Ambleside in Pastel - Commission

Schmincke and Unison soft pastels on 

Clairefontaine Pastelmat, 12" x 12"

Here is a painting I handed over a week ago. I was happy enough when I was asked to do a landscape but absolutely thrilled when I learned it was to be a place that we know and love - Ambleside, Cumbria. I was asked to do an image of a place where this couple stay each year.  Thank you people, I really enjoyed doing it!

277. Drive to the LHS

Pilot G-Tec and C4 pen in
re-cased Seawhite sketchbook, 7.5" x 7.5" (x2)

This scene has to be seen to be appreciated - I can't do it justice! This is part of left hand side of the gorgeous view that meets anyone driving up to my cousin's home.  Actually, the plants at the base of the tree trunk should be larger as they grow around the tree, surrounded by the rocks. (I did this in one 'sitting' during the night as I couldn't sleep.)

That's it folks! Challenge over! Thank you everyone for your support, encouragement and friendliness. Now for Inktober!

(Day 30 of Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30'.)

276. And Finally...

Pilot G-Tec and C4 pen and white Derwent Coloursoft pencil in
re-cased Seawhite sketchbook, 7.5" x 7.5" (x2)

The lower half (foreground) of the picture has now been finished and I've decided to leave it as it is and not add any colour but who knows...

(Day 29 of Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30'.)

275. Tone Added At the Side of the House

Pilot G-Tec and C4 pen and white Derwent Coloursoft pencil in
re-cased Seawhite sketchbook, 7.5" x 7.5" (x2)

Gosh! Look at the difference the addition of tonal values makes to the entire image and I haven't even finished the lower half! I always advocate the use of tone yet am still pleasantly surprised every time I compare the before and after images.

(Day 26 image)

My cousin (who owns this house and land) has told me to add colour but we've had a very busy couple of days so the challenge had to take a temporary back seat.

Thank you Leslie Saeta; I'm far from 30 pieces but I've done many more than I would have made time for had there not been a challenge this month! Added to that, and no less importantly, the encouragement from my fellow '30 in 30' artists has been wonderful. Thank you very much everyone!

(Day 29 of Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30'.)

274. At the Side of the House

Pilot G-Tec and C4 pen and white Derwent Coloursoft pencil in
re-cased Seawhite sketchbook, 7.5" x 7.5" (x2)

I thought I'd just knock out a very quick sketch while my husband was out at band practice. Three hours later…..

(Day 26 of Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30'.)

238. County Durham Sketch

Pilot G-Tec C4 in hand-stitched sketchbook

We made a trip up to County Durham and back in a day to see the godchildren (nine hours total driving) but it was well worth it for the memories.

(Posted later.)

232. Hampstead Heath Sketch

Lamy Safari fountain pen and Tombow brush pen

in Stillman & Birn Epsilon (lovely smooth) sketchbook, 8.5" x 5.5" (x2)

Hampstead Heath is right around the corner to the Royal Free Hospital where I had a treatment on Wednesday. Decided to have a rest in front of the river and pulled out my sketchbook before going home.  (I made a B&W copy and added colour to it yesterday; will post later.)

182. 'Different Tree Types' Challenge

Pilot G-Tec-C4 in Handbook Travelogue Journal, 5" x 5" (x2)

Hi Everyone, I hope you are enjoying your art, especially Leslie Saeta's  '30 in 30' participants.  I knocked this sketch out this morning before a meeting but I went to the park afterwards so I'll be posting more trees.  Have a wonderfully arty day. 

151. John Constable's House, Hampstead

Faber Castell 0.7 HB pencil then Staedtler Pigment Liner 0.05 pen,
Tombow Brushpen and two Derwent Coloursoft Pencils in

in Handbook Travelogue Journal, 5" x 5" (x2)

This sketch was done at the Sketchcrawl on Saturday in pencil at the scene then I went over it in pen at home. I got the idea of only adding colour to the door and the blue plaque from another sketcher there on the day who did a beautiful pen and ink drawing of the house. There are so many benefits to be had from creating alongside others - especially such seasoned artists, one of which is learning new ideas and techniques that can be used to enhance and progress your existing style.

Below is what I finished on the day:

The drawing was accurate at this stage (although I've moved the right-hand pillar slightly to the left) but what a difference the tonal values make! I love pen and ink.

114. After Paul Cezanne: House in Provence (1885)

(After Paul Cezanne)

Oil on Pebeo Linen Canvas Board, 4" x 4"

Hi again, above is my finished painting with the original below. I've now straightened the front door and this is a re-post. Happy painting everyone!

Original painting by Paul Cezanne

113. Cezanne Work-in-Progress

(After Cezanne)

Oil underpainting on Pebeo Linen Canvas Board, 4" x 4"

Good morning everyone, today, I'll just keep posting as I work as I'm a little bit behind; shame on me! Above is an underpainting for one of Paul Cezanne's houses in Provence and below left is the primed panel - I prepared them all over three months ago and just pulled the first one off for today's painting.

Again, huge thanks for all your comments and to my new follower, Jane; I will go in and thank you all individually - hopefully, before the end of the challenge!

More shortly...

Primed Pebeo Linen Canvas Board Panels, 4" x 4"

112. After Paul Cezanne: House with Cracked Walls (1892-94)

(After Cezanne)

Staedtler Pigment Liner and Derwent Aquatone on Goldline Cartridge Paper, 2" x 2"

Good morning everyone! Once again, thank you so much for your lovely comments - they are fuelling my creativity. Imagine this house - oh my goodness!

Original painting by Paul Cezanne 

Below is a work-in-progress photo with some items relating to its size.  Happy painting everyone… and drawing, doodling, sewing, etc., etc.  :)

105. After Paul Cezanne: The House of Doctor Gachet in Auvers, 1872-1873

(After Paul Cezanne)

Oil on Pebeo Linen Canvas Board, 8" x 8"

Well, once again, Leslie Saeta, thank you for setting us another '30 in 30' challenge. It forced me to get my paints out and I chose to do a copy of a Cezanne. It was much more complicated than I had anticipated but I'm really glad I did it as I enjoyed trying to work out how the master might have tackled his original.

The original painting by Paul Cezanne is below:

The original painting by Cezanne

Happy painting everyone; I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's work.

65. Day Twenty-Two: High Street, Black River

Oil on Pebeo canvas board, 10cm x 10cm (approx. 4" x 4")

Good morning everyone, eight days to go!  This is a scene that I regularly see when I'm in JA.  It is the High Street in Black River which runs alongside the sea. So what does that make this painting? A seascape? A landscape? An urban seascape? :D:D:D

This morning, the plan was simply to knock out a quick and loose(!) painting so I chose a palette knife and a small support. However, I get so lost when I'm doing any type of art that, without realising, it ended up with much more detail than I'd intended. Never mind, we've got something for Day 22 and that's all that matters, isn't it?

I'm working on a way of putting my initials into these little paintings less obviously as I don't want them to be a distraction but my colour shapers are too thick. Maybe a darning needle? Still thinking...

Have a good day everyone and thank you for visiting my blog, painters and non-painters alike. xx

53. Pink House, Cumbria

Landscape, oil on Pebeo canvas board, 30cm x 30cm (approx. 12" x 12")

Hello again, everyone.  I'm sorry I have not posted since mid-November (shocking!). Although I've done a fair bit of artwork, it was nothing I could post.  Some of it is for a friend's upcoming wedding, the last bit of which I finished yesterday so am now able to return to my own work for a while.

You may remember the underpainting above, done for Day 29 of Leslie Saeta's September challenge.  A week or so ago, I quickly blocked in some of the colour (middle image) but had to abandon it again until last night when I painted the distant mountains, tree, gate, road and finally the house.  I also tidied up the background trees and the dry stone wall.  I had originally shortened the fence (which in real life runs behind the gate and past the tree) but eventually ditched it altogether to achieve a more open space.

The only four colours used are from one of my major bargains - a pack of Royal Talens Rembrandt oils: Permanent Red Medium, Permanent Yellow Light, Ultramarine Deep and Titanium White.  I've heard it said that Rembrandt paints can be too oily but I get around that by simply using less medium than I would with, say, W&N paints.  My mix is Refined Linseed Oil, Stand Oil and Gamsol OMS at a ratio of 2:1:1 (Carol Marine's recipe).  I buy Gamsol from Stuart R. Stevenson on Clerkenwell Road in London - my first bottle was a free sample!  This time, I used two Liquitex brushes (soft, synthetic and great with oils) and a tiny palette knife for the pink blossom in the trees.

Anyway, thank you for visiting my blog and for reading this far!  I wish you a very happy Christmas and a prosperous and colour-filled 2014.  xx

50. Bluefields - Stop the Car!

Seascape, oil on Daler Rowney Canvas, 12" x 4"

This is a view of Bluefields Beach that we pass on the way to Montego Bay.  I have stopped to photograph it so many times over the years that now, every time we approach it, the gentleman who drives us automatically asks me if I'd like to stop and take a photograph! :D
I painted the yellow boat with a palette knife so the paint would go down nice and thick.

 

I meant to photograph my pen and ink drawing but only realised once I'd got this far with the paint.

5. Wrest Park - Entrance to House

 

Landscape, oil on panel, 6" x 5.5"