View from the Discovery Cafe

Staedtler Pigment Liner and W&N Watercolours 

in Stillman & Birn Beta Sketchbook, 3.3" x 5.5" (x2)

Yep! I love this sketchbook!

Inktober 2017 - 'Cloud'

Staedtler Pigment Liners, white Pentel Hybrid Gel pen
and watercolour in 7.5" x 7.5" Handmade Sketchbook

Just a simple image today - Negril Beach ('Seven Mile Beach') in Jamaica, which I paint regularly. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Sketchcrawl - Old Spitalfields Market

Staedtler Pigment Liners, Tombow Brushpen and
Neocolour II Wax Pastels in 7.5" x 7.5" Handmade Sketchbook

Urban Sketchers London Sketchcrawl at Old Spitalfields Market today. My friend, Ella, came with me; it was her first one and we had a great day. It was warm and dry and there were plenty places to sit, eat and sketch. It was such an interesting venue; thank you USK London organisers.

I didn't have time to do the art deco building in the distance but will another time; it's beautiful.

Almost finished my sketch

(my subject in background)

Lunchtime and end of day comparisons

So many interesting places to sketch

Impressive view

Inktober 2017 - 'Run'

Staedtler Pigment Liners (various nib sizes) 
in 7.5" x 7.5" Handmade Sketchbook.

#Inktober, #Inktober 2017
[Legs from an internet photo; landscape scenery is mine]

I can hardly believe it's Day 11 already! Anyway, today's subject was 'Run' and I was not so sure of my final image but posted it anyway and by the end of today, I'd received 79 'likes' on the 'Inktober' FB page so I'm sitting here very humbled and hugely encouraged.

Inktober 2017 - 'Gigantic'

Staedtler Pigment Liners (various nib sizes) 
and Zig Brushpen in 7.5" x 7.5" Handmade Sketchbook.

#Inktober, #Inktober 2017

This is for Day 10 of Inktober - 'Gigantic'. I've had a few busier than normal days so rather than beat myself up about being behind, I simply omitted a few entries.

Happy creating!

Sketch of Wardown

Pen and Ink and Watercolour Sketch of Wardown

in Handmade Sketchbook

A friend and I went on our own little sketchcrawl and did a few sketches before having a cuppa in the tea rooms. After she left to collect her children, I gave myself a little artist's date by sketching and painting this.

It's hard to believe I've been unable to post in Leslie Saeta's '30-in-30 Challenge' before now when I've made it a high point in my calendar in previous years. I'll have to make a determined effort for Inktober!

279. Simple Pastel Sketch of Cumbria

Charcoal and Schmincke and Unison soft pastels on 

Clairefontaine Pastelmat, 12" x 12"

Done in a rush!

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!

278. Collage for '30 in 30' Challenge - September 2016

Collage for '30 in 30' Challenge,

September 2016

Well done everyone who took part! Some managed to do 30 paintings; some of us only did a few - I managed 17 but well done one and all as it may be 17 pieces of artwork that may not have happened otherwise. My thanks to everyone who has supported me along the way and, ultimately, huge thanks to Leslie Saeta for putting on another great challenge - thank you!!!

(End of Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30' September 2016 Challenge.)

273. Road Back from the Supermarket

Pilot G-Tec and C4 pen,  Hybrid Gel Grip pen and Winsor & Newton

watercolours in re-cased Seawhite sketchbook, 7.5" x 7.5" (x2)

Can't get enough of this super view. My cousin's house is only one minute on from that bend on the horizon and my late parents' house is a further two minutes. Bliss!

I get my new glasses today - yippee!!

(Day 24 of Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30'.)

272. Dotty and Scratchy

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

I thought you might like to see my first marks on the page when I'm sketching. I learned many years from a video by Charles Reid to put little dots on the page in order to  map out the image and recently heard Marc Taro Holmes (Urban Sketchers) say exactly the same thing. If you look closely, you'll be able to see where I changed my mind a few times about the placement of the sea edge, wall, etc, before actually settling on the final shape of it. To dot out a straightish line for the horizon, I anchor my little finger under the sketchbook and run the pen from left to right. (I do the same up and down for my street poles - see post 273.)

It's helpful that the pen is water-soluble so a little of it dissolves into the paint. If it starts to look muddy, I just lift it out with kitchen towel but most times I actually like to see those marks on the page, as in the clouds.

(Day 23 of Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30'.)

269. Insomnia!

Pilot G-Tec C4 pen on re-cased Seawhite sketchbook, 7.5" x 7.5"

That seat is made of concrete but looks like faded wood. This was the view from my bedroom window whilst staying at my cousin's house. Bliss!

(Day 20 of Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30'.)

267. Supermarket View from Upstairs

Winsor & Newton watercolours and Pilot G-Tec C4 pen and
Hybrid Gel grip pen in re-cased Seawhite sketchbook, 7.5" x7.5" (x2)

If you go upstairs at the supermarket, where there are more shops and businesses, this is the view that meets you! It really has to be seen to be appreciated; I haven't done it much justice here. Have a great weekend everyone!

I wasn't totally happy with the previous image (now below) and could not think what it was that bothered me until I had to fit it onto Leslie's '30 in 30' page then I saw it! I much prefer the cropped version above; what do you think? (NB. It's in my sketchbook so is still in one piece - smile.)

(Day 17 of Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30'.)

266. Rain on the Horizon (Road to Supermarket)

Winsor & Newton watercolours and Pilot G-Tec C4 pen

in re-cased Seawhite sketchbook, 7.5" x7.5" (x2)

The supermarket is about four minutes drive from the house and this is the view on the right hand side. The clouds are sweeping over the Blue Mountains.

(Day 16 of Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30'.)

241. Calm Challenge

Schmincke and Unison soft pastels on Clairefontaine Pastelmat, 7" x 9.5"

This was my submission to our 'CALM' challenge amidst 'Brexit' fever!!

(Posted later.)

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.)

208. Losing the Plot...

W&N Watercolour and Pilot G-Tec C4 pen in

Stillman & Birn Alpha 5.5" x 8.5" (image: 6" x 8.25")

With Christmas approaching, I've done a ton of art leading up to it but none simply for the sake of it. I was starting to lose the plot so dug out a photo I stopped to take on leaving Luton Hoo a month or so ago and painted it. I feel better now…!

After Christmas Day, I'll post one of the projects I finished last week which someone asked me to do for their friend.

I'm sorry I haven't visited any of your blogs and sites recently; I'll catch up with you all as soon as I can.

Happy Christmas; happy holidays and happy painting to you all. xxx

Before cropping the photo.

202. Fundraisers 7 and 8

Parrottee Beach 2,

Acrylic and pencil on 3mm gessoed board, 4" x 4"

Negril,

Acrylic and pencil on 3mm gessoed board, 4" x 4"

Here are the final two tiles; I also submitted a 9.5" x 12" pastel painting of this beach that sold. I painted it back in September.

If I concentrate really, really hard, I can pretend this is the view outside my bedroom window. No, it's not; it's foggy!  :)))

201. Fundraisers 5 and 6

Seven Mile Beach,

Acrylic and pencil on 3mm gessoed board, 4" x 4"

Parrottee Beach 1

Acrylic and pencil on 3mm gessoed board, 4" x 4"

Yep, you were right!  The theme was either going to be the beach or trees… or both, wasn't it?! I also painted this set of four tiles for the fundraising event; two of which are here and two of which I've scheduled for tomorrow's post. There are no ink sketches to go with them as I just drew the faintest outlines before painting on top. I never tire of painting Jamaica - it's just unbelievable that somewhere looks like that all year round. Interestingly, when the hurricanes come, although the leaves may fly off, the palm trees simply bend down; they don't break. There's a moral in there somewhere!

Happy Monday my dear blog friends. xx