Archive for March, 2008

Monterey Sketchbook, Part Three March 12th, 2008

Out and About

Continued from: Monterey Sketchbook, Part Two

Pacific Grove, Coast (larger)

I finished up the Monterey/Pacific Grove trip on a brisk day with a couple of outdoor sketches. There is a fantastic walking path along the coast with inspiring views at every turn. I took a refreshing walk from Pacific Grove to Monterey and back, and did a sketch at each end of the route.

Monterey Aquarium (larger)

Monterey Sketchbook, Part Two March 9th, 2008

Sketching at the Aquarium

Continued from: Monterey Sketchbook, Part One

Kelp Forest (larger)

Giant Tree Frog (larger)

Sea Otters (larger)

Our sketching adventures continued with more exotic subjects at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. You can’t miss the aquarium’s signature 28 foot tall Kelp Forest tank. And we found these frogs that looked exactly like they were made out of vinyl, except that they moved, so they’re not. The adorable and comical Sea Otters are a favorite of mine, and of everyone else’s too: the exhibit was packed all day.

I was most intrigued by the Giant Octopus, glued to the glass of his aquarium: he seemed to know that was his most impressive view. I was able to get a photo of him and ink in a sketch as well, which I painted later that day. It came out rather abstractly, but I like it.

Sketch, Giant Octopus (larger)

Photo, Giant Octopus (larger)

Monterey Sketchbook, Part One March 3rd, 2008

Jellyfish!

Last month I went on a weekend trip to the Monterey/Pacific Grove area with some friends, including my sketch buddy Lisa. It’s a beautiful coastal area about a two hour drive south of San Francisco. Although it rained heavily off and on, we somehow managed to get our activities in between bouts.

Sea Nettle Jellyfish (larger)

Lisa and I found time to do quite a bit of sketching. The first day we visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a fantastic place with an amazing display of jellyfish in every shape, size, and color. As you can see, the displays are beautifully lit. But the rooms are dark, which made sketching a bit tricky!

Photo, At the Aquarium (larger)

Having spent the morning drawing our sketches, we spent a lovely and relaxing afternoon at the cozy Works Cafe in Pacific Grove with another buddy, Deborah, painting and chatting and relaxing as the rain came down outside.