I have a LOT of unfinished sketchbooks, some of which I’ve been adding to since 2012! These UFOs (UnFinished Objects) don’t bother me – I like filling them gradually over time – but I have to admit that there’s something very satisfying about finally completing one. Accordion-fold sketchbook made with 140 lb. Kilimanjaro watercolor paper […]
Category: Sketches
Guest Post: Cathy McCort & Her Yearlong Calendar Project
We have a guest blogger today, my good friend Cathy McCort from Washington, PA. Cathy was one of six students in the very first sketchbook journaling class I taught back in 2014. She had never picked up a watercolor brush before that class, but wait till you see how far she’s come in five short […]
February Calendar Sketch
Life can become a bit of a blur sometimes, can’t it? One day merges into the next and before you know it, another month has gone by. I have trouble remembering what I did yesterday, not to mention last week! But I’ve found that keeping a daily sketched calendar is a great way to capture […]
January Calendar – Part III
My January 2019 daily calendar is finally finished! I chose cool blues and purples for the borders and the spaces between the blocks. It seemed the perfect choice for a month filled with every kind of cold, dreary weather you can imagine. 12″ x 9″, ink & watercolor in an American Journey watercolor journal It […]
Taking a Chance
As I painted this sketch yesterday, I thought about all the chances I’ve been offered in my life, the ones I took and the ones I didn’t. Watercolor sketch in a 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ Stillman & Birn Delta series sketchbook And as my thoughts meandered back to younger days and decisions I’d made that impacted […]
January Calendar – Part II
My January calendar still needs a few finishing touches, like a border on the outside edge and some color between the boxes, but while I’m working on those, here’s a step-by-step explanation of how I drew the elliptical layout for the 12″ x 9″ calendar page. 31-day elliptical calendar layout 1 – Use a pencil […]
January Calendar – Part I
Occasionally I get the urge to keep a sketched daily calendar for a full month. Last spring I did three months in a row in March, April, and May, and that was enough to last me for awhile. I figured I would do another month whenever the mood struck, and eventually I would have a whole year’s […]
Hotel del Coronado Sketch – Finished!
In my previous post, I showed you several color options for the title lettering on my unfinished sketch of Hotel del Coronado and asked which you thought worked best. I received lots of comments both here on my blog and on a Facebook group that I participate in and could tell you all put a […]
Hotel del Coronado Sketch – Opinions, Please!
Whew! The holidays are over and the January lull has arrived. Don’t you love it? I really enjoy this quiet time of year, when there’s not usually much going on, and I have time to catch up on some of those projects that have been put on the back burner for awhile. I haven’t been […]
Sketching at Cabrillo National Monument
When I was in San Diego last month, my friend Karen and I enjoyed an afternoon of sketching at Cabrillo National Monument on the Point Loma Peninsula. I’ve sketched a lot of East Coast lighthouses and was excited to finally have a chance to paint a West Coast one! I decided to do a two-page […]
