Drawing at the Beach

Seaside is Oregon’s  classic beach town.  It has a wide, flat, sandy beach that stretches for miles.  Separating the beach from the town is a decades old promenade, perfect for strolling and people watching.

A beach is always a great place to draw.  People sit, crouch, or lay on towels and  generally don’t move much.   And while one might imagine scantily clad folks soaking up the rays might be good figure drawing practice, this is the Northwest.  The temperature rarely gets above 60, and with the cold steady breeze coming off the Pacific, it’s downright chilly.  Even in summer typical beach gear  here is a hooded sweatshirt and long jeans.  It doesn’t seem to hinder crowds enjoying the beach.

I plopped my little folding stool onto the sand and started drawing. My goal was to sketch the  overall scene – families and friends relaxing, chattering, playing.   There were  kites dancing in the breeze, children digging in the sand, dogs running about and many simply looking out to sea.  What a happy place!

Because the drawing was loosely done, I thought it might be good to add color to all of it for more vibrancy and life.  It’s a long way from a perfect drawing, but that wasn’t my goal.  It is spontaneous and fun, and looking at the drawing now  I can smell the salt air and hear the laughter.