Art: Soledad Lagoon.

N. Torrey Pines Road Over Soledad Lagoon, Del Mar (Pen and ink on watercolor paper. 12x9"). Drawn with pen on site. Inked at home from photo reference I took.

Art: Sasha.

Sasha (Conte pencil on newsprint. 18x24"). Figure drawing from live model.

Art: Hoover Dam.

Hoover Dam (Pen, ink, and gouache on watercolor paper. 6x9").

Art: San Francisco -- Transamerica Building.

San Francisco -- Transamerica Building (pen and ink on watercolor paper, 6x7.5").

Art: Erin.

Erin (Conte pencil on newsprint. 18x24"). Live portrait drawing from model. I'm having a difficult time getting this to reproduce accurately... but here it is....

Art: Palais Theatre.

Palais Theatre, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia (Pen and ink on watercolor paper. 5.5x7").

Materials.

I vary and experiment with mediums and materials frequently. Here is a quick sketch of the Sydney Opera House I did playing with pen on watercolor paper (a combo I hadn't used much before).

Sydney Opera House (Pen on watercolor paper, 6x4"). Based on personal photo.

Art: Portrait.

Male Portrait (Conte pencil on newsprint. 18x24"). Portrait drawing from live model.

Art: Study for Palace of Fine Arts.

I love San Francisco, with one of my favorite sites being the Palace of Fine Arts. I took this picture when I lived in the Bay Area many years ago...



An artist will do "studies" of a subject before committing to a larger piece. In my early days, I avoided doing studies because I believed there was something magical in that first attempt at interpreting a subject -- a certain indefinable energy -- and worried that this magic would be lost if I drew it many times before. But now I realize that studies are imperative as they allow you to better understand and interpret the subject matter. You have to figure out what works and what doesn't. You are seeking maximum impact.

One may believe that there's something special in the first time you have sex with a new partner. But mostly it's just awkward and clumsy (of course I'm speaking of the general populace -- I'm always fantastic). It takes some experimenting before you get good at the humping. Each partner is different. You figure out what works and what doesn't, and it's developed through a combination of communication, trial and error, and experience. This is the basis for doing studies. You want the painting's toes to curl.

I'm pondering doing a large scale painting of the Palace of Fine Arts. I've been developing some studies to make sure that I've perfected the humping. Here are a few early examples:

Study of Palace of Fine Arts (pen, ink, and colored pencil on paper, 5.5x8").



Study for Palace of Fine Arts (ball point pen on paper, 8.5x11). For this one, I'm trying to figure out the best arrangement within the frame -- the mise en scène for those fancy types. The Palace of Fine Arts is an enormous and magnificent structure. The dynamic is altered by simply playing with its placement within the frame.



Study for Palace of Fine Arts (watercolor on Rives BFK paper, 7x12").

Art: Claire de Lune.

Claire de Lune coffee shop (Pen and watercolor on paper. 5.5x8").



I drew this while sitting at one of my favorite local coffee shops, Claire de Lune. I used a fountain pen with non-waterproof ink and a wet brush to create the blue/black bleeding ink effect. I relied on watercolor to add green to the plants on the left.

Art: Erica.

Erica (watercolor on paper. 6.5x11.5"). Figure drawing.



Close-up....

Art: Ashley.

Ashley (Pencil on paper. 2.5x6.5"). Figure drawing.

Art: Kristin.

Kristin (Conte pencil on newsprint. 18x24"). Figure drawing.

Art: Erin.

Erin (Conte pencil on newsprint. 18x24"). Figure drawing.