Watercolour of Yate, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough 300 gms.
Probably on the face of it, a boring subject, the entrance off a main road to a town centre car park, but it's got the main elements of a watercolour painting with a bit of light and shade, some action with shoppers and a couple of cars coming and going. I maybe introduced a bit more shade than existed in reality, but it needed it in the background against those buildings and across the foreground.
Landscape Watercolour of Marseilles, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough 300 gms.
A view down to the end of the Old Port in Marseilles and the facade of Hotel Alize. A 150 year old building, it's typical of the very imposing buildings surrounding the harbour. I think that middle guy could have either been left out or moved over to the left hand side a bit more. He's dominating the painting too much for my liking. There's quite a bit of careful painting around figures and cars along the centre, exposing what was the first wash.
Watercolour of Bath, 22" x 15" on Saunders Waterford Rough 300 gms.
Terrace Walk in central Bath, and being quite a wide street, a popular dropping off place for tourist buses and tours. View here is towards the Abbey Hotel with it's battlement like parapet roof. The painting is based on a photo I took on my phone camera (always best taking pictures on a phone at the lowest resolution as it forces you to be a bit more imaginative with the composition and details) in early spring and quite a sunny afternoon.
Watercolour of Chipping Sodbury, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough 300 gms.
Another study of Brook Street Chipping Sodbury, with cottages left and right down to a dead-end and the road turns sharp right to a little bridge over the River Frome. A lot of shade on the right with cooler tone as I came down to road level done with a little cobalt blue. Parked car and man walking a dog hopefully give a bit of interest. Background trees were painted with a battered old brush.
Watercolour of St Tropez, 22" x 15" on Saunders Waterford Rough 300 gms.
The small but perfectly formed La Ponche beach in the old part of St Tropez and a little off the beaten track. Anyway, I thought it made a great subject, mainly for the old buildings running down to the water's edge and their lovely warm tones. The beach was painted fairly roughly - a splattering of clear water while still damp and some dry brush strokes dragged across.
Watercolour of Marseilles, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough 300 gms.
A busy corner of the Old Port area of Marseilles and a 'typical' Parisienne style cafe, La Samaritaine (I changed the cafe sign to say 'Maritaine' as it sounded more sea related), with its view of the promenade around the waterfront and beyond. Quite a few figures in this one, at different distances and directions, and then trying to get those tricky shadows look right with the perspective.
Waterclour of Chipping Sodbury, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough 300 gms.
The High Street in my local town, just on the corner of Wickwar Road. These old buildings here are infuriating to paint: Colour wise, I keep seeing all sorts of hues, purple, blues, browns, and then the architecture itself - no straight lines, gables not the same size and nothing symmetrical. Plus with the light coming down the street, you have to judge the right time to paint to get the shadows right for my liking.
Watercolour of Marseilles, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough 300 gms.
Another 'mesh' side up painting on Saunders Rough. The scene is of the Old Port in Marseilles, looking from one side to the other, and the many masts silhouetted against the city buildings behind. I suppose quite a simple painting as regards stages - sky first, then the sea (dropping in darker colour as it was damp), then the background buildings painting around some of the yachts and lastly the various boats themselves, their hulls on one side in the shade and mast in white gouache.
Watercolour of Marseilles, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough 300gms.
I've been experimenting recently painting on the 'wire mesh' side of Saunders Waterford paper rather than the normal (I think most people would paint on this side) 'Felt' side. I'm going to try a few paintings with this approach and see how I get on. I suppose it's more noticeable in the sky area - you can see the more regular pattern where the wire mesh has moulded itself into the surface. Apart from that, the absorbency seems the same as the other side as well as the 'roughness'. My scene is right outside the main railway station in Marseilles, and cars dropping off or collecting travellers.
Watercolour of Marseilles, 15" x 11" on Saunders Waterford Rough 300gms.
The La Joliette district of Marseilles, a business area right next to the old port. Here a view up the hill to the centre of the city. Steps for this painting 1) 'dirty' up white background building (not make it so white), 2) continue wash over rest of painting (I can see I went a bit red in the left corner there). 3) Sky with a rich cerulean and turquoise. 4) Shadows of buildings almost all done at once and car details - careful to paint around those two middle figures.
Recent Comments