#30×30 2026 : Late Night Social Media
A late night sketch, done from r/doppleganger. (on Reddit) Which is not a forum for artists like r/drawme, but hey, it’s just a sketch.
I liked the lighting when she popped up in my random scrolling, though I added the black background.
Just a little sad-girl sketch, which there are too many of them on the internet, and here I am adding my own :) But I do like the simplification / stylization of the planes of the head.
Anyway; I’m calling it my Painting-a-Day for today because that’s what I have! Finished at 1 AM so it’s actually from the day before.
~m
#30×30 2026 : A Weird One
If you have to paint one painting a day, sometimes you pick something entirely at random, and then do something entirely random with it.
Reference @La_Duchessa_Scavenius on IG.
#30×30 2026 : Le Champ-de-Mars
This is the backside of our city hall, (spire) and the old courthouse (dome), which I’ve squished together and cartooned, for the sake of my own amusement.
I have always managed to get by without learning perspective. Which is very strange for someone who does so much Urban Sketching.
It’s definitely a character flaw that I don’t buckle down and solve this.
On the other hand, there are plenty of great artists in human history who didn’t give a tilted-table for perspective. So I feel I’m in good company.
From wikipedia: “This was noted by Braque in 1957, who stated, “The hard-and-fast rules of perspective … were a ghastly mistake which it has taken four centuries to redress; Paul Cézanne and after him Picasso and myself can take a lot of credit for this.”
#30×30 2026: Getting into the Groove!
This one is from 20 May, still in my pre-marathon, about two weeks into Daily Painting. I have to say, at this point I was feeling my instincts for watercolor coming back! This was the first one that honestly came easily, and I’m quite happy about it, with no reservations.
This old hotel (?) is on Rue St Jacques, in the old port neighborhood, very near the Notre Dame Basilica. A beautiful old building, which I haven’t really drawn all that accurately – but – hey. It feels like a real memory of the place, so I’m not going to put a photo side by side and criticize myself :)
I drew it on the street, sitting on a little stool – so that’s why you get the up-shot perspective. And then I realized I had forgotten my brush case! So the drawing is on location, and the color work is back at home.
This is pretty much the worst case for a painting. But somehow this is my favorite so far! And will still be a highlight at the end I’m sure.
I feel like; this one will also be be my final word about TINTED DRAWINGS. The idea that painting over a sketch should sill count as Direct Watercolor. I mean; if this isn’t direct enough I don’t know what to say :)
But I don’t know who I’m trying to convince :) I’m sitting here on these pages arguing with myself :) It’s not like anyone has ever told me I can’t do it this way, and it’s not like I would listen at this point :)
Of course you can draw any way you choose!
So, whenever I doubt myself, I can look back at this one and remember that.
I am really getting weird in my old age :)
Here’s a second one from this same session – another lovely Beaux Arts stone monolith :)
I quite like how this bottom corner turned out.
One day, before I die, I’m going to make a graphic novel using watercolor. I’ve been wanting to do it for years, and my stuff is gradually creeping in that direction :)
Someday!
~m
#30×30 2026 : Is this a good painting or not :)
Sometimes I can’t tell if something is a good painting or not :) You ever have that feeling? This is definitely a bit ‘bold’ – but I think I like it :)
It’s about 9″ high, and done in blue, orange, black and white gouache over a sepia ink wash sketch. Probably a five minute drawing. The saturation is pushed in photoshop, but that’s a pure cad-orange gouache mixed from raw pigment, so it’s quite intense even in real life.
What about this one? This one is definitely bad – right?? :)
#30×30 2026 : Life Drawing Class
I’ve been doing a lot of life drawing classes lately. (Just attending not organizing), which I haven’t been posting here as it doesn’t really apply to the Urban Sketching theme – but I do have an IG just for figure drawing; @m.taro_sketch.
But! It’s perfect for #30×30 :) A fine way to get your ‘Painting a Day’ in :)
This is a 3 hour pose, but I take the opportunity to move around and do the same pose from various views.
My favorite thing about life poses is the time limit. It feels so productive when you get a nice set of sketches out of a session :)
Six, twenty minute sessions, for a three hour pose is just right – one set to do the drawing, one set to paint it, then move to a new angle for the next round.
I love the fact I can’t get into the weeds, and I just have to focus-down and draw. There isn’t enough time to ruin a drawing by overworking it :)
It’s both a relief from the anxiety of messing up, and a helpful guideline that prevents you from ruining your work.
#30×30 2026 : Some Urban Sketching Sillyness
I went out for one of my warmup-runs, and it was completely overcast and muggy. I waited around all day on Sherbrooke street for the sun to come out, but no luck. In the meantime I did these little cartoon houses to pass the time. They’re about 3 inches tall.
Sillyness!
Just one example of ‘real life’.
Tried to do one good one but was a flop. Some nice color but I really messed up the building itself – so I’ll only show you the roof ;) This tower is of course the cool part.
The moral of the story is – I can’t draw architecture if there’s no shadows out.
If you’re going to set yourself a task like daily painting, you cant just bull ahead and do what you planned, even if the situation (in this case the weather) isn’t right.
Ok! Another day down tho.
But I’m only counting this as ‘one’ panting today :)
~m
#30×30 2026 : Delaying Tactic
My goal is to be out on the street this year, but on a rainy day, sometimes you just do a drawing from social media.
Model is @CoolPasha on IG.
Main image is pushed a bit in photoshop. (Contrast curves adjustment). I felt it needed some velvety darks.
#30×30 2026 : Another warm up sketch :)
Flashback to 11 May – showing these out of order, yes. I’m buying myself some time in week one of the marathon to make some better work! Hahahah! <Sound of panic ]
I hope I’m going to come out with something! The pressure is on :P
Still cold and overcast at the time of painting. This is one of my favorite intersections, just heading into the old port, on Rue St-Francois Xavier and Notre Dame Ouest.
I love these warm-grey Beaux Arts buildings. I suppose I can’t really call this a painting? It’s more of a tinted drawing really.
But I’m quite happy with this one. I’ve did a few more from this ‘warm up phase’ that are truly not worth showing :) So I’m pretty happy to have lucked out on this one.
I always waver back and forth between painting and drawing. It’s like – I only have a set amount of energy in a painting session.
It seems like, if the subject is a complex bit of architecture, then there’s less energy left for the painting.
And in truth – when it’s cloudy, and there’s no cast shadows – I feel like this is the only way to go?
Ok –
Still getting warmed up! But I hope you guys have also started posting. We will see you up on VIVIFY!
#30×30 2026: Day One : The Warmup Sketches
So: this is a confession that’s not exactly a secret by now if you’re a regular reader.
I start early every year – this year it was 7th of May because; A: anxiety. and B: I want to have enough bandwidth to be up on VIVIFY commenting :)
It was still cold, the trees were completely bare, and really, I had no business going out on the street. I froze my fingers off! But, I feel truly unprepared this year (because I am!!!!!) and I couldn’t hold back any longer.
This is Maison Smith; up on top of Mount Royal. Which of course I’ve painted before. (I wonder if there’s anything historic in Montreal I haven’t sketched :) And it’s under restoration AGAIN – so this time there were white plastic sheets all around the building.
It’s a good thing I went out too, because this was the first set of sketches that I actually kept – believe me there were half a dozen absolute fails before this one. So bad they ended up in the trash.
It’s my favorite thing; when I’m having a bad day – to tear up a painting right on the spot and let the pieces fly from the top of the mountain.
(No, not really. I put them in the recycle).
May 08: At the Gare Central.
Please don’t feel anything in particular about this starting early thing – I still don’t take more than thirty days, and it’s not like I’m trying to beat you by doing thirty before you :) The number is purely arbitrary. It really doesn’t matter if you make thirty. Some of you will make a hundred! Some years I’ve ‘won’ the marathon in two weeks (which is only cheating yourself actually, as you get less painting time if you sprint), and some years, I barely painted fifteen total, and called it done. [ The year I foolishly did it in oil :) ]
Of course you know, even if you only make one painting – that’s one you might not otherwise have made, so it’s a win right?
So yes! I’ve been doing Urban Sketching! Back to my roots!
In order to feel confident painting, I have to do this kind of thing. Go back to square one and just work until I feel the familiarity in my fingers.
Château Ramezay: The old homestead of the Mayor of Montreal – still standing directly across from our city hall. Also painted on a blustery leafless day.
09 May: Pretty crazy how much a difference three days can make. The trees are exploding and so are my allergies :) This is the coffee kiosk in Carré Saint-Louis, a lovely park just north of Rue Sherbooke on St. Denis.
11 May – Finally some good light to paint!
12 May – More wandering in the Plateau – Again, I’m exaggerating the trees, but I often do that to isolate the house that I’m interested in. I really like some of the fun brushwork in this one.
22 May: So you do all this warm-up, prep work – getting out, doing your scales, and then, WHAT? This was the best I could do that day. A few others were complete duds.
It’s humbling, doing watercolor :)
At least this one is something you could honestly call direct! Here is the freedom I’m striving for – now I just have to pair it with decent drawing and instinctive grasp of color and value :)
Citizen Sketcher 