Simple Watercolor Sketches

Sketching and painting from my photos hasn't been going well lately so after disgustedly  throwing another one in the waste basket I decided to try sketching without any reference material. I figure I'm almost 60 years old so there should there be something floating around in my head that I can pull out.

The first one I sketched was this Teddy bear sitting on a rug drinking a beer and eating snacks.  I went to bed thoroughly  bummed out after spending the evening trying to sketch an animal from one of my photos . While I was swearing  I would never try this crazy stuff again I picked up my sketchpad to do who knows what. I had no reference photo and I wasn't interested in drawing a blob of fur from one of our two dogs who were already curled up in a ball and fast asleep. In around 15 minutes I had drawn this very simple Teddy bear and the following morning I added the watercolor which really made it pop. Is it perfect?...not by a long shot. Teddy looks like he's tobogganing down a laminated wood floor and the mouse has been totally lost in the colorful carpet but overall I was pleased.

The next morning I decided to have my first cup of coffee in bed. After taking a couple sips I started thinking that maybe drawing in bed was the clue to being able to sketch something recognizable. I pulled out my sketchpad and tried another one. The watercolor was added later but this sketch only took about 15-20 minutes. Again, it wasn't perfect--the red paint from the comb bled into the hen's head and I didn't like the lines on the pumpkin-- but at least it looked like a chicken looking into a big squash.

I was on a roll so two days later I decided to try again. I was sitting in a recliner, not in bed, so I was skeptical I would be able to keep this going. My mind kept saying you can't do this so the first 10 minutes were agonizing but I kept trying and finally came up with my next sketch, also of a chicken.

 

These aren't great works of art but I'm finally having fun and I don't have to drag a mattress with me everywhere I go. I lightly sketched these drawings in with pencil, then went over that with a Micron ink pen before using the watercolor.