In October, 2012, I traveled to Puerto Rico. I'll always remember the beauty of the island, and the fantastic people that live there. I took my camera, but I'm also glad that I took my sketchbook. In a cool coincidence, one of the places I stayed at was owned by a descendant of a famous Puerto Rican artist. Coincidence...or was it? I also created some paintings of Puerto Rico when I returned from my travels, using photos I took as references. But mostly I drew from life in this sketchbook:

A palm tree in Isabela, Puerto Rico. I'm glad I remembered to take my sketchbook!

So here's a look into the sketchbook I kept when I was traveling in Puerto Rico.

SKETCHES OF OLD SAN JUAN

A lamp post in Old San Juan.

Community cats in Old San Juan.

Every morning, a man would carry a bag of kitty food on his shoulder to feed community cats.

Speaking of community cats, please support the great Old San Juan organization Save a Gato !

The maritime museum in Old San Juan.

Not a sketch, but a painting I did on my return from Puerto Rico. The Jose V. Toledo Federal Building in Old San Juan.

SHACKS BEACH

Surfers at Shacks Beach, Isabela, Puerto Rico. I was drawing with markers a lot back then.

A bird in a palm tree.

Another one that isn't a sketch--a painting of Isabela that I did when I got back.

The next you go on an adventure, consider taking a sketchbook with you. You can take your camera, too--I did. Sketching isn't necessarily better, just different--I took a lot of photos too and I'm glad that I have them! I've used a number of these photos that I took as references for paintings and drawings. But there's nothing like drawing from life in a sketchbook, like I did for example with the sketches of the surfers. It really brings you into the moment to concentrate on a life drawing, especially when as with people who are surfing the subjects are almost constantly moving. I hope you've enjoyed this look into my sketches of Puerto Rico.