I am beginning to be hired to cover some events again. I rolled out of bed at 5:30am to get to this 5K run in Winter Park. Sketching in public in Winter Park is illegal according to a city ordinance, but I managed to pull it off on this sunny morning. I knew event organizers wanted a view of the start of the race, so I didn’t have to think twice about what was the best option for a sketch to document the event. There were an assortment of merchant tents set up to my left but I kept my focus on the starting line.
I sketched the setting and then slowly people filled in behind the line for the start at 7:30am. Some folks stood in front of the starting line for selfies and for a moment I considered sketching the guy who held an American flag for the Star Spangled Banner. I decided he was blocking the forward progression and I replaced him with a woman who was doing some sprints before the starting horn blew.
After the crowd of runners sprinted off, I focused on adding water color for another hour. It was a pleasant morning. The usual suspects, photographers, and videographers had to get a shot of the artist at work. As is fitting, the tree is the star of my sketch. Every runner would get a tree sapling to plant after the run.