I still feel unsafe and weird to venture off in public, so most of my sketching is done at home. These two sketches are of our house and the old bread oven which is now being used as a garden shed.
Four a pain(old bread oven), watercolour in Stillman and birn sketchbook
Our house, watercolour in Stillman and birn sketchbook
I have been in a deep and long rut art wise, struggling to find my mojo. I started slowly back with some fruit sketches and today I took on a street in Bealieu. I am still far too tight and high strung in my brush strokes but at least I completed the sketch. I think I can start thinking about finding my form again.
Four flat peaches, watercolour in Stillman and birn sketchbook
Street in Beaulieu, watercolour in Stillman and Birn sketchbook
I took the day off and went galavaning. Had coffe and cake and tea, bought a Napoleon chair and a plant. And inbetween I did something useful like a sketch.
Somewhere I’ve lost my burning desire to sketch. Apart from me feeling it, the sketches also clearly show it. They are dull and lifeless. It could be that I have started doing a lot of my first love which is oils. But I do want to sketch, there are so much around to capture in a sketch! So, the question: will that enthusiasm to sketch return if I just keep going?
Teashop
Architecture Brive la Gaillarde
à bientôt
Ronell
February is a month in which many stores, restaurants and cafés close for a fortnight, taking their break before spring arrives with all its liveliness. Not much is happening in the mostly grey month of February. Everybody is cocooning and taking Prozac in front of their daylight lamps. Schools are also closed for a fortnight and the whole world goes skiing in February. Tradition. Except…this year is not a great skiing year with snow only on the highest peaks.
In the one café that is open during this month, I enjoyed my coffee and croissant. It is better than Prozac at least. It was stock full of people, being the only bar open in town, with everybody looking for a counter to lean on with their petit noir. I am not a counter girl, I prefer a table and a large one at that for all my clutter.
It is actually great sketching wise, when there are so many people in a bar. Nobody notices you giving him/her the infernal sketching glare, so drawing people is much more relaxed.
Streetview opposite café de la Poste in Bretenoux…Just a building across from Cafe de la Poste. I had my young German shepherd, Lindiwe with me who got impatient and I had to speed up the sketching.
Watercolor and Pilot Prera pen in Stillman & birn sketchbook, 22X14.5cm
Café life 1, 2 3: In PMU, we all call it Cécile’s bar, life was busy and noisy and sketching went great. The only problem was that my pen got empty and it got more and more difficult to make nice dark lines.
Pilot Prera pen in Stillman & Birn sketchbook, 22×14.5cm
Below are two sketches I did from the car. I don’t often sketch from inside the car…somehow I am uncomfortable and the window is in my way. But I suppose everything just need to be done regularly and it will become habit. In bad weather it definitely is an advantage to sketch from inside the car.
..parked cars in Beaulieu sur Dordogne..
pencil and watercolor in Daler & rowney sketchbook, A5
..hotel in Beaulieu sur dordogne..
pencil and watercolour in Sketchbook, A4
à la prochaine
Ronelle
Right opposite my physiotherapist are some interesting houses in Beaulieu sur dordogne. I arrived early for the previous sessions and did these 2 sketches of the same street from opposite directions on different days. One of my goals is to move towards change in my sketching; my subjects, the way I approach it and the way I do it. In a next post I will lay it out in more detail. For the moment then, these 2 sketches: the same street, different angle and different approach.
..Street view 1 south..
watercolour and prera pilot pen in moleskine aquarelle sketchbook 21x13cm.
..Street view north..
watercolour and rotring tikka pen(0.1) Daler & Roney sketchook, 21X14.9cm
I tried a different technique for each one. The view north is similar to how I paint in oils .more impressionistic if you will. The view south is more true to my original way of watercolour washes. In both instances I wanted to keep the sketch loose and light. I also tried to complete a sketch under 45 minutes and I succeeded in doing the top sketch in about 30 minutes and the bottom one in about 40 minutes.
..à bientôt
Ronelle
Africantapestry 