All posts in Sketch Notes

James Gurney’s environmental portraits of Jurassic inhabitants are amazing examples of paleo-art. Here’s a gouache study based on his “T.Rex/Watering Hole” piece from Dinotopia. Seeing him speak about his methods is a treat too—he built makeshift structures to get the right angles for his models (as if they were atop a saurapod).

In a decades-old notebook, I found this small sketch of Mr. Disotell, an elementary school science teacher. Sketches of teachers and professors will likely be much more memorable to the artist than any of the notes you take in their classes; plus they make great models since you see them from many angles on a daily basis.

Had a great time at today’s meetup group event. Here’s several sketchers drinking coffee while capturing Encinitas imagery.

Make amoebas from the dredges of your tea cup!

Sketching from life size sculpts is great practice. Only the light moves. Look for typical exaggerations in anatomy (extremely large hands, heads) that the sculptor uses to make the subject look more dramatic.

Quick sketches of artist Faith, an unsuspecting coffee drinker at Cafe Ipé, and a pastel artist at work in Montmartre.

Spinosaurus was one fascinating predator. Only recently discovered, and estimated at up to 18m long! What were the spines for; did they act as a sail, store fat, mating display, or heat dissipation?

Sketch project for Art in Nature session at Lux Art Institute, using separate paper to distinguish the visible part of the cactus from its roots. During heavy rainfalls, some cactus can jettison small roots to limit water absorption.

Airline passengers can be excellent study subjects, as they’re often still for long periods of time.

Quick color study for stage musical set. Pen + digital.