Bursa, Turkey, 22" x 15".

Yesil Caddesi Bursa, or 'green street' in English, high up on the southern slopes rising above downtown Bursa.  It certainly is green and very peaceful away from the hustle and bustle of Turkey's fourth largest metropolis, and the area is better known for the location of the tomb of Sultan Mehmet the 1st and his smaller children.  I moved some of the street 'furniture' around to suit the composition, e.g. trying not to make that big lamppost dead centre.

Mudanya, Turkey, 15" x 11".

So it makes a change having a banner across the street rather than telecoms cables - well it's a telecom's banner.  This is Marmara coastal town of Mudanya, Turkey.  My reference photo was taken on an overcast day, but I tried to introduce some light on the car tops.  Also a bit of bright red - a patch on each side.  In fact the first wash had a lot of alizarin crimson on the left side.

Antalya, Turkey, 15" x 11"

A road high up above the harbour in the Turkish city of Antalya.  Plenty of 'negative' figures here to see if it works - light figure against dark shadows and vice versa.  Middle building almost blends into the background sky with that lower wash of weak yellow ochre.  Palm trees were done with a small brush and thick pigment flicked from the crown of the tree outwards.

Istanbul, Turkey, 22" x 15".

A view across the Golden Horn, a major waterway which leads into the Bosphorus in Istanbul.  On the opposite side are the mosques and minarets surrounding the covered bazaar and shopping areas.  The main bridge over the Golden Horn is even more popular for fishing with hundreds of rods leaning over the sides.  The smoke effect was done when everything was dry.  A little clear water was lightly dropped onto the smoke area.  Then a thickish mixture of white gouache plus cobalt blue was quickly and randomly added in.

Watercolour of Bursa, Turkey, 15" x 11", on Saunders Waterford Rough 300gms.

Somehow, a Turkish scene always looks complete with a mosque and minaret breaking the skyline.  Here's a sketch of the old part of Bursa, Muradiye.  I think the distant white figure was almost an accident - a patch of paper left unpainted on the first wash, and then made into a figure with subsequent washes.  Minarets are always a challenge to get right - the symmetrical top, the rounded gallery and sometime a little wider at the base.

Landscape Watercolour of Bursa, 15" x 11".

The Muradiye district of eastern Bursa.  A very old part of Bursa with the foothills of Mount Uludag as a backdrop.  Apart from the complex of 600 year old mosques, there's like in my sketch quite a few blue and brightly painted houses with well defined frames around the windows painted in a different colour.  Down in the valley is the more modern part of the city sprawling northwards.

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Yesil Caddesi, Bursa, Turkey

Landscape Watercolour of Bursa, 22" x 15".

Yesil (pronounced yea-sheel) Caddesi in the higher, older Yesil neighbourhood of Bursa and just round to the left is the Yesil Turbe - the tomb of the 5th Sultan, Mehmet the 1st.  The old buildings facing us our now souvenir shops selling quite nice stuff, carpets, lamps etc.  The rising Uludag mountains form the backdrop to the composition.

Landscape Watercolour of Istanbul, 15" x 11".

Istiklal Caddesi (Avenue) in the historic Beyoglu district of Istanbul, and lined with old Ottoman period buildings now housing foreign embassies and up market shops.  Trams take you down from Taksim Square.  These old buildings have far too many intricate details in their architecture for a 'loose' watercolour, so best approach is simplify and just a few windows in random places.

Landscape Watercolour of Kusadisi, 15" x 11".

A view across the bay at Kusadisi towards the mountains behind the town.  This was quite a tough sketch as the day was partially cloudy yet bright, so no deep shadows as such, and the hues of the town, boats, quayside and the fishing nets were all so similar.

Landscape Watercolour of Antalya, 15" x 11".

A challenging watercolour for me, with the light coming from behind and then trying to make light and shade.  Anyway I think I was helped with some dark shadows on the cliffs and the shade under the restaurant canopy. The figures add a little contrast, with some head and shoulders bumping into the darker shade.  On the left is just an impression of a busy restaurant with seated figures.