Day 4: Strada Easel Challenge

Water soluble graphite and gouache on Strathmore Gray Toned Paper

 

Today we were in between storms. There was a high surf warning going on when I got to the beach and there was no place safe to draw. I stayed in my car again. I suspect that many of the drawings for this month's challenge will be done from my car! Fortunately, I wasn't far from the high tide line by the side of the road.

So far I have been going to my local beach to draw the waves, about a mile from my house as the crow flies. I will be traveling up and down the coast a few miles to draw at the other beaches. They are all a bit different and they change every day and hour. The waves and beach looked quite different when I took the second photo than when I started the drawing.

I really do love drawing and painting waves! I have yet to get them on paper and canvas to my satisfaction. There are a lot of subtle nuances to learn.

Until tomorrow,

 -Renee

Day 2 and Day 3!

One of my New Years goals is to be a bit more mindful of my health. Getting enough sleep is at the top of that list! Yesterday, I got smacked by that goal. I am a musician as well as an artist. Wednesday nights are our band rehearsals. I did not get a chance to post yesterday's drawing and it was too late by the time we got home from rehearsal. In the past, I would have stayed up, posted my post, and got to bed a bit late.

Getting enough sleep more important than posting to my blog so today I have two posts in one.

Yesterday my sketch showed a storm on the horizon and moving in. Today, we are in the middle of the storm with gusts up to 50 mph on the beach. The car was rocking as I worked from its shelter today! Here are the drawings starting with yesterday, Day 2:

More tomorrow!

-Renee

A New Year and a New Challenge

 

Day 1: New Year Challenge

Here I go again! I am participating in another 31 day art challenge. This one is the Strada Easel challenge which requires 31 paintings or drawings all done from life. I like to participate in these challenges when I have more I would like to achieve than completing a daily drawing or painting for a month. I already know I can draw and paint everyday for a month as I have done it several times over the past few years. I like to up the ante with a personal challenge that pushes me to grow as an artist.

Because it is January and the weather can be challenging here on the Oregon coast, I decided to do a daily wave drawing. I can draw from the shelter of my car if need be. I will actually be combining drawing and painting. The drawings will be wave studies in water soluble graphite and white gouache on Strathmore toned gray mixed media paper. The mixed media is heavy enough to take the water without buckling.

I have painted hundreds of wave studies over the years and I still have so much to learn. I am keeping the drawings more or less shades of gray which allows me to focus on value, composition, and hone my wave drawing skills. I still have so much to work on!

I also will be taking color notes while I am out drawing. I intend to bring all this information back to the studio and translate them into small paintings. I may continue on with larger paintings from those. My ultimate intention is to start interpreting my own vision through the waves. I am not exactly sure where this will take me but I know it is all good!

My animal drawing, anatomy studies, and paintings will continue. I spent yesterday, New Year's Eve, at the Oregon Zoo visiting and sketching my favorite Cheetah sisters and the other animals that braved the cold temperatures.

I have a lot of plans, goals, dreams, and hard work ahead of me for 2019. I hope everyone reading this also is digging into 2019 for your creative life and your good health.

Here is to the creative journey and good health!

-Renee

Neahkahnie Churn

Yesterday was beautiful and a welcome break from the recent storms. The sun felt warmish, at least for an hour or two, so I grabbed my sketchbook and headed up the beach. One of the reasons I haunt the beach around the Neahkahnie cliffs is because of the interesting wave action. With the large 10-12 foot waves and high tides, the area didn't disappoint!

Here is the plein air sketch I did for Day 28. As always, I strive to get the anatomy and action of the waves colliding, riding over and under each other. I find them endlessly fascinating.

©2015 R.L. Delight Fine Art, "Neahkahnie Churn", 8"x10", graphite on paper, plein air

Note the small graphic of a wave I quickly drew at the top. I needed a basic reminder of what is happening due to the jumble of waves I was seeing. Of course, graphite doesn't capture the wonderful flashes of color that appear but it does make it a bit easier to get an idea of what is going on.

Here is video I made of some of the waves in action:

Happy New Year!

-Renee

A Sketchy Day

One of the things I determined after evaluating my art working methods following the 30 in 30 challenge, was that I really need to take at least one day a week just to observe and sketch the ocean. The weather today was transitional and therefore it would be sunshine one minute, rain the next, and a constant wind. Not a great day to paint. The weekend is supposed to be nice though so looking forward to getting out to paint then. Sketching in such weather is a lot easier. Not as much gear, just a pack with sketchbook, pencils, and a few things to make oneself comfy such as a towel to sit on, plastic bags for any found treasures, binoculars, water, etc..
The tide was going out this afternoon when I hiked up the beach. I left from my front door on foot today as I felt like a good walk as well. When I got to my usual spot the waves were quite disappointing and fairly far out. The wave surges keep me at a distance. I picked a likely rock to sit on but had to move when one of the sneaker waves came in.
Here is what my office looked like:

Sketch site

As you can see, it was one of those flat gray moments in the day. This is not a black and white picture!

Here is what my sketchbook looked like:

Sketchy day. Elements of waves and rocks study. Water soluble graphite on paper.

I like to use water soluble graphite pencils and a Niji water brush pen. I use HB and 4B pencils. I am thinking of trying a bit of white gouache paint to get a better representation. This is not a composed drawing. It is just several elements put down on paper at random.
I have done this type of sketching of the sea before but, after reading the section in the book on Frederick Waugh, featured in yesterday's post, about his time living on the Isle of Sark, I really got inspired! He spent his time there studying the sea for all he was worth. He would spend hours doing sketches of each element, often putting himself in risky situations. Risky situations are a challenge even for me. It is so easy to lose track of awareness of time and then be caught off guard by the tides. There are areas that are dangerous to be when the tide is coming in. It is one of the reasons I set an alarm on my phone. One of the advantages of modern tech!
Needless to say, I have added the Isle of Sark to my "must see and visit" list. I am also thoroughly enjoying the book. I just have to resist the urge to call a day off and curl up and read all day.
I will think about putting a book report on one of my posts when I am finished with it.
Tomorrow depending on the weather, I will either be painting in the studio or on the beach. I am still trying to catch up in the studio getting it cleaned up and making fixes for some of my gear. I haven't had a chance to get back to my Webinarts classes today either. I can see there is still room for improvement in my organization skills. Well, it is time to get ready to turn in for the day. We shall see what the morrow shall bring...