Sabino Canyon walk and draw
Posted: February 12, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: arizona, hiking, photography, sabino-canyon, tucson 35 CommentsOn a day off between workshops in Tucson, we took a drive to see the popular Sabino Canyon. There’s a shuttle you can take to the top, and since we had no idea how difficult the climb would be, we took it. In hindsight, we could easily have walked it since it’s a paved road all the way up. But we did walk down, and I stopped to draw (in ink) along the way.
During my short drawing stops, I tried to capture the distinct characteristics of the landscape — the steep cliffs, the Saguaros clinging to the hills, the winding stream and rocks — as well as a few features of the park such as the stone bridges and the Sabino dam. Each of these scribbles took no more than 5 minutes.
Back at the ranch I added colour to my sketches, as well as a few notes about each location, including one about a place where, from my spot on the shuttle, I caught sight of another sketcher. I was hoping to run into him again on the walk down but he was gone by the time we arrived there. I drew his view anyway.
I love that you included the ink sketch and the color versions. Very nice.
Thanks so much Pam.
Shari,
Very nice. The colors look comic book like.
Tim
I though the same exactly
Thanks Tim. I think it’s different when you add colour after the fact. It tends to get a bit more imaginative.
Did you take photos to jog your memory? If not, how were you able to reproduce the colors and feelings so well after the fact, based only on sketches (especially in the river reflections)?
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I love that walk in Sabino Canyon. Your drawings bring back fond memories. Thanks for showing the ink drawings and the final color added to the drawings. I might try the quick sketches myself.
You should try this Barbara. It is a great way to explore. Sometimes I do this and I just record the plants or the birds.
Five minutes! I need a faster pen!
Claire Russell
Haha, yes, it’s all in the pen. I bought an extra fast one.
❤️
cemeryposh@gmail.comwww.corneliaemery.com
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Such beautiful work – I was especially drawn (oh gosh, bad pun) to the Saguaros (new word) on the hill. They look so straight, as though reaching for the sky; and the stone bridge – the seemingly simple way that you drew it showed depth and perspective with ease. It made my eye want to travel further up the ‘road’ or path 😉
I also liked the water scene on top. The figure helped in appreciating the scene’s scale – and your water, in colour, is as always a joy to take in 🙂
Thanks for bringing me to a brand new place today 🙂
Thanks for travelling along with me, Chris. The saguaros were particularly striking because they are so upright and they grow almost parallel to those cliffs. Very exotic for us northerners.
Love these-I’m with “Claire”-I need a faster pen!
I always appreciate seeing your sketchbook and learning about your travels. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much De.
5 minutes seems fast, but it is amazing how much you can get down on paper in that time, and it forces you to stick to the essence of what you’re seeing and what you want to capture.
These are terrific.
Thanks Alison. These are fast but also very messy. Doing a neater, fussier drawing would take longer, I suppose.
The Tucson area is amazingly different for most of us – so dry, so full of cacti, standing saguaro, rocks. The beauty is sublime. Ink caught the shape and color its clarity – together, lovely work.
Naomi, thanks for having a look. I love that area, and the subtle beauty. I loved it even more this year.
This was fun–seeing your quick sketches and then how you painted in all the details.
Thanks so much Lois.
As I looked at your drawings, I wondered if you ever painted them . And, voila! There were the painted ones. I love the color you used. And I never thought Saguaro grew in a hillside. So interesting.Your “quick ” sketches became lovely paintings. That would make another good course.
Judy, I’m glad I thought of taking the “before” photo. Glad you liked the drawings.
I love these quick sketches and wish I could manage to do some like these.
Laura Kate, you can try this too. Just take a pen and a sketchbook and go for a walk in your neighbourhood.
These are terrific and I wish you could discuss your approach to the subjects in more detail. Why did you decide to add color? I enjoyed them as ink sketches so how come? Thanks. Frank B
Thanks for asking about the approach Frank. I added colour for two reasons. I didn’t work on them long enough for them to be finished drawings. And I love the colours of the desert. For me, seeing that is part of the experience. And putting down the colours that I remember.
Lovely!
Thanks!
Oooh…the addition of the color really makes these lovely!!
Thanks Joan!
It’s an amazing place, no? You did it justice…
Beautiful memories. Do you take a picture of the sketch you made to get the right colors or is it all in your mind?
I always love your line drawings, and they’ve given me an idea with an upcoming trip. My traveling companions don’t sketch so I’m inhibited in trying to sketch/paint and slowing the group. I’ve been practicing sketching scenes quickly in town, like in restaurants with my husband when we’re waiting for our food. I might be able to do quick sketches then add color in the evening when I’m writing notes from the day. Either way, I love your ink drawings and also your colored-in scenes on top of them. Thank you.