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Watercolour for Sunflowers.

Some subject are painted again and again and they never look the same, like sunflowers. I have done sunflowers in 2007, then in 2010, 2011, 2014 and now again. they are just wondeful to paint/sketch…the colour alone gives me huge kick when slapping it onto the paper. Sometimes my painting/sketching didn’t work, but I enjoyed painting sunflowers every time. So, before the season runs out, I need to get some sunflowers done in oil…looking forward to that.

Sunflower 1: Watercolour and pen,  watercolour block, 30x30cm

sunflowers 2016

Sunflower 2: Watercolour and pen, watercolour block, 3030cm

sunflowers 20160001

à bientôt

Ronell

Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen · 9 Comments

Agapanthus in watercolour.

The agapanthus in my garden are blooming profusely and beautiful in their blues ad whites. To my amazement I realized yesterday i haven’t painted any agapanthus yet. I gave it three attempts. The first attempt is probably still the best , even though it is not what I am after. Most of the time that I try two or more attempts of the same subject, I find that the first attempt is the best.I have experienced it so many times. I think it is probably an instinctive reaction to what you see for the first time in front of you..in order to capture that is…and as we all know… first, spontaneous  reactions are always instinctive.

Agapanthus 1: Not great composition, but the first attempt and probably the best of three.

Agapanthus -001

Agapanthus 2: The values way too dark and the overall effect too messy.

Agapanthus

Agapanthus 3: Third attempt and I think it turned out the second best of the three efforts. I quite like the lightness of the blooms, but the overall effect is a bit stiff.

Agapanthus -002

Until next time

Ronell

 

Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen · 8 Comments

Hibiscus in watercolour.

It is raining outside, proper weather for a nice tajine, which I already have simmering on the stove. In my atelier corner, stands a vase with white hibiscus from the garden and in my Stillman and Birnsketchbook, a sketch of those hibiscus flowers.

HibiscusAfter turning the sketch around several times, I felt finally that it looks better upside down, as in the image below. when looking at the top picture the eye wna&ts to get in at the top right corner and run down diagonally towards the bottom. Most of the time it feels uncomfortable to let the eye travel from the top to bottom. It feels more natural to travel from the bottom , upwards, over the painting and out, which is what happens in the upside down version, bottom sketch.

Hibiscus 1

à bientôt

Ronelle

Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen · 7 Comments

Sketches: shasta daisies and a bouquet of flowers.

I love the big summer Shasta daisies…they provide the most beautiful splotches of white colour in the garden, especially in the evenings.

shasta daisies

watertcolour and nib pen in Daler rowney sketchook, 21×29.7cm

shasta daisies

I received a lovely bouquet of flowers from our neighbors this past weekend…Gerbera daises, Gypsophillas, and dark red cockscombs.

..bouquet de fleurs..

watertcolour and pentel brushpebn in Daler rowney sketchook, 21×29.7cm

bouquet de fleurs

Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen · 6 Comments

Sketching a pansy and boxwood in the garden.

While waiting for a delivery…and everybody knows how that can turn into a long wait…I sat beside the pansies. I couldn’t help myself. The urge for capturing in a sketchbook was too strong for me. I finished the pansies. I checked my watch…still waiting. I moved on to a boxwood with a little statue.  Then the delivery showed up.

..Pansies..

watercolor and pilot prera fountain pen in Epsilon Stillman & Birn sketchbook, 14X21.6 cm

Pansy..boxwood and statue..

watercolor and pilot prera fountain pen in Alpha Stillman & Birn sketchbook, 22.9X15.2 cm

boxwood0001

..some blue pansies.. painting pansiesà la prochaine fois

Ronelle

Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen · 3 Comments

Still doing bulb sketches.

The potted bulbs all have some flowers and today the little Iris reticulata had its turn. Some quick line work in inks and blotches of watercolor was all that I was in the mood for.

..Iris reticulata 1..

..watercolor and J. Herbin ink(bleu myosotis and lie de the) on Fabriano HPwatercolor block..

iris reticulataThe top sketch was done on Fabriano hot press watercolor paper, my favorite and the inks just work beautifully with the nibs and inks. The bottom sketch on cold press was a different story. The nibs get stuck on the paper with its rough texture and I just don’t like any other paper than hot pressed. you can just look at my signed name to see how I struggled to get a fluid line down.

..Iris reticulata 2..

..watercolor and Sennelier ink(sanguine 270) on Fabriano CP watercolor block..

iris reticulata-001