I braved another day of sketching with the intention to sketch people in a crowded place.
There were few people in today — what? — Saturday in Portland?

This post is a big deal for me because I am posting what I don’t like,
my ugly children.  I love them because they are part of my process but really, I don’t think most of what I did today was good.  So why post?  Everyone always posts the sketches
they LIKE and that is intimidating to people who are trying and falling short of
what they see in their head.  I am still struggling with watercolors and the only
way to get through it is to DO it — and this is one of those
really-really-really didn’t like my attempts but oh well. . . I tried, and THAT is the point!

I started with two sketches to loosen up, one of the couple sitting in front of me (the man kept eyeing me as I eyed him, geesh) and the second of my smoothie and tea.
Both took only a few minutes each; I was in the tearoom one hour total.

My overall sketch of the counter
was fine (image taken from a
slightly different angle),
done quickly with the idea that watercolors would carry the
depth and detail.  I was looking
for outline, shapes, not bold lines;
frankly I am very good with
line-workand trying to loosen up
and let the watercolor have a great influence over what is portrayed.

This is where things went terribly wrong, above.

That is to say, what I see in my mind’s eye, what I want to do on the paper,
are two very different images from what happened.  It looks overworked but it wasn’t overworked — meaning I didn’t keep coming in and trying to “fix’ anything.
Still somehow, it looks to me like a coloring book!
I still have not got the watercolor techniques down to what I see in my mind’s eye.

And therein lies the rub.  For lots of people this is a good watercolor sketch but it is not what I wanted -sigh- SO, this means I don’t give up but try again, same tearoom, same view or close to it, and see if I can loosen up sufficiently to do what I want.

Then I made a shift and tried three quick details before I left.
I was looking for a win here!
No set-up, just a fast sketch.  I am happy with the two above;
the Standing Buddha at the end of the hall (seen in the first image),
not so much, due to the watercolor techniques again.

Drawn in an Strathmore Mixed Media journal with watercolor pencils,
various pens including the Platinum Carbon Pen + ink, and with De Artramentis Document ink (black), and Daniel Smith / QoR watercolors.

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