Category Archives: sketch

First 3 days of sketching from pics – sans me dèplacer

Posted on March 20, 2020 by

Le confinement continues. Not so bad so far. The weather has been sunny so lots of folks are walking their dogs to get a break from being inside, thus I have a parade to watch out the window. I revisited three … Continue reading →

Posted in sketch, Travel, Wine | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Three reasons to dig out your viewfinder.

Posted on August 21, 2019 by

Someone may have given you one as a gift or you picked one up out of curiosity – a viewfinder. Or you were shown the neat trick of using your hands as a viewfinder, reminiscent of movie directors in comedies … Continue reading →

Posted in ink, sketch, Tips for the Travel Sketcher | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Sketching in action

Posted on June 17, 2019 by

In my workshops I teach sketchers to paint shapes first then do the ink, that is because many new sketchers struggle to overcome the insecurity of “getting the lines right.” In reality I most often start with ink and then … Continue reading →

Posted in Flowers, sketch | 3 Comments

What a journey

Posted on May 28, 2019 by

Thirty-two years ago today, I loaded everything I owned in the world into my Oldsmobile Cutlass, a company-car from the import food company that I worked for. The boss “suggested” that a move to Seattle would be a good thing. … Continue reading →

Posted in pen, sketch | 4 Comments

Nice work at Yes! You can travelsketch!

Posted on April 14, 2019 by

Saturday six travelsketchers joined me for a workshop at the Red Cup in Mukilteo. The wind and the temperature made it unrealistic to be outside so Kris at Nature Together generously opened their space for us to use. This one … Continue reading →

Posted in sketch, Workshops | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

To make scenic sketches better – get the skyline right.

Posted on January 8, 2019 by

A key concept for travel sketching when trying to capture a distant landscape or cityscape is to first get the skyline right, and make it just a bit more bold. Thinking back over my years of doing watercolor I remember a time I almost gave it up completely. … Continue reading →

Posted in sketch, Travel | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Travel sketches vs urban sketches, and what about plein air?

Posted on October 30, 2018 by

The teapot in Bath, and a street in Kyoto are both travel sketches yet they do not qualify as urban sketches. The teapot was done on location yet it does not qualify for an urban sketch due to the content. … Continue reading →

Posted in Painting, sketch | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments