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.)

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'.)

212. Sketchcrawl 23.01.2016

Pilot C4 G-Tec pen and Winsor & Newton Watercolours 
in Stillman and Birn Alpha sketchbook, 8.5" x 5.5" (x2)

Up four flights of stairs(!) and I arrived in the rafters in 'Project Space' (in an art gallery) this afternoon and this is what we did. A complex scene and I made a ton load of errors; nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon thanks to the Urban Sketchers group in Northampton.

197. More Trees, More Park, Can't Help it!

Lamy Safari fountain pen 

in Stillman & Birn Epsilon Sketchbook, 8.5" x 5.5" (x2)

It's true! I can't help it - I love sketching the landscape, parks, trees, etc. I'm wondering whether to add some light colour to this so I've taken a photocopy of the sketchbook pages and will mess about with some coloured pencil; if it works, I'll colour in my sketchbook. Maybe see you later...

189. Rainy Ambleside Sketch

Pilot G-Tec-C4 pen in an A5 sketchbook that I made

I was waiting for something this afternoon so just pulled up one of my many Lake District photographs and did a sketchy sketch from it.  I was struck by the very bright red lights on the  Range Rover and in the reflection so pulled out a red C4 and coloured them.

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.

149. Sketchcrawl - Opposite the Flask Pub

Pilot G-Tec C4 Watersoluble pen, Staedtler 0.1 Pigment Liner,
Tombow Brush Pen and Caran d'Ache Neocolour II

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

Lots of errors being corrected here, as you can see, but that's the beauty of the sketchbook - try and try and try again until it's right then be honest enough to share for the encouragement of others. See, Azra, Julie and Rolina - I'm learning!!! Thanks to each of you for your very kind words that changed my thinking and helped me to see sense.

123. Sunshine Bakery in Pastel

Schminke and Unison Soft Pastels over watercolour
on Daler Rowney Murano paper, 12" x 16"

I clean forgot to post up this pastel painting from Roger Dellar's workshop on the 5th. I found this extremely difficult but ultimately very rewarding - the loose effect is so far from my style. I was often concentrating so much on trying to make it more abstract, I forgot to vary my mark-making. It was a great day though and Roger was again generous in sharing his knowledge. Even if I had just watched him paint it would have been enough just to see how he develops his paintings.

Work in progress images below:

Initial watercolour wash

Blocking in with pastels

Adding figures

Yep! That's a cannon from the war!

71. Collage for '30 in 30' Challenge - January 2014

Collage of original oil paintings

Well here it is, my friends. Work, hospital and other things meant that I only managed 15 - I omitted the 'Eggs' work-in-progress (No. 64) as, small-scale, it looked too similar to the final piece. However, I actually did four times the amount I managed back in September and each one is an original so I'm happy.

I've just had a look at the other collages that are starting to appear on Leslie's blog and they are fabulous! Well done everyone, it's been great.

Happy February - I hope and pray we can all keep creating.  xx

66. Day Twenty-Four: Man with a Dozen Eggs

Urban landscape, oil on Loxley stretched canvas, 10" x 8"

Hi Everyone, he's now finished and I wish I knew his name. On the day we were having the car fixed, I saw him between two buildings, holding his dozen eggs and looking very serene sitting on a bench, softened by an old car seat! However, he was actually complaining to himself in a low, consistent mutter, completely oblivious to the rest of us. 

I loved the way the he was in silhouette, with the sun streaming in beside him from between the other building, bleaching the grass so that it hurt your eyes to stare at it. The upper part of the image is actually another building - it was generally grey but had lovely pastel colours reflecting from it in the heat. In the foreground, there was a carpet mat precariously strewn across the large concrete step but I left it out - everything else is as it was.

Warning: nerdy element follows...

Have you guessed yet that I love Michael Harding's paints? They are beautifully intense as they contain no fillers or driers but are worth the initial layout as you need only use a fraction compared to other brands. However, initially, I used various mixes of MH Ultramarine Blue for the jeans but, even tempered with Burnt Umber, it was too bright. I had to scrape it off and pull out my Schminke Delft Blue, which is Indanthrene (or Indanthrone Blue in other brands), PB60. I love the indanthrone pigment and have used it a fair bit in watercolours and acrylic over the years. It's a lovely compromise between the very bright ultramarine (PB29) and the sometimes dull Indigo (various pigment mixtures depending on manufacturer). 

I always replace my paints according to pigment colour to ensure I get the same hues across manufacturers and, if the name changes, you are still OK. A few months ago, I wanted an opaque yellow to lighten mixes so did a hunt for PY35 across W&N, Royal Talens Rembrandt and Schminke Mussini (have you tried Schminke soft pastels? Yummy!).  In the end, I chose Schminke's Cadmium Yellow1 Light, simply because the price was best in that particular store.

Does anyone out there use PBk60? Schminke Mussini Atrament Black (aka. Perylene Green) is one of my best discoveries and it appears in all my Caribbean palm and coconut 'tree-scapes'.

64. Day Twenty-One: Work in Progress - Man with Eggs

Urban landscape, oil on 10" x 8" stretched canvas

I have been 'umming and ahh-ing' about posting this as it is not a new piece but a work in progress (see post number 60, Day 9).  However, since posting last time, I've added paint to the underdrawing, doing a little bit on it each day.  Eventually, I hope to show the gentleman in shade with the sun streaming in beside him on the grassy area.  For this, all the tones will have to be absolutely right.

I used MH Burnt Umber to put the darks in the foreground; isn't the colour rich and fabulous? I could have used Raw Umber but I'm hoping the intensity of the BU will make the subsequent blues look more vibrant. Seeing how luscious his RU and BU are, I am so tempted to buy his Burnt Siena, simply to experience the vibrancy of that colour in his range but maybe that's not a good reason to splash out on a tube of paint, even if it is only Series1. The website says: "Its tint power is noticeably stronger than the more opaque Earths." Gimme, gimme!!