Big in front of Lella’s chicken coop in SW Harbor

I am trying to work outside my comfort zone. One of those places is sketching or drawing animals. It really started with thinking about what makes me happy, and of course, my dog Big came to mind pretty quickly. I needed some subject matter for #sketchbookskool, and thought, well, he is always right here with me and I have tons of photos of him. Nothing to lose by trying. I am super happy to discover that I enjoy drawing Big! I will keep doing sketches of him and maybe turn some into little paintings. Its kind of amazing the joy that it brings me to capture him on the page… very different than a lot of subjects. Somehow I feel more connected to the process and the completed sketch. I will keep trying.

The sketch below was done really quickly. I have a photo of this one to use for reference. I am thinking that it would make a nice watercolor try (this our next assignment for klass). I think it has potential, even though I am not really happy with the sketch. I like the composition, the shadow and he was really loving the wind!

Big at the beach