Have a Game Plan...

Performances, events and games are a really good opportunity for sketching people, as subjects are engrossed in the activity and retain their "poses" for a long time. This is another page of my Aquabee sketchbook where I tried to quickly capture this man's serious and attentive expression, and the quality of the reflected light. This was painted with pigment picked up with the brush from watercolor sticks.

I also included below the pencil sketch I started with, it's pretty indicative of how much drawing I do in a sketch before moving to color. The goal is to quickly map main shapes and mark the essential highlights and deep shadows. Once that pencil outline is in place, even if the subject moves somewhat or the light changes, it is still possible to achieve the initial goal in the study--that's what I call following the game plan.

Miguel Lucas Turns One!

Just a year ago I was telling you my son was born, and now he is already running around the house... Miguel Lucas had his first birthday last weekend. He's a healthy, happy boy, we could not be prouder parents... Here's to many happy returns!

Trying a New Sketchbook

A page from my sketchbook, showing a sunset view of a back alley in Boulder, captured with a quick sketch in watercolor.

I have experimented with a lot of different papers and surfaces for my paintings, but had stuck with the same sketchbooks for quite a while. I have been using Moleskine sketchbooks, for their great format and sturdy cover, even though it is a bit of work to overcome the paper's resistance to watercolor. There is a watercolor version of it, but I don't really like the landscape format. I also use Arches 6x10 spiral pads, but it has the opposite problem, it is great for watercolor studies and small paintings, but does not work well for simply sketching.

This time around I am giving the Aquabee Super Deluxe 6x9 sketchbook a try. It contains 60 sheets of 93 lb neutral white paper, very slightly textured. It is a little bulkier to carry than what I've grown used to, but the spiral allows for more freedom during use--I don't have to hold it or clip it open. I included a photo above, and you can see it took watercolor well and ended up only a little buckled, even when I used wet washes--as opposed to my old Canson sketchbook pages that buckled severely and acquired a crackly sound when they dried. I have only filled out a couple of pages in this new book, but am enjoying it so far.