Disneyland

Here are my sketches from 2 days in Disneyland: my first trip ever. If you are a Disneyland fan, I hope these recall many fun experiences you’ve had. And if you’re like me and never did enjoy rides ( but end up going because the kids love it so much), maybe you can sketch next time? There is no shortage of stuff to draw.

Main Street was all decked up with fall colors and pumpkins. Here’s a giant ‘Mickey Pumpkin’ that everyone wanted photographs in front of.

And  here is the iconic Castle at the other end of Main Street. It was smaller than I expected it to be. Infact, everything in Disneyland was smaller than I thought it would be, and  perhaps that was a part of it’s charm?

And then there were the rides: Matterhorn, Splash Mountain, and the Astro Orbiter and a quaint-looking treehouse.

My favorite part was people-watching (and people-sketching), and there was so much time to do that as we stood in line after line. Where else do you see grown women wear SUCH an assortment of mouse ears? I don’t know who was more amused though: me at the mouse ears, or them at me shuffling forward in lines, all while sketching furiously.

I tried drawing at the parade, but with the mad mix of crowds, semi-darkness, floats and dancers passing by so quickly and the over-the-top costumes, all I ended up with this assortment of squiggles that captures the energy of the parade, but none of the actual stuff. Still, here it is:

A whole bunch of little kids gathered around this man blowing bubbles. He stood right in front of the entrance to the super-popular Space Mountain ride. I loved what he said: “Right behind me is a $10 million ride. And what do these kids want? Bubbles!”

This marching band started playing just as I was wondering what I would sketch next. A 20 minute session was perfect for a quick little sketch, and then another study thrown in…And yes, more ladies in mouse ears. You can never tire of those.