Sketchercise walk 22 March.

I’ve started my walking and sketching again. Walking I’ve always done, but now I’ve started taking the sketching stuff along again. I’ve also decided to do it a bit different from now on. The sketches will be very quick. The walking is about exercise firstly after all and stopping too often or for too long breaks my rhythm. On these sketchercise walks I will also only take my sketchercise journal(a lovely watercolour sketchbook, covered in red linen) and a rotring pen or pencil. I don’t want to carry a lot of stuff and I don’t want to fiddle with art supplies. I simply stop and do a sketch while standing, close the book and start walking again. I do a maximum of three sketches and they need to be very quick. Two to three minutes at the very most.

…all sketches done in sketchercise sketchbook, 18x25cm….

The sketches I did this morning were only about two minutes each and only in pencil. I added a wash at home. By making quick notes on the sketch,  it  helps work the memory for when I want to add a splash of colour at home. It works really great.  I achieve a lot…. get good walking in without breaking my rhythm and I get quick “unthinking” , almost blind contour drawing sketches done AND a posting as well! Leaves ample time to get on with the rest of my day and do decent art in the atelier or go out for some good sketching, with decent art supplies.

This is a fallen tree over part of the river which happened with the big storms that passed thr0ugh France about a month ago.

Sketching in Vouvray

Well, never too late to be back…or something like that…

I went sketching just in time yesterday. It was beautful and sunny with clear skies and warm. to suddenly fall upon today where we have one of the coldest days I have experienced so far this winter..we have the blue skies, but icy icy cold with a wind that slices us relentlessly in juliennes!

After a long time of no sketching, I found myself back in that corner where I fixate on detail and try to put too much on to the paper. So my objective for the next few weeks will be to get back into only capturing the necessary, sketch faster and not worry about doing it right!

It is good to be back…!

…vouvray 1

So, Yesterday. I stopped across the river Loire at Vouvray, a quaint village with houses set into the cliffs next to the Loire. Parking my car in the sun, flinging open the door, basking in the warmth of the sun, I did these two sketches at the same spot. Just moving my focus on with the road. With the first sketch, Vouvray 1,  I used my new bottle of black  ink to draw with, not realizing I bought water soluble ink. So when I washed with the watercolour, all the ink just flooded all over. With the second sketch, Vouvray 2,  I just fell back on my rotring tikkky graphich pen to draw with and then added my wash of water color.

…vouvray 2 – further down rue du petit coteau..

Both sketches in pen and watercolor in watercolor sketchbook, 15,3 x 25cm.

Bonne année!

Grab onto 2010

…with a smile…

…and life live to the fullest!…

BONNE ANNÉE!!

Peaceful christmas wishes to all!

Be at peace with life, stay faithfull to your hopes and keep a smile on your face.


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

In a sketching phase.

I am in a sketching phase. And especially scenes, not things or objects. Scenes like buildings and architecture, streets, les places, small shops. I don’t think I’m particularly good at these type of “scenes”, but I’m having fun!   I sometimes feel I will never be a proper artist. I  feel too much  like a changeling for I have too many phases. Maybe it is the winter.  Or the atmosphere in the streets, the lights coming from buildings, the reflection of streetlamps…how can I work alone in my atelier when there is the smell of coffee and hot chocolate in the bars, the intimate talks around candles, the festivity of people with shopping bags in the streets, the  creeping deeper into your woolen hat and coat…

Some last sketches from Paris: The first from le jardin du luxembourg with its hordes of trees and chairs.

…trees in jardin du luxembourg…

…a corner of st Sulpice and a sentier off rue des archives

la fontaine de st. sulpice

All sketches done in pen/pencil and watercolour in sketchbook (15.3x25cm)