"On the road" sketching

These sketches were done while travelling between Sicamous B.C. and Calgary Alberta. It was a challenge in the bumpy car and the vehicles I was drawing were not in sight for long. It also helped pass the time as it was snowing and made my mind concentrate on something other than the slippery road and yes, I was NOT driving. My husband got us home safe and sound. You can see not all the ink (no pencil) sketches were completed but that was what I was expecting with the moving traffic.

Holiday memories in sketch book - UK

My husband Gord and I flew to London and were greeted by our friends Lucy and Barbara. We enjoyed a fabulous day in Brighton and enjoyed the seaside. Barbara had a bag of 2 pence pieces so we ran around playing the 2 p machines on the Brighton wharf. Lucy and I scoured machines for dropped 2p coins so our playing lasted a lot longer (so much fun). We were gifted with British things we love - English Ale, Harry Potter earrings (to go with my socks), beer opener, and Percy pigs candy. The next day we took a bus to Kingston Upon Thames with Barbara and Lucy and thoroughly enjoyed shopping at Primark (everyone came home with something), lunch on an outdoor deck by the Thames, back to their house for tapas in their garden, dinner inside and back to our hotel (whew those days flew by). This is the first page of my journal, crowded and busy as our time there was.

This is a drawing I did in one continuous ink line on the flight over. Even the writing was one continuous line. Much easier to look at people's feet not their heads (so they don't keep turning to look at who is looking at them!). A great way to pass time.

Travel Sketches in Rincon de Guayabitos, Mexico

 While waiting for our bus in Melaque to go to Rincon de Guayabitos I took out my trusty travel sketch book and worked on what I was looking at in the room. I tried not to pay to much attention to the person across from me as whenever I looked at her, she looked back. The top drawing is done with an ink pen only (no chance to erase).

The sketch on the right in done in ink pen and then watercolour added to it. Some of the homes are painted very brightly and seem to layer up on each other all the way up the hill. The view is from one of the decks in Gord's sister Leslie and Carl's winter hideaway in Rincon de Guayabitos.

Finished Sketch Book

 I finally finished the sketch book that I have been hauling around with me. I just had foot surgery so a lot of the sketches were done while waiting in doctor's offices or labs. I am especially happy to start a new one as the old one was thin paper and if I used water colour it all curled up and I could not blend any of the colours. When I was in Mexico I was shown how to break water colour paper up and put a plastic cover and round bindings on it so I have no excuses now. I made 3 small ones so it would not take me forever to fill one and I could easily carry it with me...my Mexican souveniers.

 These sketches were done while travelling in the car from Sicamous B.C. to Calgary Alberta through the Rocky Mountains. Hard to sketch in the moving car but when you are not worried about the end result, you really look at the quickly passing scenery.

Breakfast beach view and sketching

I sketched this view before and after breakfast from the Stephanie Villa restaurant, beach side. The beach was really filling up and the colourful umbrellas were everywhere. The surf was picking up as well so there was a real feeling of a lot of movement. We have never gone away over Christmas and this is sooooo much fun with all the busyness and people enjoying themselves in Rincon de Guayabitos, Mexico.

Leslie (Gord's sister) and Carl have rented the top
apartment in Calle Gar4denias #9 in Rincon de Guayabitos and they have very generously shared it with us from Dec 25 until Dec 30. It is a few blocks from the beach and is a wonderful reprieve from the celebratory beach busyness. I sat at the end of the pool and sketched then painted the sketch with water colour pencils, what a glorious way to spend some quiet time!

I was sitting on the beach sketching when I looked up and a young vendor was intensely watching me. Gord asked him his name and age and we learned Ricardo was 8. He was so engrossed in what I was doing that I just kept sketching. I showed him my other drawings in my book and he seemed very pleased. Next time I come I will bring pencil crayons and colouring books to share!