Play Structure

This is the play structure that my kids play on at Del Mar Park.  They love this and have even gotten me to go down the big slide.  The whole structure is 3 stories tall.  It has 4 slides, a marble maze, benches, climbing wall, tunnel and probably more that I can't remember.

Well, its just a sketch but was fun to sit and draw, then fun to paint.  enjoy.

Cotchett Education Building

This is the Cotchett Education Building on Cal Poly's campus.  In the foreground you can just see the word Design, which is on the Architecture Building.  Expect to see a picture or two of that building in the coming weeks.

I love the way the trees turned out on this picture.  They look like they have movement and life too them.  I also like the purple plants in the planter in front of the word design.  

In judging this one I think I should have made the shadows on the building darker. I think that would have given more definition to the building.  Also, I think I am gonna start to draw in pen so that I can get leaves on the trees.  As you can see I have loose drawings underneath the paint.  Drawing it this way allows me to have a general shape to the tree, but not get bogged down with a "tree" shape so that I can then just put the color on and let the tree become a tree.    Hope you all enjoy this.

Gus's Grocery

Ok, I will admit, Gus's isn't in Morro Bay, it's in San Luis, but its an institution and everyone knows it.  I had to give it a try.  Incidentally, if you want a great sub, Gus's is the place to go.

Some good and some bad on this one, just like the rest.  Seeing the scanned image, i can tell my perspective is still off a bit, but I don't think it really takes away from the picture all that much.  Some good coloring on the trees, and a bit ont he brick on the front of the store.  The stucco, I feel like I am having trouble with.  Soooooooooooooo many of the building here are all stucco, and if you know me, you know that i think stucco is like the laziest way to finish a building.  It rarely ever looks good.  Maybe I feel I am having a little trouble painting it because of the way I feel about it.    After painting the Bayside, I was told that if I made the windows totally dark, or black, that they would be much more dramatic.  I have to say, That was some good advice.  Well, I hope you all enjoy the painting.

Play Structure

So last Saturday I took the kids to the park.  If you've never been to Del Mar Park, they have this huge play structure.  The kids love to climb it and slide down the giant green slide.  Well, this Saturday there were a lot of kids there, and good ole dad didn't have to climb and play with them nearly as much, allowing me the opportunity to draw for a bit.  It really took about an hour to draw this, but I think it was worth it.

I didn't paint it until I got home.  Once at home, D got in the tub and Olivia helped me paint.  I would paint a tiny little section, and Olivia would ask, "Can I see it, dad?"  After I would show it to her she would say something like, "You're doing great, dad." or "I'ts really looking good, dad."  She really is amazing for only being 3.  Oh, and it took me a long time to paint it.

Hope you enjoy it.

Around Campus

This first picture is of my building, but not an entrance for my department.  The wheel on the bicycle rack has been there for about a year and a half.  I don't know if its ever gonna be removed at this point.

This picture is of the very top of our library.  OK, its not the most exciting in the world, but it looks a lot better than the unfinished concrete box that it is.  The greenery in the bottom of the picture is from the tops of trees in front of the library.






This picture is the back side of the taco stand that I described wanting to paint in a previous post.  I still wanna do one from the front of the stand, but this one is nice too.

Beach House on the Moon (well, maybe the beach)

Watercolor 9 x 12.  This Painting for sale.

Trying to do the stylized method on this picture just like on yesterdays bird.  Putting the darkest part of the sky at the horizon and the darkest part of the ground at the horizon line is supposed to make whatever sits along that line really pop out.  It certainly did with the bird yesterday, today, not quite as much, but i probably didn't make the sky quite as dark as I should have.    I tried to blend and lighten the green as it came down the beach toward the viewer, the ad som mounding and beach grass.  Seeing this painting scanned in, it looks a little too grey for my taste.  I wish I could would have noticed it while i was painting.  I guess that will come with experience.    Also the outlining is purposely done very loosely.  I didn't want to do an exact outline of every shape.  This style gives you indications of where the lines should de, and allows your eye or mind to fill in what it thinks should be there.  Hope you enjoy.

Tuesday Lunch

Alright, today I felt a bit rushed painting .  I still think my door turned out pretty well.  I think I am headed in the right direction with the stonework.  Maybe I should stay with that instead of the stucco like the building in the lower picture.

Hope you all enjoy these.

Monday Lunch

Two pictures today at lunch.  They are part of my effort to paint a little more quickly.  From blank paper to two finished paintings in under 1 hour.  I think that is not too bad.

The top picture i think is a little better than the bottom.  I'm trying to work on perspective.  Not all the lines are exactly right on the picture, but I'm getting there.

On the bottom picture, i started painting and then thought to myself, the whole picture is awfully grey.  Then I had to figure out what to do to remedy it.  I don't know that this is my best effort.

Expect to see more doorways posted here.  I've tried to paint some before, and feel like I need to paint some more now.  Probably will be working on it for the next week or so.

Staircase - Work in Progress

There will be additional details painted on this picture as it is a work in progress, but can you just imagine this as a staircase in some old european town?  I know I can (especially since I saw the picture it came from).  White stucco walls with a little moss growing on them, and even more moss growing on the steps themselves.

Actually, Im just glad that the staircase looks as though it is coming forward and not completely flat.  Ive got some plans to put some foliage in the foreground and maybe on the landing.

Enjoy.  I hope to have more up on Monday.