Greetings from Utah/Zion Ntl Park

Some quick color sketches in Handbook Journal with inferior watercolor paints (my traveling paints)

Mulholland Drive

Two more watercolor sketches of the tower a little later in the day. The marine layer lifted. The second painting is looking at Mulholland Drive from the canyon.

Fryman Canyon

Two pages from weather sketchbook. August 1 is a marine layer morning view of a tower from Fryman Canyon.
Watercolor in Handbook Journal.

Detail of previous post

I'm including these detail of previous weather sketchbook for those sweet people who actually ask me for watercolor advice. This geranium blossom might be my favorite flower that I ever painted because I looked at it as a whole shape, not individual petals. I loaded the shape with water so that the pigment would float and dry at the edges. I consciously try and leave white spaces for that "watercolor sparkle".
The girl/woman detail I like too. The watercolor is added quickly and left alone - no second layer. The freckles near the nose were one of those accidents that happen in watercolor and why I love the medium so much.
I would include a really bad watercolor painting of a pepper tree with some musicians jamming under it so you could see a really bad example of watercolor and maybe not be so hard on yourself, but I have directors looking at this site and I need to jump on another film project......

end of july weather sketchbook pages

Some goofy pages. They are more like scrapbook pages with bits of paper/napkins glued to them. I do hope all you Simpson Movie viewers are noticing the beautifully hand drawn bubbles in the polluted lake scene. An example of one is on 30 july page (in blue rather than brown).

Legs, a body, Head

This is a nice model to draw. She has a fantastic haircut which makes a great shape and has a specific part in it.
These are probably 5 minute poses. I was moving slowly today.
Stabilo aquarellable on animation paper.

Zuma Beach

I have a new sketchbook for the weather journal. It is a landscape sized Handbook Journal 5 x 7" that was sent to me accidentally when I ordered a portrait size. I didn't like these books at first, but they are perfect for the weather sketchbook. This is from a great day at Zuma beach. Click on image to enlarge. I don't know why this posted so small.

The model didn't show up last Friday so we drew two of the artists who volunteered to pose. 3 minute poses. I concentrated on the head instead of getting the gesture. I have very little time to draw in general during the day, with an overwhelming amount of freelance work, and I also feel I have so little time to draw once I'm at the Disney sessions. The 3 minutes go by very fast.
Stabilo aquarellable on animation bond.

Friday life drawing

Some drawings on animation paper with Stabilo Aquarellable. 2,3 and 5 minute poses (not in that order)

Mandolin cases

I have had internet connection problems.

Turqoise vase, india eggplant

Some early July weather sketchbook entries. Watercolor in Aquabee 9x9" sketchbook.
(a great sketchbook for quick watercolor sketches)

Onions and Ocean sunset

No I was not amongst the lucky to see Paul but I did get to go to the farmers market to buy onions, eggplant, peaches and cherries. AND COFFEE.

jacaranda blossoms and seaweed

Some early summer things. I like the colors of these three things together on the palette. This weather journal is almost filled and I might move on to the next project.

Last days of "June Gloom"

I have been computerless for the week, but am posting from my new Mac which hopefully I'll grow to love as soon as I can get the "keychain password" to stop showing up, and get it to accept my old Wacom tablet.
June gloom is the wonderful term for overcast marine layer mornings. It is nice and cool which is why June is a great time to be in so cal. Here's a plate of cherries and some honeysuckle.

A quick stop at the beach

I dropped off some freelance work in Santa Monica and was able to say hello to the Pacific. It's great not spending every waking hour on the Simpson Movie, although that was a fantastic job and I worked with great people. I miss the salmon dinners, sushi lunches, and haagan-daaz bars.

500 years of the female face in art

I just want to share this Youtube clip. It's wonderful. Just copy and paste, I'm too tired to figure out how to link you directly to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUDIoN-_Hxs

Arm and Geraniums

Some departments are starting to get laid off from the movie, although the EFX crew is still working long hours. I managed to get to my monday night drawing workshop and drew this arm.

New firefighter watercolor

I'm really sad about the griffith park fire. This is a newish watercolor of the previous hollywood hills fire (near Barham).

melting ice and fire danger

All last week I was drawing bubbles and ripples in water for EFX for a movie and I think that I'm finished with them. It would have been more appropriate to draw ice dripping for this weather page. But I'm not really illustrating the days.... although it seems like that for todays entry. Can't ever resist a firefighting page.

long pose session at union

15 minute pose. Charcoal on toned paper. I was able to get to the long pose class at the animation institute on monday night, in between drawing splashes and bubbles. The effects on the Simpson's movie will be wonderful. I would love to be able to frame just a single drawing of some of the EFX animator's key drawings, and hang them on a gallery wall. The roughs are very beautiful.

Hostas oil painting

I'm posting two older oil paintings done with grisaille technique (grey underpainting with colored glazes). One is Pacific Iris and the other is Hostas. Both are 20x20". Oil on canvas.
I'm posting only to let you know that I'm still committed to the blog, but am doing 10-12 hour days on the Simpson's movie and have very little time at the moment. Please stand by, and thank you so much for checking in on my blog.