The 2 afternoons I spent at Descanso Gardens, simply north of LA are one of many highlights of my yr. If the identify sounds acquainted, it’s since you’ve seen these gardens within the work of Virginia Hein and Brenda Swenson. So it appeared kinda good that I acquired to hang around and sketch with them each on the gardens.

On my first afternoon, Virginia met me with a wagon filled with provides for us to experiment with. I couldn’t have requested for a greater deal with!

We unfold or dropcloth and provides by slightly grove of bushes, ( no minimal sketching equipment that day!) made an enormous mess, and some painted backgrounds. Finally, I sketched this over one in every of them.

And this one over one other simply earlier than the solar went down.

On the second afternoon, Brenda joined us as we sat by this beautiful little bridge, loved one another’s firm and sketched. I’m so glad the 2 of them have been round as I slowly eeked the piece under out of one of many coloured backgrounds: it was a protracted course of and I usually felt prefer it had gotten away from me. In the event that they hadn’t been round to inform me they may see the piece rising, I might need deserted it midway by. (sure, the brilliant coloured sheet of paper on the left is what I sketched on)

Right here’s a more in-depth take a look at that piece.

There’s approach an excessive amount of blended media used right here to listing all of it, however I do keep in mind Brusho powder, gouache, coloured pencils, and Neocolor II crayons being concerned.

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I used to be in LA to show a few classes of a people-sketching workshop, which I at all times get pleasure from. And the unique farmers’ market was the right spot to show at.

And I ended my journey with a morning sketchmeet with USk LA earlier than heading again residence.

That was simply SUCH a wonderful journey, that I’m going to need o repeat the expertise in 2024!