Last weekend Julia and I joined some friends to sketch from the roof of their flat. Kim & Randy live over by Japantown and the view from the top of their building is stunning. There was so much to choose from to draw, that I decided to simply attempt to sketch as much as I could.
We were expecting a foggy day and I dressed in flannel, but as more of more of Kim’s pals showed up for a rooftop sketch-posse it turned out to be bright sunny and HOT. After I spent a few hours blocking in the basic composition with pencil and watercolour, and trying my best to finish it all on site, Julia & I eventually had to skedaddle to get out of the sun and beat the heat.
After a pleasant lunch on nearby Filmore Street (a burger) we went home and I finished the the last 20% of this watercolour (of the Buchanan & Pine streets intersection) from a photo.
It really turned out great! Makes me want to try to sketch bigger scenes. you are brave!
It’s just that I can’t decide, and that I like a gesture of THE LOT. Trouble with that view was that it was a 180 degree experience so I only got half of it at best.
and we were joking of the dude who draws the 360 view….
Lovely and inspiring!
Thank you!
The only color is the trees. Cool!
Hey Jamie i just thought of you…..I’m eating KIMCHI and it’s burning my mouth……
Took me a while to get used to that stuff but I love it now.
Nice goin!
Thanks Richard. We are hoping to get back into location sketching again. Want to join us sometime?
Would love to! However, my vision is impaired and getting around takes some major planning. These bones have gotten old enough to protest and complain often! Nice thought, though! Paint on!!
I hear you Richard. I’ll have a bone to pick with the design-team for the human body, if I ever meet them.
Lovely! Judging by the pov you’re the sun worshipper in the red shirt?
Yeah, red FLANNEL shirt. I did not dress appropriately for a hot day.
that’s the thing in SF – it can be 30 degrees hotter or colder than expected!
Such a lovely sketch. I love the colours.
And well done on sitting so close to the edge! :0
Yeah, I thought that the epic vista needed some foreground for contrast (plus those big foreground shapes meant less fiddly detail to draw!)
It’s beautiful, Jamie! Really lovely.
Thanks Michael! It was just a bunch of amorphous blobs right up until the last few minutes or so, but with just enough detail here and there it finally came together.
Great picture!!!
Thanks Sean. We’ve been trying to do more location sketching lately.
Sincerely hope that you & I can sketch together again someday!
That would be awesome!!!
Very good soft touch feeling.
Thanks, Hiro.