still life

Connecting shapes as an exercise in Inma Serrano's Domestika course. I'm kinda chasing my tail at the moment, but I really want to do more of this practise. And yet, I still want to paint sea, sky and rocks. I wish I was more focused these days (I just typed this while looking out at the amazing clouds that I can see outside my window, and there was only one typo! I had forgotten how much I love touch-typing! And how much I love clouds. I could never live in a country where the sun shines all the time!). Anyways, let's try and focus after this. But I am a great believer in the fact that all art practise is good and will lead to improvements. So, if I draw more, my painting skills will improve too. If I'm learning composition, that will also have a positive impact. If I learn how to draw people, I will be able to populate my urban sketches and paintings with convincing figures. In other words, it's all good!

I did two versions. Which do you like best?

RHK

I'm getting towards the end of the Direct Watercolour challenge for this year (and yes, at this stage, I'm about 4 weeks behind in my blog and 6-7 weeks behind on Instagram). So when we went to IMMA at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, I sketched in direct watercolour in the formal gardens, then I felt the need for ink and markers when I went inside the courtyard. I'm forever pulled between different techniques, forever experimenting.

Then a quick sketch, which probably would be better if I added watercolour. But it's done now.

 

And yes, the walls were green on that side of the courtyard, but I had a lovely red marker, and also the walls were red on the other side, so my sketch is not a complete lie.

lily pads

More lily pad experimentation.

This one in direct watercolour

This one with an ink drawing first. I like the colours here better, like the transparency of the water and the greenery underwater.

Venice?

Continuing to practise with Inma Serrano's Domestika course. This section was about "Buildings as imaginary monsters". I'm paraphrasing. But it really helped me tackle Saint Marc's Basilica in Venice. No, I didn't sketch this from life. It's, mmm, 5-6 years since I was there. And I didn't have the skills or courage to sketch this amazing building then. 

Time to go back? I need to have a chat with Françoise!

For this one, I used a Schmincke liquid watercolour as a base, then drew with pencils and markers on top.

I drew them on facing pages in my sketchbook, and I do like them both.

Richmond Street

The journey continues. In a new sketchbook. I'm not sure I'll have enough material to fill it, but I could come up with a few ideas that could work.

Like leaving a lot of white space on some pages.

Although I feel it looked better with no writing at the top. All the people were drawn on location from direct observation, by the way.

The area around Richmond Street is changing a lot. It was not the most salubrious when I lived around the corner on Adelaide Road, but there was a charm to it. Back in 1987. Now, we're seeing so many of the original houses and shops replaced by high-rise blocks - offices, hotels, apartments maybe. Soon, it won't feel like Dublin any more.

 

After a short break during which some of the watercolour got smudged, I went back out on the street, fixed it the best I could, then I drew the bicycle that was just to the right of the first view.

It works quite well together I think.

After walking around for a while, we met up in Wall & Keogh. They have a cute little courtyard at the back. The sandwich was quite greasy. There was plenty of conversation going around. But I just sketched. Some days, I'm not much of a conversationalist. Or it just depends who is there and how comfortable I feel with them.

Water lily pads - latest obsession

Working from photos now. Taken on the canal on a sunny day. The water was so clear you could see right through to the bottom. I had to add a little bit of gouache to catch the light on edges and in the ripples. I need to work on my lily pad shapes. I like the vertical version on the left better for that reason. But the one of the right shows the stalks in the water. A good foundation to work from.

Portraits at Bluebell

Bernard, Dolores, Graham and Martin at Bluebell. A very fulfilling project.

 

Trying out pigments

I've had these tubes in my collection for a while. I need to explore their potential. I do love the mix of Quin Burnt Scarlet and Cerulean Blue!

Masking fluid

After a few weeks of direct watercolour, I felt the need to experiment with masking fluid, which I haven't used in years. But I think this one with the plants still counts as a direct watercolour.

Playing with ink

I like the more extreme versions of what ink can do, as in this sunflower, to mark every Tuesday, thinking about Ukraine.

 

The Last Hurrah

This is weeks ago now, but I want to keep this video somewhere where I'll find it when I'm in need of inspiration. The month of direct watercolour, a challenge led by Uma Kelkar and Marc Taro Holmes, is always a highlight of my year. This year more than ever.

Top of Camden Street

Back to sketching around town, on the Great Journey South. With a cup of matcha latte at Brother Hubbard to get started. It was delicious! So many places in Dublin where you can get a matcha latte these days, but not all as nice as this one.

Busy junction towards Richmond Street and the corner with South Circular Road. Thankfully the refrigeration lorry was parked for long enough for me to sketch it, giving a sense of the busyness of the area without having to draw all the cars!

 

Another closeup - this was the view that caught my eye initially, but then as I started to draw, the part with the matcha latte and the tree interested me more and I added colour and detail to it.

Second sketch pages - Delahunt with the garda headquarters behind on Harcourt Street. And a few details that caught my eye, including an RTE van - I watched the news but saw nothing from the area on the telly that evening!

Where are my soft edges?

Another version of the lily leaves sticking out of the water. It's funny, there's lily pads flat in the water, with the characteristic shape. And then near the shore, there's these leaves popping out, densely packed, and their shape is different. I don't know what they are. But they are quite glossy and they reflect the light, and then there is really dark shadows right under them, as they don't let any light through.

A kind of Notan

Yes, I am obsessed with the lily pond from the Botanic Gardens. Working from photos, which I have cropped and notanised. Going to light, medium and dark does not come naturally to me.

in the pond

From a photo I took in the botanic gardens. I like the colours, but I prefer the version I did on location. I think it has more life to it. This one looks a little stiff.