Warmup 11/21- Starbucks People

These were drawn with two possibly-conflicting goals... more attention to likeness, and more effort into stylization.

Downtown Starbucks, customers in line and at tables

Warmup 11/20- Black Sweatshirts

I drew these two waiting for some film to be developed. This is based on a quick gesture, and then I filled in a lot of the detail from memory/imagination... so it probably doesn't look much like them :)





Horton Plaza Mall, shoppers

Warmup 11/19- JJ Drawing

JJ and I went out to write and draw on Saturday, and I drew this sketch of her, drawing in her sketchbook.





JJ at Horton Plaza

Warmup 11/17- People at the Courthouse

Spent about a half hour outside the courthouse building drawing people today. Turns out to be a great spot, there's a long line and a cool variety of people getting in, and they're all way too intent on what they're there for to notice you're sketching them. Yes, I did see a woman with an afro that big.

30 min., San Diego Courthouse

Warmup 11/16- Mantis

I've been doing a lot of car sketches recently, not sure if it's an official effort to practice autos, but I have found a lot of cool ones to draw from a big bargain book 'encyclopedia' I picked up. This one is based off a Marcos Mantis.

Marcos Mantis from The World Encyclopedia of Cars

Warmup Sketch 11/15- Gorilla

Trying to get some work done on a ape-themed illustration, which inspired this research sketch-- although I think the final piece's going to be less 'accurate'. I probably do about half of my warm-ups from books in order to get to draw things that I wouldn't come across on the street.

Silverback mountain gorilla from Encyclopedia of Mammals

Warmup 11/14- Skylight

I guess I should've put up something a little more entertaining for my first real daily post, but this is what I found inspiring today. I visited a coffee shop down the street that I had never been to before, and they had this skylight and grating in their seating area. Thought it would be a challenge to draw in all the bars and the windows behind.

Dropped in a little color in Photoshop to make this a little more interesting and show some of the depth. These days the easier solution would really be to draw the skylight and the grate seperately and compose them digitally...


Just over 15 minutes, The Old Gallery Coffee House in San Diego.