Tag / watercolour

by Leonie Andrews

One Small Step

Today we met up with friends to explore the site of the former Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station where the first pictures of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the Moon were transmitted to the rest of the world. (Yeah-nah, not ‘the Dish’ at Parkes).

The infrastructure is largely gone, but there is now a set of information panels and a series of sculptural elements by Canberra sculptor Michael Harding.

The site of the former Honeysuckle Creek tracking station.
Other locals out enjoying the day!

Our intention had been to sketch on site, but it didn’t happen. We went prepared to BBQ our lunch only to discover that the gas in the BBQs had run out.

In the end we drove back to the Ranger Station and cooked our meal there. While not quite the view I was planning I did complete a sketch of the nearby rural landscape.  

Tharwa Landscape

This is the first sketch in my new sketchbook. So you could say “one small sketch” (sorry that’s so lame).

by Leonie Andrews

New starts

[This post was originally written on 15 September, but for some reason I forgot to post it. Oops.]

I recently went to the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Poznan,  where I did a workshop with French artist Olivia Markus. She was teaching,  amongst other things, an interesting approach to colouring sketches. The point of which, in part, was to reinforce a sense of depth of field in your sketch.

Two sketches I made at the Symposium

I think the simplified colour choices deliver exciting results. Of course, they also challenge your use of tonal contrast. So far, I’ve mainly used them for scenes with people in them. The limited colour selection imposes a unity, which is often missing from my regular sketches.

Now, I’m taking the next steps of testing out what I learned and then trying to integrate the process into my practice.

Evening moods in Wrocław
On the train from Wrocław to Prague

I use watercolour as my main medium, so that does yield different results to the inks that Marcus uses. To be fair, I really haven’t tried the process with ink yet.

Demonstration in support of Palestine,  London

I’m also experimenting with which colour combinations work most effectively together.

I find the stark black pen a bit strong, and it tends to overwhelm the watercolour’s subtle tones. Lately, I have been using less black, instead choosing to use a more intense pigment.

Friday,  queues at the coffee shop, first version
The final version with black and white marker bring added.

I’m still ‘not there’ yet in terms of the outcomes, but as today’s sketch show, there is some progress.

Today’s café sketch.
by Leonie Andrews

Progress?

The one thing I’ve noticed with the new sketching technique I’ve been trying out is that it takes a long, long time fir my paint to dry. In turn, this means it takes me way longer than normal to complete a painting. Indeed, it takes me longer than I usually spend having a coffee.

Last weekend, I  got this far with my sketch, probably 15-20 minutes longer than my coffee lasted.

As I finished sketching, I realised that there were several sections that really annoyed me. However, I couldn’t be bothered to spend even more time at the cafe than I had already.

The updated version

So last night I fixed the bits I wasn’t happy with. Extending the umbrella canopy to make more sense of the top left corner and adding the darker section along the bottom. “Don’t be afraid of the darks, [colours that is]”, as a sketching friend often says.

I’m happier with it, but is any artists ever truly happy with what they do?😀

On a more practical note, I also realised that one time saver I could do was to paint a base layer of high-tone colour onto my pages before I went sketching. This should save me 10 to 15 minutes of drying time at least.

Pre-painted pages

by Leonie Andrews

Exploration continues

I’m keeping on with the exploration of tonal sketches started with my class with Olivia Marcus at the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Poznan.  The more I explore, the more my own style preferences are entering the equation.

Sketching in the tiny book I carry on my walks.

One thing I have largely changed is not using black as an emphasis. Because I work predominantly in watercolour, I find the contrast between that and the black felt pen Olivia uses, can overwhelm my sketches. I’m exploring whether I can effectively substitute darker tones.

Sketching at Fyshwick Markets

I’m also testing out all different colour combinations.  Some are instantly more appealing, but I don’t want to come to conclusions too soon. As I have a whole lot of new paints from our goody bags from Poznan, there’s still a lot to consider.

At Tutto in Mawson. I also added some pencil to this one to pick out more highlights.
by Leonie Andrews

Sketching with friends

While visiting London recently, I  went sketching  with friends at Marble Hill Park, on the Thames, near Richmond.

One of my friends brought along some prepared papers, painted with home-made pigment, extracted from  Rose Willow Herb.

Sketching on the lawn at Marble Hill House

As often happens, I misjudged the proportions of my sketch and cut the top off the roof. Which is why I added a second piece of paper to get it all in!

The missing bit of roof!
The finished sketch.

I really enjoyed working on the pre-painted paper. It was a very good mid tone, as well as a fortuitous choice of colour and was easy to work over.

Suffice to say, a good time was had by all!

Our collection of sketches from the day.