Tag: urban sketching

Who doesn’t love dollar day at the racetrack? This past Monday at Turf Paradise, admission, hot dogs, and soda were all a buck. I haven’t seen the ponies run in a while, and thought it would be a great chance to get a sketch in.

The top level of the grandstand gives a great view of the entire track and surrounding area. I sketched and inked this during the seventh race. I decided to color it at home because I wanted to bet the last race. I’m glad I did. My $1 quinella came in and paid $9. After admission, lunch, and mixed results on earlier bets, I left up $3 on the day.

As much as I enjoy my Koi watercolors, the box is just too big for a small bag. I thought about going down to the 12-color version, but wanted something that would go almost anywhere. Even a pocket!

I knew there was at least one Altoids tin around the house, and it would probably make a decent everyday carry kit. A few searches for “altoids watercolor” and I had a pretty good idea of what would fit.

I took a walk around downtown Mesa the other day and wandered into the Arts Center there. It was a blustery and cold day and it was all I could do to get the line work done before I had to get up and move around. I did the watercolors a bit later after I warmed up.

Materials: This was painted in my Moleskine watercolor sketchbook using Sakura Koi watercolors and an off-brand fineliner pen that wasn’t quite waterproof, and will be kept away from the watercolors in the future.