Pelican, Not Pelican't

Today I decided to use my watercolor pencils and crayons.  It's been a LONG time since I have tried them so I didn't really know what would happen.  In fact, I was so confident in my failure, like last weeks pelican, i just used old scrap paper.  And this is what I cam up with.

Here in Morro Bay we have two landmarks.  One is of course Morro Rock.  The other are the smoke stacks on the power plant.  Many people think they are an eyesore, but must admit that they, along with the rock are the first things people think about when they think of Morro Bay landmarks.  I've done a few paintings with the stacks in them.  Personally, I think that they are so integral to Morro Bay's history that they should always stand.

I'm also trying to get back to painting birds.  I thought I could get a little practice with both.  I found I was really shocked to see the colors jump off the page after I go the pencil lines wet.  Its like the painting was revealing itself to me for the first time, going from something dull and flat, to something vibrant.  Ok, the sky in this picture is a bit terrible.   I didn't remember that I would get such bad texture marks from the crayons.  But I really like the way the front wing on the bird worked out. And I really like the way the bird and the roof joist are clearly in front of the rest of the roof and the stacks.  I don't think the angle is quite right, but thats a different issue.

At any rate, this was a hoot to do and really quick.  I think I'll end up doing more of these quick pencil/crayon painting/drawings.