Sketchbook - Sunset at Bodega Head

This is a quick study that I did in my pocket sketchbook over the Labor Day weekend.  I am always glad when I see something interesting and have sketching materials ready to capture the moment!

Watercolor and pencil on paper; 3-1/2 x 5-1/2 inches

Water Street Alley - Petaluma

Water Street Alley seen from across Petaluma Boulevard.

The week before last, while visiting a downtown coffee shop, I decided to sketch the wall in the alley across the street.  I wanted to see how well I could render textures of stone and brick with a fair amount of detail.  The challenge was to keep the line-work from becoming too "busy".  Not sure how successful I was, as there is always a fine balance between having too little, versus too much, detail in a drawing. Getting that balance right is something I work at continually.

Recent Sketchbook Drawings

I have been making an effort to do more sketching as the opportunities arise, and then post them to this blog when I have filled a few pages in my sketchbook with drawings I think people might want to look at.  Here are some below:

"View of Baker Street in Petaluma, CA"

"Calm Day at Doran Beach, Bodega Bay, CA"

"Morning Shadows, Three Rivers, CA"

"Hillside, Three Rivers, CA"

"View of the hills, Three Rivers, CA"

Rain

This afternoon I did this sketchbook watercolor of the clouds and rain showers that moved through Sonoma County this afternoon.

Watercolor; 6 x 9.5 inches

View of Outer Richmond District, San Francisco

Late Saturday afternoon, I did a watercolor sketch of a view overlooking the Outer Richmond District, around Point Lobos Avenue, in San Francisco. Low clouds and fading sunlight forced me to work quickly and not linger over too many details.

Watercolor, Pencil and Ink; 3.5 x 11 inches

Historic Call House at Fort Ross

Last weekend we drove up to Fort Ross for the afternoon. While there, I had the opportunity to do this small sketch of the historic Call House, built in 1878, which is located near the reconstructed Fort Ross complex.

Pencil; 3.5 x 5.5 inches

Panorama from Bowden Bluff

From my sketchbook; overlooking oak trees with view to the north towards Santa Rosa, from "Bowden Bluff" (Crane Creek Regional Park), on a late July afternoon.

Pencil and ink on paper; 3.5 x 11 inches

There are six small clouds in the upper right of the drawing, otherwise it was a clear sky overhead.

Storefront - Loleta Lumber

A clear, warm day at the end of June when I drew this small pencil sketch of closed-up storefronts along Main Street in Loleta, CA. The nearly overhead sun cast strong shadows from the contours and ledges of these buildings. 

Pencil on Paper; 3.5 x 5.5 inches

View of Bird Walk Marshes, Bodega Bay

A sketch I did this afternoon of Bird Walk Marshes on the edge of Bodega Bay .

Pencil; 3.5 x 11 inches

A warm, cloudy afternoon, with sounds of sea lions barking from Doran Beach.

View of the Golden Gate from Crissy Field

Here is an earlier watercolor sketch I did of the Golden Gate Bridge; this time looking from Crissy Field on a clear day.

Watercolor & Pencil; 5 x 8 inches

This page is from a sketchbook that I thought was lost during our last move, but recently found!

Cargo Ship Entering the Golden Gate Strait

Here's a small watercolor and pencil sketch that I did over the weekend.

Watercolor & Pencil; 3.5 x 11 inches

Low clouds covered the tops of the Marin Headlands and the Golden Gate Bridge pylons.  A small coyote trotted though the parking lot where I was drawing.

Sketching - Heat of the Day

This afternoon I was out sketching along the trails at Crane Creek Regional Park.  A warm day (92 F); I only saw two visitors and a ranger in the park.  Also saw a noisy hawk on patrol, and an enormous vulture, that flapped up from the tall grass, like an old raincoat, each time I passed by; interrupting its feast, no doubt!  

Pencil; 3.5x5.5 inches

I stopped on the trail to do this quick pencil sketch of a hillside in full sunlight, with a gnarled tree trunk on one side with the cool shadows of foliage on the other side, where the trail is heading. Normally, I wouldn't stand out in the blazing sun long enough to do a sketch like this, but from experience I knew that somehow the camera wouldn't capture the very thing that caught my attention in the first place.

San Francisco Rooftops

Here's a sketch I did over the weekend of a view overlooking part of San Francisco, with the Pacific Ocean shown in the upper right corner.  All the time I was working on this drawing, a steady grey overcast with minimal shadows prevailed.  Almost as soon as I was finished with the drawing, the level rays of the sun came below the cloud layer and lit up the scene with a golden light with deep shadows; something that reminded me of Corot's paintings of Rome, or something by Canaletto.

Pencil & Ink; 3.5 x 11 inches

Spring Lake Meadow

While sitting in my truck this afternoon, I painted a small watercolor of a meadow in Spring Lake Park. This is the same spot as my earlier painting "In a Clearing".

Watercolor, gouache, pencil & ink; 3.5 x 11 inches

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Sketch of Main Street in Loleta, CA

From my pocket sketchbook. View looking north of the intersection of Main Street and Loleta Drive. Railroad crossing signal lights and tracks are shown at the lower right corner of the drawing.

Pencil on Paper; 3.5 x 5.5 inches 

Preparatory Studies

 

 

 

December Trees - Spring Lake

Size - 6-1/2x 5"
India ink, walnut ink, pencil and watercolor wash

Petaluma Sketch Crawl

I'm planning to take part in a "sketch crawl" this coming Saturday in Petaluma.  I did this sketch of the Open Door Church during the "Petaluma Sketch Crawl" last December. These events are really helpful for getting out and doing some drawing during a time of the year when I might not do so otherwise.

Update:  This event has been rescheduled for Saturday, December 8th, on account of rainy weather.

Pencil on Sketchbook page
11 x 8.5 inches

Spring Lake Path

Scotty Creek

Watercolor and pencil on drawing paper

This is another watercolor from my sketchbook of ideas for future oil paintings.  The sketch is based on a photo I took at a spot on the side of the road (Highway One) where Scotty Creek meets the Pacific ocean.  It was a bright day and there was a lot of reflection from the sand and water.