While waiting for repairs on my car this morning, I spent a half hour at La Crossant Cafe in the canal district of San Rafael. When I enter any cafe or resturant, I look for a spot that has the best point of view (POV) for observation.

I began on the right side of my 5 x 8″ tan paper sketchbook, using a a fine point black ink pen, and white Prismacolor pencil for highlights. The guys sitting at the counter were back lit and almost completely in shadow. I used some “smart scribbling” to create the cross-hatching shading and textures. The big rectangle of white behind them represents the window filled with bright light.

I still had some time, and about half of my scone left, so I turned to another area and sketched the fellow holding his smart phone. I actually messed up drawing his hand (hands are a challenge!), so I filled it in to make a silhouette. Additional ink scribbles going up his arm help make sense of that shadow. It was fun showing the sugar and condiment containers as they appear on three tables, getting closer to my position.