Boardwalks in Winter

Off from work today, but had some things to do related to tonight's critique. One was to go to Point Pleasant. I needed to get something to contribute to the night's refreshments (not going to be up by my favorite cheese factory for a few more weeks) and figured I'd find something suitable at Joe Leone's, and I did. But on my way there I diverted down to Jenkinson's boardwalk to see if I could get some reference photos of a few rides. I didn't have great hopes, as many of the kiddie rides are the type that can set up at fairs and I figured they might put them in storage for the winter. Indeed there wasn't much there, and in fact there was a crew that appeared to be replacing major stretches of boards in the middle of the ride area. A few larger structures remained, like a small roller coaster, and the rotating ride above (a composite photo made from shots though the fence.)

I can always seek out reference photos on the web, but I prefer to take my own or sketch from life when possible, so for that reason it makes more sense to start the daytime scene now and deal with the rides in the spring. Wanting to have something to show tonight, just before leaving for the Studio, I pulled up some of my weekend photos from Asbury on my computer, and did some very simple sketches of general architecture in a sketchbook. Molly was already at the Studio when I arrived, and as others walked in I chose one of the views from my sketchbook, and in about 5 minutes did the sketch below at the full 15" x 20" size of the boardwalk prints, throwing in a few sample figures.

None of this is final, and it's not to scale or in proportion. I just wanted a basic visual as I discussed the idea with the critique group. Normally I'd wait until I'm further along in the process to post something here, but since I showed it to the public tonight, I'll post it. For the reaction, see the post about the critique.