Sedona Sketch

Last week I attended a meditation retreat in Sedona.  I didn't have a lot of time, but I completed a quick pencil sketch of these beautiful rock formations one day while walking .  On the trip my friend Jodi gave me my birthday gift and guess what it was?... watercolors and colored pencils!  She had hand-squeezed the paint into a beautiful, flat paint bin and labeled each color!  She also gave me a great set of 36 Prismacolor pencils.  My previous set of colored pencils were from a Prang set I have owned since I was a child so it was definitely time to upgrade.

When I got home I worked from a photo to add color to my pencil sketch.  I have never combined watercolors and colored pencils so it was an interesting experience for me.  I fretted and fretted whether or not to go over the major lines at the end in ink.  I usually start with ink and add watercolor.  But in the end I liked the soft look of the rocks.

As you can see below I also experimented with adding salt.  You can barely see it in the blue sky, but it is there nonetheless.  In hindsight I would have made the sky darker blue but I didn't want to destroy the beautiful effect the salt had already made.  It is funny to see my reaction and difficulty in trying new methods.  I like to stick with what I know but sometimes the payoff can be so great if you find something you like.  For instance, I never even knew I liked watercolor until I took Amy Bogard's class - check it out if you are inclined.  It introduced me to a skill I will use the rest of my life!

“We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves,
or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing.”
-Charles Schaefer

Next time around I am going to try combining watercolor, colored pencils and ink but for now I am calling this one done.  Thank you Jodi for such an awesome gift!