Happy Sketching in the New Year

Just a few days into the new year, I was at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, CA.  Here's my sketch made in the Petting Kraal (corral), where goats roam around and kids can pet them or brush their hair.  The goats seem to like it and the the kids love it.  I had this multicolor pencil for years, but never used it.  Then I saw someone's sketch on the Urban Sketchers website that used it exclusively.  Before, I would've never thought to use it to sketch, but I found it does have a neat effect.

The next day I went to the coast to downtown Carlsbad, where I had previously spotted this unusual building with a gothic-style water dispenser kiosk in front.  It's the Carlsbad Mineral Water Spa.  The story is that a well was discovered in 1882 by Captain John Frazier.  The water was found to have health benefits and locals decided to name the wells after the healing waters from Karlsbad, Bohemia.  The Great Depression put an end to the well.  It was rediscovered in 1955 and not until the 1990s was it revived back into use.  The spa is in the larger building, a partial replica of a 650-year-old building from Hamburg, Germany.  The water kiosk (open 24 hours/day) is partially hidden behind a tree from my vantage point.  There is a statue of the founder, Captain John Frazier, holding a refreshing glass of water, and you can see the two large holding tanks behind him.  Touting a Ph level of 8.76, which is apparently a good thing, I filled up a water bottle too. 

One of my resolutions this year is to draw everyday and improve over time.