Sketching at the Beach

I've been away from computers and internet celebrating my grandmother's 80th birthday at the beautiful Oregon Coast for the weekend. We were lucky enough to have gorgeous weather, and enjoyed being with lots and lots of family. Also great is I got the chance to use my new miniature watercolor set and book. It was the most fantastic thing! They fit into this little purse and I can just run out and sit on a bench painting on a dune, for example. Fun! I was very intimidated by the gorgeous handmade book my mom had given me recently, but after I got started, it was SO fun!

Here's a couple of the quick watercolor sketches I did looking out our window:

Sitting on aforementioned bench giving a little plein aire painting a try (I gave this one to grandma for her birthday):

Also sitting on the bench, freezing my fingers off as the sun got ready to set (sorry for the bad photo quality):

Sitting next to my drowsy husband waiting for the baby to wake up (it doesn't look like him at all, but it's just supposed to be a quick dealy and I'm not so experienced at portraits so I didn't worry about it. I was just happy it looked human):

Now I really love my little book! I'll have to use it again when I don't have time to paint real big serious paintings.