Ambleside, Lake District

The Windermere lake in the Lake District offers a very long cruise opportunity with lots of picturesque views along the route. We started the cruise from Ambleside village where we stayed this summer. It was a very cloudy day with typical UK weather. I tried to capture the misty conditions in this attempt!

Hollyhocks: A Floral

Did something different! A floral! Just for the heck of it! I used a photo from the image library of Wetcanvas Forum. Masked the drawing to do the background, floated washes very wet in wet, the result is not what I expected. When dry, removed the masking and did the flowers and the leaves.Some of the paper surface came off with the masking, (I should have used a different paper). Still not so bad, the leaves do not show very well because of the dark background, but the flowers stand out in contrast. May be I will avoid the pitfalls next time.Enjoyed the experience, though. 

W&N Artist Watercolour paper 37 x 30  cm

West Pier, Brighton in sunset

The iconic West Pier of Brighton was devastated in fire in 2003. But the remnants offer a beautiful subject on a backdrop sunset. I remember the warm evening I spent recently with the sun disappearing slowly in the horizon when I spent a long time walking up and down the shingled beach.

I tried to capture the atmosphere of the place with some warm colours and added some human interest. I hope you like it!

(51cm x 32 cm Saunders Waterford 645 gms Rough)

Thanks for looking and comments and criticism welcome!

Brighton Pier

Painting piers is every painter's dream. It offers challenges like the sea, sky, people, buildings and ships. Perspective also plays an important part of it. Am I ready for it? I Just gave it a go. My first wash of the sky was lighter than I wanted but I went over it a second time. It was risky but paid off. The beach area was actually shingles but I simplified it by making it sandy. I enjoyed doing this one. Hope you do the same looking at it.

 Here is the referene photo:
 

 Here is the painting: 52 cm x 31cm Saunders Wateford 640 gms Not surface

Comments welcome!
Thanks for looking.

Painting Workshop by Joe Francis Dowden

Yesterday (7 Oct 09) I made a long (lonely) journey in pouring rain to Sompting, West Sussex with only the  amiable satellite navigator for company, to attend a painting workshop by Joe Francis Dowden. Here are some of the photos of the workshop, the empty table on the second photo is mine.

 

The first painting was the demo done by Joe.

  

 This one is my output in the workshop.

  

Not satisfied I tried to redo the painting at home this morning, trying to recollect the steps we went through yesterday but alas I could not attain the mastery of Joe!

 

He was magical!  A great teacher and a fantastic person. Came back home again in torrential rain which stopped only as I entered London. However a day well spent, learnt a trick or two! Thanks for looking!

Jack and Jill: Twin Windmills near Brighton

Last week we were in Brighton and surroundings. It was a Sunday and may be the 'last of the summer days' for this year, sunny barbecue weather like no other seen so far. We chanced upon a picnic spot on top of a small hill with two windmills next to each other! It made a lovely sight what with farms full of sheep and a few horses not to mention cows. I managed to do a sketch or two on the spot of the windmills and the animals. I hope you will like the paintings I made later, using the reference photos I took, all of them are here for you to see and comment. Thanks for looking!
The first one:(Photo)

The Painting:
70cm x 40 cm
Bockingford 420g/m Rough



The second one:(The Photo)


The painting:
51cm x 36cm Arches 300g/m Rough


Cheers!