Back to the Basics

Sometimes when I'm at a loss about what to paint next, I get out my sketchbook and do what I first did when I started my art journey so many years ago.  Drawing and sketching can reintroduce me to the joy of expressing myself with the strokes of a pencil.  Nothing fancy...a #2H and a #2B.  These days I'm more interested in finding values than I was when I was younger and concerned with outlines. Values rather than lines define the edges of things.  Keeping the strokes short and staccato also makes them more interesting.
Here's a scene I can draw in my sleep:  Ram Island Lighthouse off Ocean Point in Boothbay Harbor.