Hawaii - Part 1

We arrived late in the day, and after getting the shuttle to our hotel, checking in and having dinner, the sun had gone down. I only had time to do a few night sketches from our chairs on Waikiki Beach.

Interior Sketch

Here is a quick interior sketch done across two pages of a Canson Montval watercolor book. I used a water soluble pen and watercolor.

Two Quick Sketches from the Deck

These are two sketches done from our deck, while sitting in the lounge chair. This is a nice way to relax on a Saturday afternoon. 

Pasadena Home

Here are three studies and the final painting of a home in Pasadena. The study sketches were done in my Aquabee 6" x 9" Sketchbook. The final 14" x 20" painting was done on 140 lb. Arches hot press paper.

Study for a Large Abstract

I have a commission to a large abstract for a mid-century modern home in Pasadena. The final size for the piece is 60" x 80". In order to accomplish this, I had to come up with a logical work plan. The first step was to do a series of small 5" x 7" studies, of which I selected one to develop further. 

This painting is the 11.5" x 14" detailed study that I will use to guide the final painting. It is done on a piece of 300 lb. Canson cold press watercolor paper. I coated it with gesso and painted it with acrylic, using brushes, a palette knife, and my fingers to get the texture I liked. I added line work with pencil and pastel, and stenciled some copy with a fine point pencil.

Hotel del Coronado

This is a watercolor of the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. This was a challenging project due to the vast amount of architectural detail in the building. I struggled with the composition until I explored the use of white space and the idea of a partial vignette. 

I tried one final painting on cold press, which failed. This one was done on Arches hot press and I forced myself to use a light touch with the brush. This allowed the painting to breath and suggests a bright summer day with glowing colors. The final painting is 14" x 20".

View from Redwood House

Hillside houses and trees in the San Rafael Hills of Pasadena, California.

Pen and watercolor on Fabriano watercolor paper.