I just got back from a short trip to Cozumel, Mexico (to Boston, approximately 60 degrees colder!). I’d never been to Mexico, and while Cozumel is more a tourist island than a cultural destination, it was still fascinating. We went horseback riding and snorkeling, and saw a lot of sunsets. Below are a few of my photos; see more on Flickr.
I also did a lot of sketching while I was there. I started out using mostly pencil like before, but eventually found a more optimal process with a thin pen, light grey marker and white China marker. It gives the tonal range that I would get from using a soft pencil and eraser, but it’s even faster, and (most importantly) it doesn’t smudge!
Smudgy pencil on the upper left vs pen/marker technique. I can’t wait to try this with more things!
Trying other ways to use pen. Palm trees are hard because they have an overall texture; there’s no real tonal difference to latch onto.
Pen, light grey marker and white China marker on pink index card. I like starting with mid-toned paper so I can go both lighter and darker in tone. Sometimes it’s really the highlights that define the form (which is why I loved drawing with eraser so much)
Friends playing a card game. Basically, it’s just fun to draw. I also like the line quality that I get when I keep the pen moving as much as possible. It’s still hard drawing people who are constantly moving, but at least I feel like I’ve gotten something interesting out of it.