While visiting Port St. Joe, Florida, I did a drawing of trees silhouetted against the bay with my bike also in the picture. I started this first drawing on tan pastel paper, using a combination of colored pencils, charcoal and watercolor. I enjoyed working on this drawing. It was quite pleasant to sit under the trees, feel the cool breeze and enjoy the scenery. But I wasn’t satisfied with the drawing. I tried adding more white in the sky to bring in more contrast. It just didn’t work. I looked at the photo I took of the scene and decided what I really liked was the contrast of the trees against the sky. I practiced drawing palm trees first because I wasn’t familiar with the structure. Then I started again, this time in my sketchbook. I used black charcoal and put in the main dark elements. I then added pastel to the sky and added some color into the foliage and foreground. I am much more satisfied with this drawing. Sometimes you have to start over to get it right.
