Bruges, Belgium, Watercolour 15" x 11"

View towards Market Square and the Belfry Tower.

Bruges, Belgium, 15" x 11".

The pretty Den Dijver canal and a popular boat trip stop on the route around the city.  I was able to get in a bit of everything here - bridge, water, buildings, people, foliage, shadows...  I am still undecided about the 'new' Saunders Waterford Rough paper I use.  I think there's a different surface (in some of my recent photos of paintings I think you can see those regular grid lines being more pronounced than they used to be) compared with the older papers and some different chemicals making drying times not like they used to be.  Funny how you get used to a particular type of paper and things get to be more of a challenge when you change paper...

Bruges, Belgium, 15" x 11".

A small square near the centre of Bruges with market stalls and cafes.  And the typical 'stepped' gable ends to many of the lovely buildings here.  The people sitting in the cafe on the right had a very loose approach - almost random lines and strokes to give the feel of figures, tables, chairs and all their legs!  Perhaps there is a bit of a focal point on the right - the brightly lit side of the building contrasting with the deep tones of the background trees.

Bruges, Belgium, 15" x 11".

A bridge over one of the many canals in central Bruges.  Against my better nature, I am painting with the light behind me, and luckily there's that dark narrow street in the centre.  The building on the left had a large '1614' written oni t in large numbers and the one on the right '1608'.  Well I try not to replicate my photo exactly, and introduced a few more shadows (up the middle there and not to leave the foreground a bit boring) and a few more figures.

Bruges, Belgium, 15" x 11".

The trade mark 'crow-step' gable end to the buildings in Bruges, Belgium, and those lovely warm red brick walls (chance to use all my reds - light, cadmium, alizarin crimson...).  So here's a busy scene of a square in the city, and perhaps one of the many beer houses or chocolate shops.  I added in quite a few figures walking in all different directions, with most of their shadows connected - made easier with the light coming from the side.