In San Jose California, where I live, it’s always like this: warm, almost hot, at the start of November. And then just like that one day, the trees are gorgeous colors and the air is crisp. A couple of days later the cold rain and wind arrive and all the leaves fall off the trees. From summer to rainy winter with the barest hint of glorious fall colors.
I didn’t get out on a hike during that brief colorful period, so all my sketches are urban fall colors. This one is in the parking lot outside Trader Joe’s. Color first, and then some line work in water-soluble graphite pencil.
I started out wanting to do some people-sketching at my local coffee shop, but when I looked up and all I saw were these colors.
What followed is a bunch of quick little color vignettes until the light faded.
Fresh, wet, delicious colors at full intensity on paper.
I can never resist that.
Sketch Away: Travels with my sketchbook 
I really appreciated this post. I am also in San Jose, but am recently back from a year overseas. That’s where I took up sketching, and found so many things I wanted to capture. I’ve been having trouble feeling inspired to sketch here–somehow home is always less interesting–and this post provided some encouragement.
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Sketching at home, around is always harder than being away. I find that looking at the everyday little stuff as if it’s new helps. Suddenly the mundane grocery store trip is a chance to paint fall colors from the parking lot ( assuming you make the extra 15 minutes in your schedule to make it happen). Good luck, and come join the South Bay Sketchers on a sketch day some day.
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Oh, I would love to. I’ve just looked it up and found the meetup… I’ll sign up!
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Lovely colours on the trees ☺👏
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Quick rich color drawing and painting with the brush; very well done!
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… and sketching around all of the “normal” places of our lives is SO fun … love that.
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I love your paintings. Watercolor is such a tricky medium and you craft it so well. -Rebecca
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I linked to your page this week as a travel blogger I recommend. : )
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beautiful pictures! I live near SJ as well & you captured the essence of our Autumn winters hehe- it’s so funny to me how autumn really happens late into November!
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Nice sketches of fall, it was -10C here last night and although there is just a dusting of snow, it is definitely winter now, and I am envious of you in California where it never gets unbearably cold.
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