USk Symposium in Chicago!

Last week, I attended my first Urban Sketcher's Symposium in Chicago and it was every bit as amazing as I hoped it would be! I was in heaven amongst the 570+ like minded sketchers in Chicago and seeing and meeting so many of the amazing artists and teachers that I have been lucky enough to take online (and in person) or follow online: Paul Heaston, Liz Steel, Suhita Shirodkar, James Richardson, Lynne Chapman, Marc Holmes, Anne-Laure Jacquart, Marion Rivolier, LK Bing, Uma Kelkar, Jane Blundell, Shari Blaukopf, Lapin, Jason Das, Stephanie Bower, Nina Johansson, and Paul Wang.

Todd and I lived in Chicago for a few years over 20 years ago and while Chicago was familiar, it was also very changed. I loved trying to draw/paint all the skyscrapers and all the public art spaces that have been added. Todd came along and had full days to himself while I participated in sketch crawls and workshops. Each day was so busy and fun! I plan to blog in detail about each of the workshops I took (Marc Holmes' Watercolor Silhouettes; LK Bing's Spontaneous Creation Of Dramatic Atmosphere; Marion Rivolier's How To Reach The Sky?; and Liz Steel's Lost And Found Structure; as well as Stephanie Bower's Watery Reflections demo) - so, stay tuned!.

In the meantime, here are some of my early sketches from the trip and some photos from the Symposium.

Sketching while camping near Stinson Beach

We were lucky enough to get a prime camping spot at Steep Ravine near Stinson Beach. This place is amazing. We've been many times before, but we have to book 6 months prior on the 1st of each month at 8am on the dot. And even then, weekends are almost impossible to get.

So, we were camping mid-week at this beautiful location with hardly any other people around. We saw dolphins, pelicans, brush rabbits, a seal, star fish, anemones, hermit crabs, and so much more!

Best of all, I got to sketch a lot! Here are my sketches and some photos of my new portable easel in use.

The fog created some interesting textures in the sky and ocean!

Sketching at the beach by the cabins.

Sketching at the tide pools at low tide this morning.

Point Richmond Sketches

Another day out at Point Richmond while Chloe is at ATDP. In previous years, I will spend the hours while she is in class at the local Starbucks. This year, I am using every precious minute to sketch! Needless to say, I am enjoying my time in Point Richmond much more this year!!

Today, I remembered my chair and sat out on the Richmond shoreline sketching the San Francisco skyline shrouded in fog. Good thing, I took some photos as the sky changed dramatically during my sketch.

I started with a couple of value/composition sketches.

But, I decided I liked this second thumbnail better with more foreground elements included.

Here is my finished piece.

I am happy with my new brushes (a Rosemary & Co. Roger Jones size 12 sable, a Rosemary & Co. size 7 squirrel mop, and an Escoda Versatil size 16 synthetic sable) and the techniques I learned from Shari Blaukopf's Sketching Landscapes Craftsy class! I finally have a sky with no unintentional water blooms!

Next, I went back to Kaleidoscope Coffee and sketched the back of the coffeehouse. Here was my view.

I used Steven Reddy's techniques from his Sketching Interiors Craftsy class to arrive at this sketch that I'm pretty happy with:

Which do you prefer? Interiors or landscapes?