Sketch diary: Holiday in Konstanz

My daughter Kit needs to decide whether to spend her 3rd year of her university life in Konstanz or Berlin. She's already been to Berlin so we thought it would be a good idea to go and check out Konstanz. And of course it was a great excuse for a holiday! 


It is so unbelievably beautiful at Bodensee (the German/Swiss/Austrian name for Lake Constance).Here are some sketches from our holiday with shockingly bad text by an enthusiastic German learner (ME!). I hope you like them...


Holiday in Konstanz 2016


Tuesday
The Journey 30.08.16
by taxi from Aughton to Manchester
by plane from Manchester to Stuttgart
by train
     from Stuttgart to Rohr
     from Rohr to Böblingen
     from Böblingen to Singen
     from Singen to Konstanz

               Ten hours later we arrive!



Melting White Nights Watercolour - a story of Cerulean Blue

I wasn't intending to write a review of St Petersburg White Night paints as I only have one, but I'm so dismayed by it that I simply had to tell you guys about it.

Picture the scene: it was a gorgeous summer's day, I had an errand or two to run and then I was free for a couple of hours. Great! I packed my watercolours, paper, waterpots and my new favourite sketching brush (a 5mm flat springy one stroke brush that seems to be able to do everything) and a lovely picnic of cheese, an amazing apple and ginger pickle sauce from my local church and some homemade slaw mmmmm. I stopped in town for less than an hour to do my chores, leaving everything in the car. The sun was shining but this is England right, the cheese will be fine.

After walking up and down the canal for a while I found a perfect spot at Burscough Wharf and set myself up by some empty moorings.

I often start a new sketch by establishing my lines with a yellow sharpie. YIKES I nearly lost half of them in the canal - it's a good job that they float!

Now to open those fabulous watercolours.

Hang on, what's happened, the lid is stuck!

Gently prise it open to find this...


Watercolour and masking tape - a mini review

I was recently sent a couple of different scotch masking tapes to try out so thought I'd put them through their paces with my watercolours.

The two tapes were 


  • Scotch 25 mm x 50 m Masking Tape for Delicate Surfaces - Beige
and
  • Scotch 24 mm x 50 m Greener Masking Tape - Beige

For my first comparison I used 2.5 x 3.5 inch 300gsm Daler Rowney NOT surfaced watercolour paper and my travel Artist watercolours from Cass Art. The colours I chose to use were cobalt blue, cadmium red and cadmium yellow.

Tutorial: Vincent Van Gogh's "A Wheatfield, with Cypresses" in Miniature

Famous Paintings in Miniature Number 4: Van Gogh's A Wheatfield, with Cypresses  

In this, the fourth in my famous paintings in miniature series, I will be showing you how to recreate  Van Gogh's “A Wheatfield, with Cypresses”, 1889.


Displaying miniature art

I took delivery of a new fireplace this morning...in miniature of course! It needs a little touching up, but here are a couple of photos I took just now.




Tutorial: Hilma af Klint “The Ten Biggest No. 2, Childhood” in Miniature

Famous Paintings in Miniature Number 3:  Hilma af Klint “The Ten Biggest No. 2, Childhood”, 1907 

In this, the third in my famous paintings in miniature series, I will be showing you how to recreate Hilma af Klint's “The Ten Biggest No. 2, Childhood”, 1907, Oil and Tempura. 

Framing Miniatures and my 2016 Kingfisher Series


2016 Kingfisher series

Have you ever seen a Kingfisher? I've only seen one once, so when I was recently commissioned to paint one I turned to the artist meets photographers facebook page 'Photos for Artists' to find a decent reference photo. I was not disappointed - the talented Peter Skillen had several to choose from. And therein my Kingfisher series was born. How could I choose from all those fabulous photos? 

6 x 4 inch watercolour, SOLD

6 x 4 inch watercolour, £20