Sketching on the porch

Wonky Little Chair

After I had drawn this, I noticed how wrong the angle of the middle spindle is.  I could have made a little patch and sketched it in correctly, but, hey, that's not what sketch-booking is all about for me.  Actually, it's about ANYTHING you want, but my purpose is to keep the pen and brushes moving!  Keep in mind what your purpose is  -  is it to get very correct information down and have a beautiful page, or just to get a rough idea that can be cleaned up later if you're using the sketch for a painting reference, or maybe to just loosely record a moment in your day.

Students always ask me if it's okay to rip out a page or cover it up.  Anything is okay.  I've had mistakes that have driven me crazy, so I'd fix them in some way.  

Another beautiful day in Northern Michigan!  Where ever you are, are you sketching?

Petunias, marigolds, etc

Okay, I'm done hibernating. 

I've had my spring greenhouse fix, and I'm ready to plant and paint  -  not necessarily in that order.

The sun is shining, the birds are singing (squawking), and we've even had a hummingbird.  We've mowed the lawn, and hauled junk out to the curb for the spring pick-up.

This little watercolor sketch was done using some cross hatching with a Gelly-roll pen.  I watched a Tommy Kane demo on cross hatching, and thought it looked fun  - I hadn't done it in years.  I don't think flowers are really a good subject for that technique, but it was fun, and I'll do it again.

As far as the greenhouse fix  -  I'm sure I'm not really "fixed".  There's something about the heat, the smell, the colors .  .  .

How was your winter?  Are you painting and sketching?