Watercolors

Watercolor sketch of man at ferry terminal

Last week when I went to Seattle, I made a pencil sketch of a man waiting in line at the ferry terminal. Today I spent nearly the entire day trying to duplicate that sketch in watercolor, without using any pencil lines. I made 11 attempts, with this one being the best. I don’t understand why I can make a quick pencil sketch without any problem, but trying to make the same sketch in watercolor is a hundred times harder. Both versions are below.

Man at the ferry terminal
Man at ferry terminal – pencil sketch

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Copy of Carles Pellejero watercolor

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I found a watercolor by Carles Pellejero that I liked and made a copy of it. I like the looseness of it and the lost edges, especially where the bottom of the building merges into the street. The figures were merely suggestions but they read clearly.

Copy of Carlos Pellejero watercolor

I also made a watercolor of three guys on a road crew. A few weeks ago, I took a photo of them shoveling gravel out of a truck as it moved slowly along the shoulder. Uploaded this to 30x30directwatercolor on Facebook and IG. 30x30directwatercolor is an online group that paints a direct watercolor every day and shares it with the group. Direct watercolor means drawing directly with the brush, without pencil lines. It’s a great way to improve your watercolor skills.

Road crew

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Lookout at sunset

Pretty tired after a long hike yesterday, so I spent this afternoon in the studio working on a watercolor of a photo I found on Instagram. I experimented with mixing greens from various blues and yellows, but eventually came back to my tried and true combination: cobalt blue and quinacridone gold. I made two versions. I think I like the first one best (top photo).

I was trying to get a variety of cool greens and warm greens and get some interesting brush strokes. I used my small mop brush, which holds a lot of paint and makes interesting marks. I’m still learning how to use it.

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Georgetown neighborhood in Seattle

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I took the ferry to Seattle to join about 18 others from the Northwest Watercolor Society to paint the Georgetown neighborhood in Seattle. It’s a very old part of Seattle that was almost lost to industrialization but has been rejuvenated with an influx of bars, restaurants, and coffee shops. Very hip.

We gathered at All City Coffee at 9:30 and spread out to paint. I started with a lovely old building with arched windows and entries. Then I painted a quick sketch of All City Coffee. At noon we all gathered for the “throwdown”, where we laid out our paintings on the sidewalk for all to admire. I met several new friends. What fun!

All City Coffee

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Drift Inn

The Drift Inn is the oldest operating bar in Kitsap County, according the the white-haired gentleman outside who asked me what I was painting. He’s the brother of the owner. “I retired ten years ago and now I’m working harder than ever for my brother, for less pay,” he said.

I like the Drift Inn because it’s located on a short block of bars and cafes between the Bremerton ferry terminal and the Navy shipyard. So there’s always a lot of foot traffic on the sidewalk. It’s a bustling area.

I like the general feel of this painting with the shadows on either end and the figures on the sidewalk. I wish I had connected some of the figures together, because there were a lot of people walking in groups. Not bad for a morning’s work.

While I was painting, three young guys came over to see what I was doing. Two of them were black guys hanging out on the sidewalk, and one was an illustrator who works at the shipyard. I enjoyed talking with them.

After I got home, I painted it again without any pencil lines for #30x30directwatercolor2022.

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Fishing boat on the grid

For my contribution to the 30x30directwatercolor challenge, I painted this boat from a photo I took in Petersburg, Alaska, a couple of years ago.

Painting directly with the brush (no pencil lines) meant that my boat is a bit clumsy, but I’m pleased with the dark values below the boat and on the pilings. I used my mop brush to do this painting. It holds a lot of water and pigment, and it helps connect and unify the painting.

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Fishermen’s Terminal with PAWA

I joined other Plein Air Washington Artists at Fishermen’s Terminal in Seattle today. It involved getting up early and driving to Bainbridge Island, taking the ferry to Seattle, then the bus to Fishermen’s Terminal. I got there in plenty of time to meet other painters and start painting.

F/V Admiral

There are hundreds of boats to paint, with lots of colorful compositions available. I chose the Fishing Vessel Admiral and made a watercolor. Luckily I got it done quickly, because the boat moved shortly after I finished. Then I painted two seine skiffs moored between two larger vessels, but my painting was muddy and belabored.

Several of us ate lunch together in the terminal building breezeway, then I made another painting of a seine boat. I was tired by this time. I walked back to the bus stop, caught the bus to Seattle and the ferry terminal and got home in time for dinner. It was a good day of painting with painter friends.

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Homeless in Gorst

As I was leaving Port Orchard, I stopped at a wildlife viewing area near Gorst. It’s just a pulloff from the racetrack of Highway 16, but it provides access to the tideflats. I poked around but didn’t see any appealing subjects so I went back to the car. As I did, I caught a glimpse of a dog and a car in the trees. I figured it was a homeless camp, so I took a sketchbook and went over.

I found a woman sitting next to an old car with a big dog straining at the leash and barking menacingly. I waved to show I was harmless and she put the dog in the car. I introduced myself and said I’m an artist looking for something to draw. She said her name was Diane and she likes to draw cartoons, so we had something in common. We struck up a conversation. She was pretty cheerful considering she was homeless. I’d say she was probably about fifty, on disability and living in her car. She had her possessions hanging up and laying out in the sun to dry after days of rain. I asked if she was safe there and she shrugged.

I asked if I could draw her and she said no. But I persuaded her to sit like she was before and I sketched her in pencil from the back. I showed her the drawing and she was pleased. I asked how she was set for money, and she said she didn’t need anything, because she has her SSI check and people help her out. She gets a shower from a local church. I gave her $10 anyway.

When I got home, I made a watercolor from my pencil drawing.

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A day in Port Orchard

Port Orchard is a small town right on Sinclair Inlet. I imagine that in times past it was a charming waterfront community, with docks, marinas, boatyards, and lots and lots of boats. In recent years, the downtown area has fallen into neglect as businesses have moved away. The marinas are all gated and locked so they’re inaccessible to the public. The old boatyards are defunct because they don’t meet environmental guidelines. So there’s not as much for the painter to paint.

On Tuesday I spent the day prowling around the waterfront searching for good subjects to paint. I made 6 or 8 pencil sketches before deciding to paint an old shack on pilings. It’s surrounded by new development, but I guess they left it as a “picturesque” part of the past. Anyway, it’s a good subject.

shack

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