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sketches in an old book

A while back I bought this lovely handmade book. It has the look of an old book with handmade paper pages. The cover had me immediately think of ink sketches, particularly olf etch-like drawings…statues, architecture…all things I love to sketch. I’ve started doing some statues in it…the paper isn’t very forgiving and not ideal for sketching and it doesn’t take watercolour at all, but maybe it only adds to the “ancient” look that I’m after. In any case this book is not about art, but about a look – I am looking forward to see it one day when it is done, filled with ink drawings, thick and used! by then, it might be REALLY old…

I use only ink and a pen with nibs and afterwards I wash gently with a little ink and water to just add a shadow and a stain here and there. The book is 11.5 x 17cm and I found it at Les milles feuilles in Paris.

…an old touch…

…statue 1-St sulpice…

…statue 2-…

…statue 3- chateau de vincennes…

…statue 4-chateau de vincennes…

Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen · 17 Comments

Sketching in tours

A few sketches from Tours and around Montlouis. The last leaves have fallen, the weather is turning real chilly and everybody is cuddling in the bars around the counter with loud conversations and strong espressos. Winter is finally here.

a week or so ago, I was also in a café, Les trois écritoires, with an espresso, waiting for my Torrefaction to open so I could stock up on coffee, which is the first sketch. On Place Plumereau, is the restaurant Leonard de vinci, where I sketched as crooked as it was cold and miserable. Some tough leaves  in the third sketch, refusing to give way to winter and lastly, on another day, one of the many vinyeards of Montlouis. Voilà!

…torrefaction et au nom de la rose…

…last bit of colour…

…leonard de vinci en centre ville…

…vignobles de montlouis sur loire…

All sketches done in pen and watercolour in sketchbook