Weekend Sketching

Overcast days are the best to paint because the lighting doesn't really change. 

Hanging out at The Lab in Costa Mesa. What I like about painting on location is the interactions I get with passer-by's because I guess they don't see someone with a paint set everyday painting. I have realized that it was mostly older people who actually stopped by to talk to me, the younger ones were too cool for school and just tried to sneak glances haha. 

My favorite- creep sketching at coffee shops. I need to get better at speed and memory because people tend to move, if you didn't know that. 

Instagram Fridays: Sleeping Through The Noise

When I am stuck on what to draw I usually default to drawing my dog, hands, or figures. You know you are a crazy dog lady when your dog has her own instagram and facebook page. And when your dog's instagram has more followers than your own. Don't judge me!

Ink and watercolor in a Moleskine sketchbook. 

Instagram Fridays: LAX to ORD

Sketched this during a 3 hour plane ride from Los Angeles to Chicago. I have always loved urban sketching, its when I am most in my element. All I used to sketch were people, so now I am trying my hand at complete scenes and to be mindful of the composition.

I bought The Art of Urban Sketching: Drawing On Location Around The World (which is an amazing book that shows you how other urban sketchers see the world as well as their tips and techniques) and took a really good tip from one of the artists: to sketch close to far, it worked very well for me. I really wanted to sit out in downtown Chicago and sketch the beautiful skyline and the quaint houses but I was with a group of four girls and were constantly running around.

I will now go and dream of this deep dish Chicago style pizza that ruined all pizzas for me. Damn you Pequods!!

"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known"

"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known" -Carl Sagan

Sketched this with two Pilot Hi-Tec-C Gell ink pens. I love these pens. I don't know why but I always feel my sketches look better whenever I draw in these. It might be because whenever I sketch in pen, I am forced to be a lot more confidant in my lines so I am a lot more mindful of things.

Anyway, I've always been inspired by the vastness of our universe and how insignificant our problems are in contrast to the big scope of things. Life goes on, and the most you can do is keep on bettering yourself while still retaining childlike wonder about the world. No use in stress and anger because in the end we are just one tiny speck on this "pale blue dot."