Courtney and I signed up for an online sketching and painting class. Actually Courtney signed up for one; I signed up for five (they were on sale). The first lesson was on drawing with a black fine-line pen and then going back over the drawing with a black paint pen to put in the shadows. I love this technique. You can draw just about anything and it will look good with all that high contrast.
I skipped over to a lesson from another class on Urban Sketching. I really liked the way this teacher showed you how to vary the colors on a basically gray stone building. I painted this from a photo. It's a lot easier to paint while sitting at a desk. It's much harder when you're sitting outside balancing everything on your knee.
