Sun Break

 

12/8/21 Maple Leaf neighborhood

After days and days of gray and rain, we were treated to sunshine! I knew it wouldn’t last, so I dashed out as soon as I could. My weather app told me I still had several hours before the rain would return.

To avoid wasting time looking around, I drove only a couple of blocks from home and parked at the top of a steep hill. I thought the distant blue horizon (and the silhouette of downtown Seattle) with dark trees in the middle ground would make an interesting study of atmospheric perspective using color temperature. Wouldn’t you know it: A few minutes into the sketch, it started raining, so I had to make most of it through the wet windshield. I would have liked to have deepened all the colors, but at some point, it became ridiculous trying to see.

Shortly after I returned home, the rain stopped and the sun came back out again.

Technical notes: This was one of those times when I missed my tried-and-true watercolor pencils. It is so much faster and easier to deepen colors quickly with a swipe of a waterbrush or a spritzer.

After momentarily dithering over paper, I decided to go back to my Stillman & Birn Zeta after all. I used it at Zoka Coffee last week, too. Since I’m not using water, a smooth surface somehow feels “faster” to work on with soft Caran d’Ache Luminance pencils. I don’t know if that makes sense or is even actually true, but I’m sticking with it for now.

Sandwich in the mobile studio

I’m pleased that my Tombow pencil “sandwich” is working out well, especially in my mobile studio. I just lean it up against the steering wheel on my lap, and it’s much handier than going through my bag. I have a sketch outing coming up, though, where I’ll probably want to sketch standing . . . I’ll probably switch back to my usual Tran Portfolio case for that.