Below are a few recent sketches from this park.  The one of the desert spring was painted from a rocking chair in the shade by the natural desert spring.

The Desert Spring

Friendly giraffes at the park

Feeding Lettuce To The Giraffes

People are sometimes curious to see what I'm sketching

The Desert Tortoise Habitat, The Living Desert

I sketched with the Coachella Valley Watercolor Society and the Desert Plein Air Association at Rancho Mirage.  We painted a historical home at the community park. 

 

My sketch of Rancho Chaquito, Rancho Mirage Community Park

I always find a place in the shade where I can relax and sketch :)

 

Join my new Facebook group called "Palm Desert Sketchers".  We will meet every other week at a different location and sketch what we see!  For the summer months, we will meet at a variety of cafes and other indoor locations to stay cool.  It's free to join us.  Our inaugural meeting was at IL Sogno cafe on El Paseo.  The next meetup will be on Friday, June 23rd.

Below are some pictures from our meetup, visit the Palm Desert Sketchers Facebook page to see more photos 

Sharing our sketches outside of the cafe

My sketch of Italian ceramics inside of IL Sogno

One of  the things I like most about this medium is that I can do several different sketches in a single morning or afternoon whereas if I were painting in oils, I could only complete 1 painting in a 3 hour time frame.   Picture yourself strolling through San Gimignano in Tuscany.  You see so many things you'd like to paint like cafes, charming homes, street scenes and views to the valley below.  If you're there for a day or even just a morning, you can do 3 sketches and still have plenty of time to shop and eat!

I'm teaching a series of in-person, small-group classes and 1-day workshops on the art of travel sketching.  Click the links below to learn more and send me a message if you have any questions.