Urban Sketching In Mississippi and Louisiana

On this long Thanksgiving holiday weekend some of the biggest birds are not on the table but are actually flying overhead and putting on quite a show.

Illustration: Watercolor and Platinum Carbon pen and ink by Black Elephant Blog author

Pelicans, for instance, and hawks gracefully surf upon the ocean breezes along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and Louisiana.

Here light bounces off of trees and tall marsh reeds in a way that challenges an”urban sketcher” or anyone else who wants to pick up a pencil and sketch.

Seagulls fly in huge formations along the shoreline around the picturesque shrimping boats and over the beautiful old town of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

Illustration: Watercolor, white Jelly Roll pen, and Platinum Carbon pen and ink by Black Elephant Blog author

Illustration: Photo of a sketching scene in the French Quarter of New Orleans, LA

 

In New Orleans, itself, of course, there are “sketchable” scenes everywhere, and from every angle!!  And artists are everywhere, and of all kinds.  It will take quite a while to absorb all this…

 

 

It turns out that there is almost no better imaginable spot to paint than on a spacious deck above the endlessly fascinating streets of the French Quarter in New Orleans.

With family and friends around and time to enjoy the sights together and catch up on everyone’s news, it has been a time of great thanksgiving indeed!

 

Illustration: Watercolor and Kuretake brush pen with black ink by Black Elephant Blog author