Drawing from Photo vs on Location 

Why is sketching problematic for you? I've been watching Teoh's videos since he still lived with his parents, there were always loud bird noises in those early videos ;-)

Glad you like them!

Do you remember the bird sounds in the early videos?

Hi Alan! I think having trees for shade makes for an excellent subject in an urban landscape. I love painting trees and they become more interesting in an urban setting. In my photos, I use them as framing devices or to add interest to a scene. I’m also thinking about drawing/painting an urban scene where the trees are the main subject, not the buildings. As for the flat countryside, I think that would make a good en plein air practice subject. There won’t be much to paint so you can concentrate on painting colours and values.

I have the same problem in town where I live. The part of town with the interesting buildings are heavily lined with very thick trees. The trees are gorgeous and I love the shade they provide (I live in the south and it's freakin' HOT), but they pretty much completely obscure the building facades when they are leafed out, and I am interested in getting the architecture in particular. Perhaps the best time to sketch these buildings is after the trees have lost their leaves? There's also the problem of people parking their big ugly jacked up trucks in front of them, but there's no time of year that's best to avoid those LOL

We have a mix of evergreens and deciduous trees here (Fresno, California); it ain't Phoenix, but one can figure on 110F every summer, at least for a while, and occasionally 120F (not every year--so far). Can't joke about that being "warm." Oh, and there is a natural haze during much of the summer; the first Spanish explorer to come through here noted that he couldn't see the mountains because of it. The whole Central Valley of California is an ancient inland seafloor, with a single volcanic interruption (the "Sutter Buttes") way north of here. Almost all of the metropolitan area was built up after the advent of motor vehicles. I am originally from a more scenic area. I guess I will just have to reconcile myself to painting from photos, irritating though that may be. There was one local coffee shop that was good for sketching, but it changed hands and was rearranged in a less satisfactory way; the nerve!

Well, I do have to grant that familiarity breeds contempt.

@@alanjameson8664 😄

Uniball Air. It’s waterproof

@@teohyc Thank you! I think it will be very nice with watercolors