Sketchbook Sunday & A Paddle on the Pond

Hi friends, Today for sketchbook Sunday I have a beachy (kind of) themed sketch. A mason jar of seashells:

I really didn’t know what I was going to work on. I’ve been in a funk but I had this jar of shells on a shelf in my studio for years and I thought that this is as good as anything and I also wanted to use my PanPastels so I decided to use them both.

I hope you enjoyed the time lapse video. The real-time tutorial is available in Critique Club right now. Critique club is a monthly membership group ($5/month) that allows you to submit 2 paintings a month for customized feedback from me. You also get 2 real-time tutorials each month from my Sketchbook Sunday series explained step by step.

Supplies:

• Pan Pastels & Applicators
• Toned Grey Sketchbook

If you want to learn more about pastels check out my comprehensive online course Soft Pastels for Beginners. *Save 20% with coupon code TRYME Working with pastels is so fun, if you ever wanted to give it a try but you don’t know where to start this is the class for you! You learn the basics and create 4 complete paintings utilizing the skills and techniques I teach you. It’s a lot of fun too! I hope to see you in class!

I went for my first paddle of the season today…

Wait, let me back up a bit.  I ordered a stand-up paddleboard a month ago because I always wanted one and I thought it would be easier to take that out than a kayak when I want to get on the water. I don’t like to inconvenience anyone to go with me because I often want to stop and paint and it can be boring for others. I knew the paddleboard was heavy (53 lbs) so I started doing some resistance training to build muscle so I would be able to lift it on and off my van to get it to the water. I knew I had plenty of time to “muscle up” before the weather was warm enough because we have been living in perpetual winter since October. I was sitting on the couch drinking my coffee this morning and decided I wanted to go kayaking. Much to my surprise I could now lift, load and manage the kayak all by myself! Also to my surprize, I could shove it in my minivan diagonally! I grabbed a paddle, my life jacket and off I went. It was so peaceful, I was the only person on the pond. I paddled out to an island that is uninhabited as far as I know and took some photos.

I was thinking about pulling up the kayak and getting out to paint when I spotted this:

So many questions! Whos is it, how long has it been there, why is it there? As curious as I was I have watched too many horror movies to know better than to hang around to find out so I high-tailed it out of there as fast as my arms could paddle! After feeling that I had narrowly escaped The Island of Dr Moreau I paused to watch a pair of fishing loons and paint the view towards a marsh that opens up to a larger lake.  I kept drifting and my view kept changing but all in all, I am happy with my sketch.

I used the Meeden watercolor fan palette that I hadn’t used since last summer and the water in that waterbrush sure was musty! I had just put it in the van because I wanted to make sure I always have something handy, I guess I should give that a good clean LOL! That’s all for me today. It’s been a rough winter so I don’t want to waste a single decent day. Don’t take your time on this earth for granted. Do something good today! Happy crafting!