Sketched Tuesday, Feb. 1

During a talk to journalism students at Seattle University, I explained how I never use photographs as a reference for my drawings. Sketching from photographs has no appeal to me. The point of drawing on location is being in the environment, capturing what you see, and enjoying the process of making a picture from life.

However, sometimes I do give myself the license of touching up the color later. Or, like in this case, even doing all the color afterwards. It's not my preference, but sometimes I just don't have the time to do all the color on location.

When that happens, I try to add the washes as soon as I can. It's best not to let more than an hour of time go by between your ink drawing done on the spot (above) and your washes of watercolor added in the comfort of your studio. Otherwise, the mental image of the scene starts to fade and the colors are likely to be off.

The reflecting pool in front of the Chapel of St. Ignatius at Seattle University makes drawing this architectural gem a new experience every time. Wait twenty minutes and the scene could be completely different depending how the light hits the building. As long as I keep visiting SU, I think I will always try to do a sketch of the Chapel of St. Ignatius.

Lamy Safari and watercolor on cardboard cover pocket Moleskine cahier