Virtual Paintout - Tijuana!

I find the monthly Virtual Paintout is fun to participate in.  Bill Guffey choses the location from anywhere in the world that the Google Street View vehicles have covered.  I really enjoy seeing parts of the world that I'll never be able to visit.

For November 2016 Bill chose Tijuana, Mexico.  There is a spot I have visited briefly but that was a long long time ago.  I never did check what the street view offered of downtown Tijuana.  I looked along the coast and loved the many hilly inland neighborhoods.  I chose two colorful views to try in watercolor.

I have to add that while we were at the South Pasadena library painting the model who posed for us Something Different, the Google Street View car drove by.  I'll be checking to see how long it is until those images are posted.

5" x 7" Watercolor

5" x 7" Watercolor

Grevelia Street

A recent paint-out was at Garfield Park, our main South Pasadena park.  I had just been there a few months earlier with another group.  That time I painted Park Avenue in gouache.  When I painted that piece, just to the right across Grevelia Street, was another neighborhood view I liked.  This time I gave it a try in watercolor.  I included a car in the driveway.  It seems that with painting parked cars, they either move, or if there wasn't a parked car, one might soon park and block the view.  The one I was painting here soon moved but I always take a photo before starting to paint.  So nice to have an instant photo to refer to!

8" x 10" Watercolor

 

Something Different

It was a very different paint-out for me yesterday.  We had a well-known local model posing for the group outside at our local library.  It's been a long time since I tried painting a live model.  Maybe art school was the last time many years ago.  During the week I painted a couple practice pieces from magazine photos.  That didn't help me too much.  Marian wore a long dress, sat under the trees, and we had perfect weather.  She wanted to be in the shade so her face was in shadow, light was from behind her.  Maybe extra hard to paint...at least I thought so.   A photo of her to paint from later was an extra charge but I think these two small pieces are finished.  I would like to try this again sometime.      

7" x 5" Watercolor

7" x 5" Gouache

Construction~

The Saturday paint-out group met near the famous 1913 Colorado Street Bridge last week.  The street where we were had a great view of the bridge, a little different from our usual vantage points.  But, it turned out to be a busy morning and I didn't feel up to those many bridge arches which are always a challenge.  There is also a wonderful and unusual view of the famous 1920 Vista Del Arroyo Hotel.  Complicated I thought.  Right in front of me was an interesting vignette of some construction materials for a Habitat for Humanity project.  I gave it a try in gouache and had a fun morning with my painting friends.

7" x 5" Gouache

Colorado Street Bridge

Vista Del Arroyo Hotel

Carla's Backyard

An artist in one of the paint-out groups invited a friend, Carla, to paint with us one Friday.  She lived near our painting location and invited the group to paint in her backyard sometime.  We were thrilled with the invitation.  We're always looking for new and different places to paint.  So last Friday we met at Carla's home.  Such a pretty backyard with many possible views for a painting.  Carla has lots of potted plants, a lovely shaded patio, and two water features.  Of course I had a hard time deciding what to paint.  And watercolor or gouache?  Decisions.  I spotted a red umbrella over the fence in the yard next door.  There were some potted plants and nice dappled light for my foreground so I started a watercolor.  I thought I was safe from the sun under some umbrellas but ended up moving twice.  What a nice day of painting in Carla's backyard.

10" x 8" Watercolor

Nice view but it was shady when I started painting.

Love this but not colorful.

Virtual Paintout - Newfoundland!

Each month I really enjoy participating in the Virtual Paintout.  Bill Guffey chooses the monthly location anywhere in the world that Google Street View cameras have covered.  I find it fascinating to virtually visit so many places that I will never be able to see in person.

This month the location was the island of Newfoundland, Canada.  I was surprised that the largest city, St John's, had so many brightly painted historic homes built in the late 1800's.  Very beautiful and charming.  There were also so many great seascapes that I had a hard time deciding on my two views to paint.  And there is never enough time to see everything, just knowing something great is just around the corner!    

5" x 7" Watercolor

5" x 7" Watercolor