A taste of Marinier Life

Did this sketch while waiting for the arrival of the BC Ferries' ferry ride to Thetis Island. It was cold and sea spray was blowing on me and a bit on my sketch as you can see it. This is a small docking area in Chemainus for boats and yacht. I love the harbour life, so much different than being in the Gambling Wasteland. I am really considering moving to the Pacific Northwest in the future. There is so much life up there that feel more like home to me, I am used to the green environment (born and raise in Florida) and the fresh air.

Ticket Booth

A "BC Ferries" ferry ride to Kuper and Thetis Islands ticket booth.
This is where I pay for my ferry ride to the Kuper Island (Home of the Penelakut Indian tribe) and Thetis Island from Chemainus, Vancouver Island.

Backyard

The backyard of my friends' place where I was staying at.. And one of their dogs in the sketch.. I think a brush pen doesn't work well for sketching a Pomeranian..

Duncan, BC

Downtown Duncan, BC. aka "The Totem Poles City"
Duncan is not too far from Chemainus and totem poles were scatter all over in town that were build by the First Nations back in 1985. A lot of the pole have marking that tells it own story, myth, and history from the past. The First Nations are very spiritual which I'm sure you know that. The totem poles I have sketch here are by the Duncan Street Train Station next to a small museum.
Below the poles, is a very cool-looking Edwardian style of the City Hall with a clock tower. I'm not sure how old this building is.. The City Hall is just right next to a new building (around 70s) which is the Royal Canadian Legion. Those Legions are everywhere from large city to tiny towns.

First Nation

A little information about the Pacific Northwest's First Nations.

Barnacle Barney's

One of the huge perk about the Pacific Northwest is the freshest seafood ever. That was one thing I missed so much about when I have relocated in the middle of the desert from Florida with lack of fresh and cheaper seafood!
On Vancouver Island's best specialty is the good ole Fish n' Chips, hence the name of the providence: British Columbia. Anyway, you can see an Inukshuk beside the image of my delicious Battered Halibut, Coleslaw, and French Fries with gravy (a Canadian thing). Drew an Inukshuk from a photo beside where I was sitting while waiting for my food.
What's an Inukshuk?
Its a First Nations thing, you will see the rock sculpture almost everywhere in Canada. The word inuksuk means "something which acts for or performs the function of a person." The inuksuk may have been used for navigation, as a point of reference, a marker for hunting grounds, or as a food cache. The Inupiat in northern Alaska used inuksuit to assist in the herding of caribou into contained areas for slaughter. Inuksuit vary in shape and size, with deep roots in the Inuit culture.

Also, the water I have used with my watercolour is directly from the Island's salt water.

Kin Beach Park - Chemainus, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

A sketch of a local beach near the town of Chemainus. It is a beautiful beach during a low tide, you can see the mountains and the greens along with the boats docking in the middle of the water. It was a relaxing place to be, right after this half finished sketch.. I fell asleep right on the breakwater.

In flight sketch to Victoria

My flight ticket glued to the airplane sketching spread. Drank my first international beer (doesn't exist in the States, and not recommended while you are 4000 feet above ground)... It was pretty good.

Passports Part II

Passports Part II
Here the completed pages of each passports. I highly recommend viewing it in larger quality. The Canadian passport was a pain in the donkey to sketch. So much details on their crest and sometime I get lost from focusing on it too much. lol.

Waiting for my flight

I just got back from my amazing trip from Canada! I had a fantastic time over there and feeling the withdrawal big time! Why does Vegas have to be sooo dull?! Gah...
Here is a spread of the Gate B8-B15 bay of the McCarran International Airport (aka LAS), just before departing to Victoria, BC. Yes, they even have casinos in the middle of the circular chamber surrounding by seats and Gates.

Passport

Last sketch for this week.. I won't have much time to do more before I leave to Canada this Sunday. Hello to Final exam and final project...

As the sketch trip begins, here is my Passport.. As you can see I reserved a spot on the next page for the Canadian Passport. Hopefully, I would like to borrow from a friend of mine to fill in the page. =)

I will be gone for a week to Vancouver Island, British Columbia and it home of the Province capital, Victoria. I'm sure hope to record many sketches as possible for you all to enjoy. Till then... Au revoir USA!

The place is swirling

It sure have been a while since my last sketch.. I have been pretty busy for the past 2 weeks, and finally relocated to a new place..

Anyway, there is a new yogurt place near my place. Frozen yogurts business have been demanding, and I find it a bit too overrated to be in such high demands. Although, this place I went to was very pleasing. This yogurt place called "U-Swirl," and the place is really swirling... Even you can see the swirls on this sketch..

As of this month, I am going to be pretty busy and exciting at the same time.. This week, I will be focusing trying to finish up my school semester, dealing with final exams and projects.. Then by the weekends, I will be packing to visit Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada for a week. I can't wait..

Kolob Canyons

I took a day trip to get away from the boring dustbowl of Nevada, about 2 weeks ago...
I was in awe with this picturesque landscape...For some reason it remind me of China with those steep buttes, except this one is red.. The sky was very foggy and cloudy, I thought it was going to rain.. Instead, it was snowing! I was like SNOW??! It just weird, I wasn't expecting snow starting to hit in such an average elevation area. It was a mixture of rain and slushy snow when I driving into it. The weather was totally different than Nevada which is just 120 miles away! It was 20-30 degrees colder, and unusual for Spring Season, even closing into the month of May...
Snow is a rare sight for me (Florida native) and makes me feel like a little kid when I see those lovely white flakes. I didn't have a jacket or sweater with me...lol. It was cold, not freezing though.. The snow was pouring and for a moment I thought it was hail... I never seen snowflakes that are the size of peas bouncing off the hood and windscreen of my car.. It was different. I can hear it falling like someone dropping bunch of round leads on top of my car.

Kolob Canyons Observation point.. The Canyons is part of the Zion National Park and just 20 miles south of Cedar City, Utah.

This sketch was done with ballpoint pen, soft pastel, and sprayed with matte fixture to keep the pastel from smearing.