This was always gonna happen. I was using some old Inktense pencils that I had neglected for years. And of course when I started using them, inspired by Liz Steel's Patreon, and then I had to go and buy some more! And when I see them on the same page where I swatched some Arrtx acrylic markers, I'm thinking, oooh, they would look nice together.
I'm continuing to explore the idea of a gold thread running through my landscape. I think there is plenty more to explore with this. This time, I worked in layers, glazing over existing pieces that I had created earlier in the week. They were lovely, but lacked something. I'm much happier with them now, except for one that was a total disaster! 5 out of 6 ain't bad. In one of them, the Ocean became a sky, another a bog. I might turn them around a little more and see what happens. They were all inspired by a video of the coast and mountains near Allihies on the Beara Peninsula. I have glued one to claybord, and applied some Dorland's wax medium to protect it. I really love how it turned out, the thread of gold colour, the rhythm of it all, the feeling of being on the edge of the Atlantic.
Here is what they looked like at the first layer
All the songs in this session were about 3 minutes long. I missed having a few longer songs in there, I have to say. It was hard, but so much fun!
15 April, at long last, mild enough and dry enough to sit outside for a bit without coat, woolly hats and mittens! Had to sketch the neighbours' cherry blossoms over the wall! Just playing with lots of art materials on thin cartridge paper.
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There is so much to discover on Capel Street. We are progressing with our slow journey. I could take twice as long and still find lots to sketch. It's an area that was neglected for many years, but now that it's partly pedestrianised (watch out for high-speed scooters though!), there is more space to notice the old buildings hidden behind ugly shopfronts. In a few years' time, it probably will be prettified and won't be half as interesting. And yes, the lunch sketch was a very basic drawing to start with!
From Bear Mrkt Stillorgan, in a small pocket Moleskine sketchbook. It's not much, but I have found it hard to sketch in my neighbourhood lately. So, it's a start.
It was wonderful to catch up with Kim, whom I had met in Mumbai. She was in Dublin for a brief visit. We started the morning with scones and tea in Bewleys, then a little bit of sketching in St Stephen's Green. We had to take shelter from the rain, twice. But it was fun. The second time, a group of tourists joined us under the canopy. I couldn't see anything, so I drew one of the guides and two of the tourists. I think anyone can call themselves a tour guide these days. They didn't even know what year Ireland became independent. It's 1921. They thought it was 1939. On the other hand, they told a lovely story about the park keeper continuing to feed the ducks, and both sides (the Irish in the park and the British on top of the Shelbourne hotel) holding their fire until he was safely back inside the park keeper's lodge.
This one is on A2 heavy cartridge paper, but I'm wondering if I should think about stretching my watercolour paper, as I'm using lots of water lately.
