Dingle Peninsula - sketches

The staycation - Ireland is the best place on earth when you get the weather. And we were blessed. We had one grey day in our week on the Dingle Peninsula. And extra restrictions (Level 3) were imposed in Dublin the day we came back. If we had decided to go on holidays a week later, we would have had to cancel, as, under Level 3 restrictions in Ireland, you cannot leave your county. So, double-blessed!

The Dingle Peninsula is my favourite place in the world, no doubt. I went many many years without going there, but we've been three times in the last four years, and each time, my heart skips a beat when we drive down Slea Head! It's not the easiest place to sketch. It's really only big sky, the sea, the rocks, the mountains. And it's windy. I could sketch the cute cottages, but there wasn't enough time for that! Because the weather was so good, we walked a lot. So many beautiful beaches and headlands. And because of Covid, the coach tours are not running, so the roads are quiet and it's so much more pleasant to walk.

Some sketches I just did a quick pen sketch on location, standing up in the wind, and added colour and text later on. Others, I did fully on location (it got warmer as the week went on). I'll start with the location photos, and you'll see the finished sketches down below.

If this view looks familiar, blame Star Wars. This is Ceann Sibeal, where they filmed the scenes where Luke Skywalker is living in these beehive stone huts. Some scenes were filmed here and others on Skellig Michael, an island a good distance away. Well, the set was at the top of that headland. It's gone now, but the locals still claim that their town, Ballyferriter, is the home of Star Wars!

Grey day, sketch from the car. Not too many trees. This is Ventry. Lovely long beach down the lane behind those trees.

This was the last day, on Clogher beach. The only time I actually sat down to sketch for an hour or so! The sea was unusually calm.

Studying he colour of the sea and the rocks

Looking in the other direction. 

More rocks.

Quick sketch at Béal Bán, another beautiful beach. Long stretch of sand, and good for swimming (not that I did!)

This is me sketching. Yes, that was our warmest day. But this is Ireland, and I was initially sitting in the shade, so long sleeves and woolly hat were essential!

 

So here below you'll see the same sketches, and a few extras, for which I don't have on-location photos. I've added text, a few lines here and there, or colour. Photos in reverse order from which they were sketched.

And here a few pictures that Brendan took when I was sketching. Not the most flattering. I must do something about my chin (wear bigger scarves?) and my lips (smile more to stretch the lines?). But it's lovely to have them all the same!