Spain sketches 1: Xiringuito, Canyelles platja.
I had the greatest holiday on the costa Brava in Spain , broken leg and all. My family decided a wheelchair is the way to get around effortlessly and although I complained loud and clear, I have to admit they were right. I could of course only sit at the “xiringuito” (beach bar) and sketch the world around me, while friend and family were out on the beach, in the water, snorkeling, sailing. But that is OK, I will get my turn next year.
the sketches are all done in situ and there will be blotches all over, because I turned pages while the paint wasn’t completely dry. a lot of mistakes too, which stayed on the pages, since I did everything directly in pen and just sketched over the mistakes. As you can see, my sketchbooks aren’t perfectly beautiful…too many blops and bloops!
xiringuito, Canyelles platja
elderly lady on the couch at the xiringuitto, typing away on her tablet.
a couple on the couch, taking a break from the sand and sun 
a young lady, very prettily coiffed and made-up, with matching purse, waiting for her drink 
à la prochaine
Ronelle
September 8: Selfportrait.
I had no idea what to draw or paint today. If I weren’t so committed to my September project, I would’ve been on the couch, watching a movie. It is raining, it is cold and it is Sunday. On the best of Sundays, I feel blue and foul mooded. Today was no exception. The drawing says it all.
..selfprotrait..
graphite on drawing paper (49,7x42cm)
à demain
Ronelle
Singapore sketches.
We were in Singapore for a few days recently and apart from devouring sushi, morning noon and night, I managed to pack in a few sketches. I found the climate very tiring for walking and sketching…heavy, hot and humid! But for the rest, I enjoyed every bit of the trip(except the flight there and back of course, but that is only becasue I hate flying by default).
Singapore is rich in culture and history, two things that I thoroughly enjoy. Discovering cultures different than mine and learning about their history truly enriches me. I feel fortunate to have been able to learn a bit more of Singapore…next on my list is Japan towards the end of the year, depending on the circumstances. We were in Singapore when Japan was hit recently and I sadly witnessed many people cry for family they’ve lost or haven’t heard of back in Japan.
Read more about the history of singapore here.
You can see some photos of the trip here at Sushi..and Singapore.
Or here inTravels at Myfrenchkitchen.
Or on Facebook.
…Masjid sultan…
Pen and watercolor in watercolor sketchbook, 15.5×35 cm
…on the esplanade…
pencil and watercolor in watercolor sketchbook, 15.5×35 cm.
.. Lin bo Seng memorial and old supreme court…
pencil and watercolor in watercolor sketchbook, 15.5x35cm
…Indian cricket club…
pen and watercolor in watercolor sketchbook, 15,5×35 cm.
…scene in chinatown…
Pen and watercolor in watercolor sketchbook, 15.5x35cm.
…people sketches…
Pen and watercolor in watecolors sketchbook, 19x20cm
…buddha tooth relic temple in chinatown…
pencil and watercolor in watercolor sketcjbook, 15.5x35cm.
…Science museum…
pen and watercolor in watecolor skechbook, 19x20cm
Inspirations in color
I am in search of Inspiration. I find it in people. That does it for me. Creative people, people with strong character, the survivors, the gentle, caring ones, the courageous, daring ones…I have them all in my small circle of friends.
Voici two of them. Two wonderful inspirations. Very far away, so I had to rely on photo’s. I don’t mind that much.
I chose to do the following sketch, because I love the way this friend interacts. She is a beautiful woman, an extraordinary talented florist; you can give her a dry stick and she’ll turn it into a magical creation. And she can’t talk without her hands. I love that. When I dropped by her floral shop, she was busy with a romantic bouquet for Valentine’s day and we stood for about 30 minutes chatting, while she held this wonderful creation in the one hand and expressed herself with the other. She wears this delightful “apron” when she works, to protect her clothes. Being around her, is feeling the creative juices flow…it is inspiring.
This was supposed to be only watercolor on HP Arches paper. Then I had to “fix” it by adding pen! It seems I have to fix everything lately.
This friend is a lovely romantic, in heart and soul and in appearance. She carries a bit of yesteryear with her. With her angelic hair and fair skin and soft features, she posed many problems to paint. This is my fourth go at her and it still not what I’m after and this time pen wont’ fix it. I want nothing less than a soft, flowy watercolor painting. I’ll probably try again and again…Maybe its because I know that she isn’t ALL romantic – she can swim faster than anyone I know, she can climb a rock as fast as the young guys, she can paddle a kayak through some scary rapids and she’s not afraid of any marathon! She exudes a wonderful zest for life, nothing is too hard or too boring for her, she does everything that comes her way…it’s contagious. This is watercolor on Fabriano CP (extra white)
27 comments:
- Stacy said…
- Ronell, your friends sound lovely and look lovely too! I love how their personalities influenced you as much as their appearance did.
- Lin said…
- STUNNINGLY GLORIOUS!!!
- Bonny said…
- You have a wonderful talent, Ronell. Not only do you connect in a special way with people, but you portray them beautifully, too. Love the painting of your florist friend. She almost looks fey like a fairy princess. Gorgeous!
- Teri C said…
- Beautiful paintings Ronell!! I love your commentary with all your art-they were made for each other.
- Dave said…
- Well, you certainly fixed it well! Wonderful portraits, and what wonderful friends it sounds like you have.
- Anita said…
- Oh Ronell I LOVE everything about this entry.
- Claudia said…
- Ronell, w o n d e r f u l watercolours, especially the first one! It has something magic!
- Lindsay said…
- What a sweet and beautiful post. A nice tribute to your friends too.
- martín said…
- Beautiful portraits Ronell. The first one really talks. Your friend does it with her hands and you through your paintings.
- SCquiltaddict said…
- fun wc…great stuff…gotta get my paint brushes back out! keep it up
- Jana Bouc said…
- What a fabulous portrait–both in words and paint. I love the second one–it’s so loose and fresh and has a sweetness about it.
- Tonniece said…
- Love this post Ronell
I’ts so great to have friends, good friends, and being able to capture their essence as you have here is a wonderful gift to them and all of us as well. - Carole said…
- I really love how you have composed and painted these to capture their character as well as their features. They are beautiful paintings and charming descriptions of your friends.
- suzanne said…
- Wow Ronell….these are both breathtaking. Not only in the sense that they are technically outstanding, but also in the fact that you have captured the personalities of your inspirations so well. Not knowing them, I think I could have pretty much described their personalities in exactly the way you did, only by looking at your paintings.Your inspirations are inspirations to me.
- Arty Velarde said…
- This is nice. I like the watery, “juiciness”!
- janey said…
- These are very soft and pretty and I like the descriptions that go with them. It makes the paintings come alive even more.
- juj said…
- Oh Ronell – These are lovely! I especially like the second one, so soft and loose – I love the expression on her face. And the deep red of the necklace is such a nice accent to the whole and balances her glasses perfectly. Your friends both sound wonderful. You must feel very fortunate to have them in your life.
- Nancy Van Blaricom said…
- I simply love the stories that go along with your watercolors. The watercolors could stand alone with not comments, but you bring such life to them all….
- Robyn said…
- Both friends are lovely – I love the mood as well in the first watercolour and the second is beautiful in the lightness of your touch.
- ksklein said…
- I love the top pic. Very romantic. It reminds me of weddings, brides, valentines,…
I would have loved to nsee a little more of her face though. - Emma Pod said…
- These are both wonderful paintings of your friends. In the top one I can almost hear her talking…the hand gesture is so nice! Nice work!
- Regula Scheifele said…
- Both your paintings and your descriptions are loving and beautiful – what a gift you have and how nice for your friends to have you paint them!
- Sandy said…
- Ronell, these are beautiful and I loved reading how they inspire you..sandy
- platitudinal said…
- Beautiful paintings of those you hold dear in your heart. 🙂
- Serena said…
- Beautiful work, Ronell, and a very nice tribute to your friends. 🙂
- phthaloblu said…
- These are both beautiful paintings, but I know how you feel when you’re trying for a certain result and you can’t get it. But, these are very beautiful. I think lots of us look to the people we know when we need inspiration. That’s how we re-energize. When we are feeling down, we gravitate toward someone who is immensely positive so we can feed off of that positiveness. Does that make sense? Anyway, it sounds like you have some wonderful friends to look to for your inspiration. Full of life and creativity.
- austin of sundrip said…
- I’ve scrolled through your page here but I keep coming back to the girl with flowers, it catches my eye and won’t let it go. Awesome work, awesome.Austin of Sundrip
I give you… Christeen
A fun exchange in emails between Christeen and me a while ago, turned into work in the end! Not that this wasn’t fun. Too much, I would say…I actually attempted three paintings! But it sure was difficult…I was very worried about not doing justice to her beauty and wonderful character. She assured me though it is about the process, and not the end result(for this time, I’ll believe it, although I would normally believe that the result does carry quite a bit of weight too!)
She also sent me a picture of her and her brother at four years, which I’ll attempt a bit later. By her own words, she now once again has the playfulness, enthusiasm and humor she had when she was four and that was what I tried to capture. I can see it so obviously in her face, but capturing it, is another thing. She has these amazingly long eyelashes behind which she carries the sparkles of mischief, a mouth full and round with humor, and hair, wild like a free roaming lioness. See Christeen’s excellent take on this!!…. as well as the original image here
So, here I give you Christeen…..in graphite on paper; then watercolor on Arches and last, oil on linen.
- shirley said…
- All absolutely wonderful! What a huge project….
- Christeen said…
- Ronell, you are one amazingly talented woman!! Holy smokes! These are awesome!
- Dave said…
- Ooh, these are all good. I think the graphite one is my favourite. No, perhaps it’s the oil. Although now I come to look at the watercolour again…
- caseytoussaint said…
- Wow, Ronell, these are great! My favorite is the oil – it ‘s so full of life.
- Lin said…
- RONELL! STUNNING! GORGEOUS! PHENOMENAL WORK! MERCY … THIS IS TRULY OUTSTANDING!
- Claudia said…
- I like the watercolour one the most! Wonderful work, all three are superb!
- Nina Johansson said…
- hese are just lovely! Incredibly good, you captured Christeen perfectly!
- martín said…
- Ronell, I absolutely agree with Christeen, you´re amanzingly talented!!! I can’t say I have a favourite, I can’t decide since I like the three of them very much. Each one has its own character. GREAT JOB!!!
- Sarah said…
- Amazing paintings – isn’t it interesting how the different media seem to emphasise different aspects – they’re all alive and vital, but the watercolour shows a more reflective person, the oil brings that hint of mischief out more and in the charcoal drawing she looks more curious, almost about to challenge someone (I should say – that’s how they look to me anyway)
- SCquiltaddict said…
- Ronell THese are just super…they got better and better as i scrolled down the page…cant decide WHICH is my favorite…they are all MAGNIFICIENT!!
- Cathy (Kate) Johnson said…
- Oh, Ronell, your charcoal is GORGEOUS, and so is Christeen!
- Cathy (Kate) Johnson said…
- Ooops, graphite! You did such a rich, deep job with it I just assumed it was charcoal!Read ALL the words, Kate…*G*
- Silvia said…
- All of the portraits are wonderful :), but I think I like the second one even best :))!
- Kristin Saegaert said…
- Wow! I think I like the graphite the best, but with your amazing talent it’s really hard to commit to that!!! Thanks for sharing your art with us!
- Shelly McC said…
- Stunning painting!
- Kay Cox said…
- Ronell, these are just beautiful. I aspire to be able to paint like you someday. Thank you so much for sharing your lovely work. Lucky Christeen!
- bec said…
- What a fun project! My favorite is the watercolor… nice play of light on the subject. Did Christeen draw you?
- Robin Neudorfer said…
- I love the graphite drawing. So spontaneous. What a fun project
- Nancy said…
- I love the graphite drawing and keep gong back to it (your model is beautiful by the way). I love to look at your site – I leave feeling inspired.
- Serena said…
- These are awesome! I think my favourite is the graphite. 🙂
- Africantapestry said…
- Thank you for all the comments -Sarah…thank you for being so observant..you’re spot on! I’m so glad you did see a littel of what I tried to do…see down below.Nancy: Yes I had a beautiful model to work with!Bec: and Christeen does have a snapshot of me, so when she has time, she’ll do one too.note: This was a very intimidating experience for me….doing a painting of someone you don’t know or haven’t met face to face, and in a weird sense is actually a friend(like you all would agree, I’m sure) and all you have to work with is a photograph – you haven’t seen some personal mannerisms, like how her mouth moves when she smiles, how she crinkles her nose, how she plays with a string of hair, how the light in her eye changes…anything that can give you an idea of something more than physical…. Normally I would’ve preferred to have Christeen’s face say something more than just displaying rendition, tell more of a story, but I didn’t feel confident enough to do that. Who knows, maybe our paths might cross and then I’ll redo these.
Ronell - Regula Scheifele said…
- So I’m going to chime in and say how much I admire your work and your courage as well… I couldn’t say which one I like the most, since they all have a different feeling to them, like showing different aspects of Christeen’s personality? – Would be interesting to know which one she thinks portrays her best?
- Ujwala said…
- all three are wonderful but the oil is my favourite 😛 sounds like a fun project and i hope we can see christeen’s work too.
- Tonniece said…
- OOOH, I LOVE THEM ALL RONELL, BUT I TRULY THINK THE GRAPHITE IS MY FAVE. I
- Sandy said…
- WOW – big WOW you are a master (bowing down before you)
- Robyn said…
- I love the graphite one, Ronell. it looks so spontaneous and very much from life. That, I find, is terribly difficult to achieve from a photo which usually lends itself to a more formal portrait. You are very clever – I’m so in awe of the oil too!
- Fanta said…
- I like the first one best, maybe because I love graphite, maybe because you truly did capture the child in her expression.
The last one truly looks like a lioness, even the twirls in the background resemble the presence of a lioness! Awesome! - platitudinal said…
- Truly amazing work. You’re not only attempting a likeness of her, but also her essence. That’s very difficult to capture, and yet you did. I think each medium emphasize more of certain characteristic, but all and all they’re all there. Superb job, Ronell.
- Carole said…
- Well done – these are stunning! It’s so interesting seeing them done in three different media, and noticing how each gives a different feel. My favourite has to be the oil painting because I am such a huge fan of your luscious way with oils. Oh, to be able to paint like that!
- Anonymous said…
- Hello I cant tell you how much your work has inspired me to practice daily and hope that someday I also will be able to turn out wonderful works of art. You are a wonderful artist and I thank-you for letting us see your work hear.
Linda - mARTa said…
- wow! how different they all are yet how smashing! Your blog is always a joy to the viewer!
- Renate said…
- Wonderful. They all have there own charm. I love the eyes from the graphite one, but my favorite is the one in oil.
- wagonized said…
- It is hard to tell which one strikes me the most — as each of them stresses something different about Christeen. Love her hair in the graphite one.
Thank you, Ronell, for your comments on my funk of the past few days. Your words, which i found on Suzanne’s blog, have stuck in my head ever since i read them. Yesterday, i just showed up at the page… 🙂 - Christeen said…
- I keep coming back to marvel at these. I’ve never seen a drawing or painting of myself before, and I enjoy them SO much!Your graphite drawing really captures how my hair feels to me- men have lost watches in it! It can be incridibly difficult to coerce into submission!I love the loose, fresh approach in the watercolor. You’ve made the light SO beautiful- I feel like I’m outside, just looking at it. I am also impressed with how you kept the line of my nosering thin and delicate in the midst of those wonderful washes of color. You’ve got my squint wonderfully.And the oil- wow. The brushstrokes are really lively. Thje background supports your lionine take on my hair, and suggests wind tossing it around (and it was VERY windy the day I took that shot). The colors are luscious. The colors you’ve used for my skin are particularly impressive to me.So, all that said, thank you SO much for applying your creative talents to this swap of photos! You’ve inspired and impressed me, and I’m so glad we gave it a try.
- andrea joseph’s sketchblog said…
- Great work Ronell – not just this post throughout your blog. These are great, I think I like the pencil one the best.
- aPugsLife-laserone said…
- These are really fantastic! You’re so talented. 😀
- E-J said…
- You’ve been so busy! You and Christeen have really taken this challenge by the horns. I think the oil is especially good.
- Linda said…
- These are all great! Christeen’s painting of you is wonderful, too — you two are cooking up some fun stuff! 🙂
- Anonymous said…
- Come across to your blog and loved it. I will return.http://tcores.blogspot.com
- janey said…
- These are great, I love the color and texture in the last one.
- Africantapestry said…
- Thank you for all the generous comments!
Ronell - phthaloblu said…
- What a grand project! I love the graphite the best, but that’s just me. All of them are simply superb.
Fresh from the sea
A drawing in ink and wash. I started out, planning this to be a painting, but somehow it ended up as a sketch with a wash. I chose the wrong day to do a painting…a bit low on energy that day. I used one of my photographs I took on my recent trip and it can clearly be seen in this sketch – it is lifeless and without feeling, without energy. I find that I cannot do a sketch from a photograph, somehow I don’t have the ability to give it …oomph..
Click on the image for a larger view ( hope it works this time, since I have been having problems with this clicking-thing.))
This sketch is pen and wash on Fabriano hotpressed paper.
- Bonny said…
- Ronelle, I think you’re being a bit too hard on yourself. This is a great sketch!
If you really, really think this is medioce (which I don’t agree with), think of it this way:
The sketch is a nice reminder of your trip and what you saw that particular day. When you look at this weeks and months down the road, you will be reminded of that day.
I like this. I can make a story from what I see in the sketch: what the fisherman is doing or thinking, what he might do next. It’s a wonderful sketch! - casey said…
- From here, this looks active, vibrant, spontaneous – everything a sketch should be! I don’t see what you don’t like about it. This is beautiful work, Ronell.
- Lin said…
- MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE IS PEN AND WASH AND HTIS HAS THE VIVID SPONTANEITY THAT MAKES THAT METHOD SO GORGEOUS! I THINK IS THIS GLORIOUSLY DONE!
- Africantapestry said…
- thanks for the comments…I do feel better about the sketch, Thanks!
Ronell - mARTa said…
- Ronelle….this is how I wish to paint! This is so lively and reminds me is many ways of a Singer-Sargent….really lovely
- df said…
- hi ronelle thanks for visiting my blog so that I could get to yours! I love this sketch. It’s very loose and energetic. Of course we have to work from photos every now and then. There’s no way I could ask everyone that I wanted to paint to hold the pose for twenty minutes. Can you imagine asking the fish guy to just hold it for a minute?
Plus, I love the self portrait that you have in your profile area. Very wonderful!
Airport people
Being back in France for 3 days after a holiday of almost 3 weeks, leaves me a bit off balance. I’m in slow motion and struggle to pick up the pace. I think my spirit is still lingering in the sun somewhere in the Cape, South Africa. I feel inspired, but at the same time, sad. Having had the most glorious time with friends and family, being spoilt rotten…it is hard to be back and just pick up where we left off 3 weeks ago.
I did do a lot of sketching, took close to a 2000 photographs, soaked up the sun in the vineyards by picking grapes(and sketching and eating and taking pictures, all at the same time) and had close conversation with some elephants (all in good spirit…!), heard a lot of good life stories filled with great humor, ate a lot, drank a lot(I was in the wine lands after all…), laughed a lot, in fact indulged way too much in everything of all sorts, which is a good thing every now and then, no?I’ll post some sketches in batches, starting off with CdG- airport, where we had to change planes because of a technical problem and could therefore only depart 3 hours later. So, here are some sketches of people wandering around…waiting, watching the clock, reading, chatting on their mobile phones, some extremely bored, others not showing any emotion….strangely enough, I couldn’t find anyone sleeping…maybe in fear of being left behind?
I’m still not comfortable sketching people in public….I still have a lot of practicing to do, before I’ll feel competent and at ease doing people in public, but I do enjoy it once it is done, until the next time! These were all done in the small moleskine, which I sometimes find a bit restricting.
So, here they are – all those waiting people at the airport…….
11 comments:
- E-J said…
- Hello – there are some lovely sketches on your blog! I wish I had such lightness of touch when sketching with watercolour. Bookmarking you. 🙂
- Deborah said…
- These sketches of the people are wonderful. The gestures are great. Can’t wait to see more from your trip.
- caseytoussaint said…
- Hi Ronell – great sketches! I’m thrilled to see you getting addicted to drawing people in public too, shall we go on some sketchcrawls? The nice weather is coming too…..
- phthaloblu said…
- These are wonderful sketches, and the washes look great. I’m curious, did you do the washes while you were sketching, or after you were home? Well done!
- gabi campanario said…
- hi ronell,
these are great, the person talking on the phone is my favorite. looking forward to seeing more! - Africantapestry said…
- HiThank you for your kind comments on my blog.To answer your question, phtalobu, ….It depends. The drawings at the airport didn’t have any specific light or color that I wanted to capture, it was more just gestural, so I just washed them later, no specific order. I actually considered leaving them as pen sketches, but then started putting a wash in on one and liked it…I enjoy color, what can I say! With some sketches, I’d like to capture shadows or light, and then I would do it there on the spot. I carry a small watercolor and 2 waterbrushes with me. And then sometimes I would do a sketch, and would just make notes on the colors or shadows or light and do the washes later, but not too long afterwards, or else I forget!! (Or even become too lazy…hehe!
- Jana Bouc said…
- Wonderful sketches. I love the painting on the upper right of your site. Is that a self portrait? It’s so expressive and charming.
- Africantapestry said…
- Thank you Jana…yes, it is kind of a self portrait – oil on canvas..
- Renate said…
- Lovely sketches. I can’t see that you did not feel comfortable doing them.
- martha said…
- These are wonderful! Airports are indeed great for people sketching.
- andrea joseph’s sketchblog said…
- Great studies.
