Today I went to Central Park in Woodbury with a friend to sketch and study perspective. I chose to sketch these steps because I liked the rough texture, the lamps, the boulders around them, and the green plants surrounding their edges. I sat in a bench in the sunlight, listening to the indoor waterfall, and pretended I was in a warm tropical location. You can sometimes trick your mind, if only for a few minutes. A crying little boy walked in front of me, his eyes red with tears. Moments later, an older woman (his grandma, I presume) with a stroller came slowly walking in front of me too. I think she was following him.
I am trying to “loosen up” my sketches, so I started with watercolor drawing first (brush), filled in areas with washes, then started inking areas in. No pencil this time. Then I slowly built layers of darks and pushed values deeper. However, I felt I lost the loose quality I was hoping for. But I still like the sketch, and it was a wonderful respite from the subzero temps that were waiting for me outside!