Doodling with Paint

Working from Jean Haines' book, I followed her instructions for negative space - not as pretty as hers, but it does what it says on the tin. I need more practice at painting directly on to the paper without drawing first. It takes some courage to just splatter paint on the white paper and hope that it will produce something.

Cornflowers - just playing with colour and paint.
And just for something to do .........

75 Day Sketch Challenge - Day 3

Was very lucky to be given this wonderful garlic all the way from France - huge bulb! Not enough garlic in my life!

75 Day Sketch Challenge - Day 1

I've started the Brenda Swanson 75 Day Sketch Challenge - this is my first sketch. All sketches must be drawn directly in ink and no colour - monochrome, which suits me down to the ground. Not sure I will post all 75 - this is belatedly the first one drawn on 17th June.

Learning to play

I've been trying to learn how to play again - how to let go and just let things happen. Its quite hard when you are so used to really focusing on detail to let the paint just do what it wants to do. In an effort to free myself up I am playing with watercolours - a medium that I had thought was totally uncontrollable but now learning that is not the case. So a little play with a lemon thanks to Jean Haines' new book "Atmospheric Watercolours". Sampler of my watercolour paint colours and those of the Derwent Watercolour pencils that just arrived.

Workday sketches

This week I have been trying to sketch for half an hour a day during my work day. These first two are from the bus ride - only about 10 minutes, and people have an annoying habit of getting off before I have finished with them!

A number of apartment buildings being built around the office - I love the cranes and watching them move across the sky, though the thought of having to be up in one horrifies me (vertigo!). I'd rather think of them as being remote controlled rather than someone sitting all the way up there!

Gammel Estrup

I was aware of generations of my family watching over my shoulder as I worked on this sketch. My family lived here since from when the castle was built until my great-grandfather was the last. My father played here as a boy. Coming here was like coming home, though I have been here only once before. Walking in the corridors I walked with the ghosts of my ancestors, I saw my features reflected in the portraits on the walls. One of the highlights of our visit to Denmark last summer. I plan to repaint this and other views of Gammel Estrup.

Denmark Retrospective

Finally getting into creating my Danish journal - Part of me wishes I had done this as soon as we had returned but its nice being able to revisit these memories and remember what a lovely time we had.

Randers shop

Randers Town Hall

Baking and sketching

I love to bake and what better excuse than to combine that with a sketch subject? Finding my feet with colour and trying to find a style I like.

A neighbourhood shop

The Tower

The road back from Landstuhl

Outside sketching

In fear and trembling I ventured out yesterday,armed with my sketchbook, camera and husband for protection. First stop was to sketch a spot that we pass on our way to work. Rather strange, very angular, striped building that has always caught my eye.

Yesterday's Every Day in May subject was "Something that blows in the wind."

I love dandelions and remember blowing them to tell the time as a child. I have ideas to maybe do this as a large drawing.

Daily Sketches

I've continued with the daily sketches this week from Every Day in May - so here they are! Not in the right order!

Something with Wings (it did have before it died!)

A spoon with memories (I plan to rewrite the poem in ink when I get to grips with calligraphy!)

An egg carton

A brown paper bag

An Apple

Buttons (button mushrooms)
Looking at these altogether there is a distinct lack of colour going on and as this rather challenges the idea that this was supposed to push me out of my comfort zone! So next week - colour!! My Lamy Safari fountain arrived along with Noodlers lexington Grey Ink and I hope to get out and try some Urban Sketching. I'm rather hoping it might free up my tendency to tight drawings.

Back to the Sketchbook!

It's been a long time since I have played with my sketchbooks but I have the bug again. I've been intrigued for a while with creating a visual journal. This idea was sparked a long time ago on reading "Five Quarters of the Orange" by Joanne Harris. It seems it is now quite the trend and I found my interest reawakened lately. So here are the first few entries in my sketchbook which are a mixture of personal items and pages from "Every day in May".

I always wanted to be a patissiere!

A sketch from a meeting at work with ballpoint pen.

From my sketchbook of our Danish Holiday that I have just started working on! I took my paints with me and didn't even open them - so this is a retrospective!

A postcard of an area dear to my heart, Glastonbury Tor. If I could anywhere home, it would be this corner of England.

Footwear Matters

Shoes I wore this week.

Which way round matters?

I have found that on single page sketches I like to sketch on the right hand page - probably because I am righthanded - so my sketchbook looks like this!


A sketch from Heidelberg

It's been one of those weeks - lots of good intentions to do lots of things and sabotaged by events beyond my control. I hate it when that happens! Better luck next week!

Weekend plans to paint, sketch and generally be arty. Wish me luck!

Sunflower Matters

I bought some sunflowers last week with the idea of painting them. Finally threw caution to the wind today and threw some watercolour paint about in a haphazard kind of way - not sure of the result. It started out well but I lost it somewhat when it got to the petals because I really didn't know how I could get the effect that I wanted. Practice, practice, practice!

Lunchtime Matters

I only get a 30 minute break for lunch which is hardly time to turn round and I usually have lunch with him indoors but Wednesdays he goes to lunch with some of his employees so this week I determined rather than eating at my desk I would sketch for 30 minutes. Lesson 1 - don't choose somewhere that is very complicated to sketch in 30 minutes - it isn't going to happen! So Thursday and Friday I ended up back in the same place finishing it up. And still ate at my desk!

Finally decided on a new sketchbook - will report back once it arrives and is tested.

Street Matters

Mixed media of watercolour pencil, watercolour, pencil and pen.

Frankfurt is really not one of the most beautiful cities of the world. But there are little corners that are quirky and interesting. I'm going to aim to get out to sketch once a week - in theory anyway!

I'm having trouble with my sketchbook. I've been using the basic Moleskines but really don't like the way the watercolour treats the paper and have found that it can bleed through to previous/next pages. After doing some research and not being able to get the sketchbook I wanted outside of the UK (why do Canson only sell that type in the UK?) I asked some very knowledgeable sketchbook artists and have been recommended to try the Moleskine watercolour book (which I see now comes in a larger size) and their Japanese sketchbook which has accordion pages which sounds like a wonderful format. So I am going to order one of each to test drive.

Cool Matters

I'm not sure if its just because I am British, but air-conditioning, what is that about? Him indoors is American and to him air-conditioning is essential. Over the years I have learned that if the heating isn't on then the air should be. I just don't get it! Why not open the windows? OK, I get it sometimes. When we lived in Saudi Arabia and the temperatures were in the high 40s C, it was bliss. But really, we live in Northern Europe - do we really need it?

So each year it gets hot (briefly) and the air-conditioning units are whipped out and all connected which involves funny window sealing system, bubble wrap (to insulate from the outside noise), and a lot of tape and then the weather gets cold and we never even switch it on! Meanwhile it sits in our bedroom and glowers at me so to appease it, I drew it's portrait! (And yes, I know, I need to put some clothes away!)

Studio Matters

I bought this easel a few years ago with the idea that it would be just the thing for plein aire - only it is near to impossible to set up, the catches don't hold and the whole thing threatens to collapse on me every time I assemble it. Him indoors dug it out last week and put it up and despite tightening every possible knob in sight with pliers it still has a tend to list drunkenly after a while. How I long for my beautiful full size studio easel which languishes in storage!

This sketch makes it look like I have ample room to paint - in truth the easel is squeezed between my computer and a bed! Not exactly conducive to producing masterpieces!

Watercolour Matters

It poured with rain on and off all day yesterday, blustery showers, heavy downpours and little momentary spatters of rain. So the day was donated to play time. I think one of the things that always hampers me from experimenting is the thought of wasting materials. But how else are you going to learn? So I sat down in front of YouTube and watched some great watercolour demonstrations and then had a go. I'd like to say a big thank you to all those great artists who freely give their knowledge in demonstrations on YouTube and on forums across the internet. Bless you all!

Now I have no excuse but to add trees everywhere I go! I am hoping that the watercolour will also help with my oil painting tree nightmares!

Waiting Matters

Him Indoors was late finishing at work last night, usual emergencies that hit at 4:30 on a Friday evening, so I sat outside his office in the courtyard and doodled. We work in the most unattractive building - very typical German, pre-war construction with very strange add-ons in recent years.