Virtual Sketch Date: Sunquats

I decided this morning to try this month's Virtual Sketch Date. The reference photo for this month was provided by Leslie Hawes. This was probably a stretch of my colored pencil abilities but I had fun and I learned a lot. It's about 5.5 by 3.5 inches in colored pencil in one of my sketchbooks.

Otherwise, I've been struggling with a painting lately. It's a new surface (gessoed masonite) and somewhat of a different subject matter for me. It's still at the ugly stage but I think I'm getting it whipped into shape.

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See all of my Virtual Sketch Date posts.

Tiny Quick Sketches

I started a new sketchbook recently so I thought I would post a few of the sketches that haven't been posted yet before I put it away. Usually I'll mark off a few pages into tiny squares for quick sketches. I may fill up a page in one sitting with little studies for a painting or it may take a month to fill up the page. This one took a couple of weeks. All of them are things I saw sitting around me. Each square is about two inches. Starting from the top left and moving clockwise, my laptop and mouse, a folded envelope, a chair, a pencil case, Rick in the chair, sock knitting.

Sketch: Passion Flower Vine

Passion Flower Vine - Ink and colored pencil

I discovered it's hard to be creative when there's work being done on the house with lots of pounding. I'm getting back in my groove though. This is a sketch of a Maypop or passion flower vine near our office. They grow wild in a little rocky, dusty patch of soil. It's too early for blooms but not too early to feed caterpillars. It's a main food source for the caterpillars of the Gulf Fritillary butterfly. Towards the end of summer you'll see lots of butterflies in the area.

I'm starting to enjoy using colored pencil for sketching. I just have a little 12 pencil set that I carry around with me. It's just enough for a bit of color without having to worry about brushes or water.