More sketches from the Botanic Gardens

Green isn't the easiest colour. But when you're in the Botanic Gardens, you have no choice, but to mix, and vary, and try and make them natural, but interesting at the same time. And by the way, I'm developing an obsession for water lilies. Mine still don't look like water lilies. But if I practise enough, they will, eventually!

And here is a larger version of my favourite sketch of the day. It was done in a few minutes. I particularly like how I suggested the little bridge that spans over the pond!

Exploring a scene

I took a couple of pictures of a boat moored at a remote little harbour somewhere on the Beara Peninsula last year. Travara Beach according to Google Maps. I think we're all nostalgic for all the carefree travel and adventures of last summer. But I can go through my photos for painting ideas. And explore! There was an interesting yellow algae at the time. 

This is as far as I've got with it. I probably need to reduce the number of shapes. I suppose I could have "stuff and junk on the boat in light" and "stuff and junk on the boat in shade". Some of that junk is lobster traps. It took me a while looking at my photo to figure it out! 

Next step will be a one colour watercolour value study! If I don't get distracted!

Sketching while waiting

Starting to go out into the world again. Well, we haven't left Dublin, unless you count a walk on Bray seafront - that's County Wicklow after all! But there is so much beauty all around Dublin that I really don't need to go anywhere else!

I'm trying to fit sketching into the in-between times of life. I'm the type of person who tends to be early for every appointment, so that means 10 minutes in the car when I can sketch. Every drawing is a practice. Every drawing leads to the next. And I love playing with pens and pencils, as much as I love watercolour.

Botanic Gardens

I'm just so happy to be out sketching again. But it's like I have to find my sketcher self, after all these months of sketching the garden, the house, the Zoom calls,... 

I'm very much in discovery mode at the moment, which probably explains why these 3 sketches look like they've come from three different people! Reduce the variables, I keep telling myself. But she doesn't seem to be listening!

The Botanic Gardens in Dublin are just so lovely I could spend the whole summer there!!

Life Drawing Sara

You know I'm definitely hitting a low when I won't share all my pieces from life drawing!!

Sketcher Warrior (Princess)

Rain? Pandemic? Fashion Police?

Nothing can stop me!

Pencil bag by Walkit, Cecilia Simonyi

Those days when you feel you can't draw and you can't paint

For those days, just take a piece that didn't work out, turn it over and start painting on the reverse. Masking tape to divide the page in as many shapes as you want. And play.

And if all else fails, practise washes and value squares! Or even colour swatches and rainbow caterpillars! It will all contribute to your skills. And it will make you happy!

Letting go

I wrote this title, Letting Go, about a week ago, and now I have no idea why. All I know is that for now, I'm taking July as a month for letting go of expectations. Just playing with paints and inks, and trusting that all this experimentation will lead to something good! It's hard for me, as I am very driven. But I'm trying!

Practising water

I'll have to start thinking how I blend this technique in with my usual direct watercolour practice! This was done in three layers, following the steps that Shari Blaukopf demonstrates in her online course. And I have to say I'm really pleased with the effect!

Useful techniques for water

Well, I can't stay still for very long. Those who know me will definitely agree!

So I signed up for Shari Blaukopf online class on painting water. Even if all I remember are these 4 techniques, that will have been worth it! But there is plenty more to practise! So much to learn. So little time! It's up to me, really!

Dublin Castle on a cloudy day

So glad to be out sketching again, but it's not easy to find locations, even for small groups, in this Covid era, and with our rainy Irish summer.  But we know the city well, and there are plenty of interesting spots with new angles - so I sketched this view of the Chapel Royal in Dublin Castle from the front of the Printworks building, where I could get shelter from the rain. I was at a slight angle to the front of the chapel. And then I had a hot chocolate in the Terrace Café - we were the only people there!

Rocky waters

And sometimes, when I practise something too much, I get sloppy!! So really the lesson for me is focus and mindfulness, and every brush stroke counts!

A couple that worked out ok:

And then two where I just slapped the paint on without thinking!!

Back to Belfield

I don't think I've ever prepared so much for a painting. But it pays off, and I've really learned the importance of thumbnails. But more importantly, I've learned how to manipulate my thumbnails, number of shapes, values, moving what's in the way, drawing the eye to my focus. 

So this article is really for the painting nerds like me who love the process of creating even more than the finished product! Here are the links to previous attempts at this painting, and the final result:

http://mhbd.blogspot.com/2020/05/these-are-not-easy-ucd.html

http://mhbd.blogspot.com/2020/06/more-thumbnails-need-to-move-on.html

http://mhbd.blogspot.com/2020/06/out-of-my-comfort-zone.html

And these were the last thumbnails I did before actually starting to paint. I find it really useful to make notes to myself about what needs to be done. If I didn't write those things down, I'd probably repeat the same mistakes over and over!

And here are colour swatches, my favourite bit!

And some previous thumbnails that helped me realise the compositional idea I had was completely wrong!

One of the hardest concepts for me is to figure out the temperature of a painting, cool or warm. I don't have an iPad with Procreate, so I downloaded Paper on my phone. I used to love that app, and then one day things got more sophisticated and I kind of forgot about it. But it's got a great colour picker tool, and when you pick a colour, it gives you the colour, the saturation and the value, which helps me then get a feeling for the overall temperature of the scene.

At the hairdressers

Big day! First time at the hairdressers since the 12th of March!!

Epic

Well, we haven't had the best of weather since we've started sketching as a group again. So it's a matter of finding indoor locations that are large enough and quiet enough for us to be safe. The CHQ building would not normally be my first choice, but it was perfect for us on a rainy day - nearby carpark, bathrooms, coffee shops, lots of space where we could sit while remaining far enough away from each other, nobody around. Wow! Our criteria for choosing a sketching location has changed, hasn't it!!

And in the whole time I was there, I only saw one couple going in to the EPIC emigration museum. But now that we have flights coming in from the US bringing American tourists to our shores, it's probably getting busier. I won't be going near it so! I just don't understand why our government is allowing tourists from countries where the pandemic is out of control into the country. Yes, there's supposed to be a 14-day quarantine, but everyone knows that nobody will check that they're actually observing the quarantine. I am not impressed with the lack of action from our new government!

Gelli prints - July

Well, actually I didn't use my Gelli plate for these, just spread paint with a brayer, and then used stencils and dabbed paint through with a sponge. Stencils by StencilGirlProducts