A Great Place to Paint People

'Umbrella Drinks'            5x7           plein air     pastel          ©Karen Margulis
available on Etsy $50

The sweat was pouring down. The sunlight was almost blinding. The music was loud. It was hot on deck but I was in heaven. It was the first afternoon of a seven night Caribbean cruise and I had a week ahead of me to relax and paint.

I pulled out my smallest travel pastel kit (available soon) and got to work. The first thing that caught my eye was the poolside bar and two very colorful women who were already celebrating. They had on the brightest neon coverups and were drinking a fun umbrella drink.  I had to work quickly before they got up to continue dancing!  It was going to be a great cruise.

That was in June.  It was a great cruise but since June was such a busy month I have not had a chance to share the paintings I did. I love painting the landscapes of the islands from the deck of the ship. But I realize that I really enjoy painting the people....my fellow passenger and the island locals.  A cruise ship is a great place for drawing and painting people. I usually fill a sketchbook with my people sketches. (see my blog post here with my sketches)  There is such a variety of shapes and sizes and poses on board a ship. You need to work quickly so it is great practice in gesture drawing.  If you are not a sun lover you can sit in the shade to sketch. You will be treated to a constant parade of interesting subjects to sketch or paint. I love it!

Cruising is such a good value if you are flexible and pay attention to the deals. I just got the best cruise deal ever and since I am flexible with my time I have decided to take advantage. I got a 5 night cruise for 2 for total cost of $630 with a $400 on board credit. That makes the price only $115 for me for 5 nights!  I can't buy groceries for that! My mom and I will enjoy a November cruise and I will have fun painting more people!

I have a great cruise travel agent so let me know if you'd like his contact information!

All paintings on this page are available in my Etsy shop. Click here for details.