sketchingspirit

Yellowstone Association Summer 2013 Workshop

I will be returning to the Yellowstone Association Institute as an instructor this summer. My course "Capturing the Landscape in Your Travel Sketchbook" is open for registration now. It will be a two and a half day workshop July 3 through July 5, 2013.

My course will take place in beautiful Lamar Valley as we learn travel sketchbook techniques along with a crash course in watercolor! Our time will be spent outdoors with site-based lectures and demonstrations along with plenty of drawing time. At the end of the experience, you will return home with a highly personal, visual journal that will help you remember details of sights and experiences that you might have missed or forgotten otherwise. 

Find out more at the Yellowstone Association Institute official website, visit the course page, download a PDF or call 406-848-2400 for more information or to register.

Detail of CNM Visitor Center

A detail of the Colorado National Monument Visitor Center sketch from last fall. I love these classic buildings from the Mission 66 project. I hope the really cool ones are preserved for our history.

Visitor Center at the Colorado National Monument

A sketch looking east back towards the visitor center at the Colorado National Monument created last fall.

Colorado National Monument Wall of Trees

Another sketch from last fall done at the Colorado National Monument of the wall face across the street from the visitor center.

The Grand Old Lady, Yellowstone National Park

The entire view of the Grand Old Lady last month as I sat on a bench next to Old Faithful Geyser. I have done this view before in my sketchbook, but this time I completed the entire landscape (sky and all) with watercolors. I don't usually paint the sky in my drawings, but this day the sky was full of ominous clouds and I decided to include it in this one.

Another View of the Grand Old Lady

This was my view on a beautiful September morning last month as I sat on a bench next to Old Faithful geyser. I have drawn this view before except this time you can see the Inn's newly reconstructed chimney. The chimney was removed after damage it suffered during the August 17, 1959 earthquake and this summer it was restored back to Mr. Reamer's intended vision. 

Today is closing day for the The Grand Old Lady this year and she will sleep this winter while waiting for new visitors next spring.

Sheepeater Cliff Picnic Area

The whole view of my demo done on the second day of my Yellowstone Association Institute course last month. We spent much of the day at this wonderful picnic area, sketching, painting and enjoying the beautiful fall colors, landscape and the wildlife too! 

Sheepeater Cliff Picnic Area • i

Look for the rock right in the middle of the river and that is where a black bear crossed the river while I spent the day at this location sketching with my class.

Sheepeater Cliff Picnic Area • ii

This detail is from my third demo on the second day of my recent Yelllowstone Association Institute workshop. The view looking east at the Sheepeater Cliff Picnic Area.

Mammoth Hotspring Terraces

This terrace view is at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. The haze in the park really made for interesting colors and I liked how I resolved the distant mountain in this sketch. I drew it in pencil and then painted it right under the pencil mark (without touching the pencil mark) and then erased the pencil line when it dried. Devils thumb is the gray feature on the left side of the spread.