I am never without my sketch book when I am away on holiday. Sometimes, I just do not have the time to open it but it is there just in case!!! I really get upset with myself because this is just a mundane excuse. Of course there is time. It only takes five minutes for a sketch.
I am going on holiday to France next Friday and will be in a huge nature conservation area. Arriving at Bordeaux Airport and then finding one's way through traffic jams is apparently on the agenda. We will survive! The destination will be worth it.
Getting back to sketching. If there is one thing I loathe, it is having an audience. I tend to shut my book, stare fixedly into space until the intruders leave. This is crazy. There will always be the odd spectator. One thing I have discovered is that there are more people out there who do not , who cannot draw and have the utmost admiration for those that do. Whilst sketching on the island of Crete, I was so absorbed that I hadn't been aware that a couple were watching my every line. As I began to add watercolour to the sketch, I suddenly became aware of them. I was about to shut the book in my usual way, when the man asked if he could buy the sketch as he really liked it.
Wow, what a compliment. It gave me a lot more confidence and although I wasn't prepared to sell the sketch, we got chatting. I gave them my card as they were interested in buying a painting of exactly that scene on Crete. Unfortunately , other things took precedence and I never got around to painting a larger version of my sketch.
Good places to sketch are cafés and bars, particularly if you can find a nice secluded corner table with your back to the wall. Another favourite of mine is a sea wall or rock. You might get the odd really curious person but folk tend to leave you alone if they can't get behind you to look over your shoulder.
I am going to share with
you one or two of my sketches of Crete. Please take your sketchbooks
with you wherever you go. Sketching has a profound effect on your
painting. Perspective, colour, everything improves the more you
sketch. Photographs are a great help but there is nothing like a sketch
to indelibly imprint an image in your memory.
You can click on the images to enlarge them.
I went for a nice long ride on my bicycle. The Algäu (Bavaria) where I live has the most wonderful cycle paths. I decided to go wherever the bike took me. One of the loveliest, peaceful places was this small monument. I spent some time just sketching and enjoying the absolute quiet - just me and the fields and the wind. It restored my soul. I had been feeling restless and over-extended. I felt renewed and full of creativity again. This painting was done of my special place.
I always enjoy my acrylics. They are so forgiving. Make a mistake and you can cover it up with gesso. I always start with a value sketch, making sure the composition is right - no telephone poles cutting my painting in two!!!! One tends to want to put everything into the painting. My new motto is 'cut out the unnecessary detail'. It is hard as I am an animal painter and tend to paint in every hair . I am also setting myself time limits for my work and that helps a lot.
Everyone seems to want to paint loosely and the in-word is 'painterly'. However, I have great respect for the amazing realism that some artists manage to produce. It takes a great deal of concentration , a keen sense of colour and immense technical skills to produce such amazing creations.
There is no correct way to paint as long as you know the basics, understanding colour, composition and have a little talent. So, whether you like to paint realism, impressionism or any other 'ism', just enjoy yourself and it will show.
I have just returned from a wonderful cycle tour along the Rhine and Neckar Rivers in Germany. Sleeping on board a simple but charming ship called the 'Patria' meant not worrying about dragging luggage along on the bikes.
The Patria was a joy. The crew and captain became almost like family members. This is a second trip on this ship so we already knew them pretty well.
300 kilometres in a week was not all that strenuous but at times , the area particularly along the Rhine was rather industrialised and crowded with traffic and tourists. However, there were compensations with lovely vineyards sweeping down steep slopes towards the river. Ancient castles stood like sentries on the high hills. Reading some of the gruesome tales surrounding these fortresses, gave them a creepy sense of foreboding.
We were fortunate with the weather - There were just a few drops of rain during the day. We had some heavy rain at night. There was a slight scare that the ship might not be able to navigate the Neckar River due to high water but fortunately the water level dropped. The Neckar is a very unpredictable river and flooding is a serious problem.
Here are one or two photos and a sketch from my sketchbook. There was little time for sketching but soon I will be going to France for ten days and hopefully my sketch book will see more action.
