Beachcombing

5/19/14 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor, Canson XL
140 lb. paper

During low tides, I love exploring the tide pools at Cannon Beach, where all kinds of anemones, sea stars and other strange, wonderful and colorful critters cling to the rocks. Unfortunately, huge swarms of sand flies were also hanging out by the tide pools, driving me crazy! Every time I stopped to do a sketch, these extremely annoying flies would light all over my face, neck, sketchbook, brush – everywhere! Needless to say, I only did a couple of quick sketches.

One of the most surprising critters I sketched on this trip wasn’t in the tide pools – it was on a whimsical sculpture of a sea captain that stands outside the Hallmark Inn where we stayed. I spotted something between the captain’s legs – it turned out to be a pair of snails!

(See my Flickr album of photos and more sketches from our week in Cannon Beach and Portland, Oregon.)

5/19/14 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor (sea anemones)

5/19/14 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor (sea stars)

Greg photographing barnacles.

Swatting flies!