Work in progress

I bought some watercolour paper yesterday and sketched out an image from a photograph I took in Dundas Street in Edinburgh.  I have a tendency to rush things and so though I should take my time over this watercolour.  With every additional paint stroke there is always the risk that the paint will go astray and ruin the whole thing.  I am happy with what I have done so far (though I cheated a little by using an Inktense pencil for the railing as I didn't have black watercolour and couldn't mix something dark enough) and so I'll stop for now while I'm ahead..

Le Kiosque des noctambules, Metro entrance, Palais Royal, Paris

Disaster at the Canal St Martin

No, not a novel by Edgar Allan Poe, just a pretty horrible picture. In my defence (ok, here come the excuses) I was sitting low down on the concrete edge of this canal in Paris so it wasn't entirely optimum comfort.  However, I hoped it could be rescued by a nice watercolour wash when I came home; I mean, those Line and Washes that other people do look so easy!  Clearly this image was beyond rescue and unfortunately the Moleskine didn't seem to take the watercolour very well.  However I've looked online and it seems that other people have managed to apply watercolours to this notebook ok, so maybe it was my paint or my brushes (yes, I'm blaming my tools now).  Well, I suppose it is just another step in the learning journey.  Maybe the true artists out there can give me some tips......

Take a break on your city break

City breaks are fun but all of that sight seeing can be pretty tiring.  Sketching is a good way to stop and relax and enjoy your surroundings.  This sketch isn't great but I needed to take the weight off my feet and found it pleasant to take out my sketch book and draw this scene on the approach to Les Invalides of some elderly men playing boules under the shade of the trees.

Palais du Luxembourg

Completed in 1645 as a palace but now home to the French Senate, the Luxembourg Palace is just one of the many fine buildings in Paris.  I've just returned from my 14th visit to the city.  The palace can be found within the grounds of the Luxembourg gardens and I took a stroll there on Sunday which was a lovely time for a visit.  The weather was sunny and warm with the last vestiges of summer and there was a chilled out atmosphere as the Parisiens, tourists and returning students relaxed in this oasis of calm in the heart of the city.  Undoubtedly one of my favourite spots, though at this time of year fraught with danger, as I had two near misses from falling conkers (horse chestnuts).

There is perhaps nowhere better as a lunch spot once you've picked up a baguette from a nearby boulangerie and found your perfect vantage point from which to people watch or to lose yourself in your own thoughts or with your head buried in a book.

There is lots to do there too.  If you are lucky there might be a concert taking place at the bandstand, you could sail a miniature yacht on the large pond, the centre piece of the garden or the fittest amongst you could take to the tennis courts.  Tai Chi enthusiasts can be seen moving beautifully among the trees and retirees and studious young men are deeply engrossed in games of chess.

Of course, it's also the perfect place for a sketch. Using my Staedtler 0.5, I'm much happier with the outcome of this sketch than of my recent attempt at the Belem Tower.  Clearly the fine liner made it easier to create a more accurate image in these inexperienced hands. Once again however, I fell off the end of the page.....

Royal Botanical Garden of Edinburgh

We've had a pretty good summer here in Scotland, though August was a little changeable.  I managed to make it to the Botanics (as we call it) on a beautiful sunny day.  Here is a shot taken in the rock garden and my take on it using Derwent (metallic and inktense) and Reeves watercolour pencils. I

used a Staedtler 0.05 pigment liner for the drawing

 

 

The Frock Coat

I loved visiting the Museum of Portuguese Decorative Arts (Museu de Artes Decorativas Portuguesas) when I was in Lisbon. I had virtually the whole place to myself; it was a hidden treasure yet not far away hundreds of people were queueing to visit the castle but no one was giving this place a second look.  It was quite a small museum too so I wasn't overwhelmed by the exhibits as can sometimes be the case with massive national museums. This beautiful frock coat caught my eye (4B Pencil and Derwent Metallic)

Lochrin Basin, Union Canal, Edinburgh

Hong Kong

Inspired by my photo here I've drawn part of the  Hong Kong island skyline across Victoria Harbour. The Two International Finance Centre building is rather droopy as it is easy to forget that when you try to draw a straight line your hand draws lines in an arc

Gaza

Lisbon Tram

St Stephen Street, Edinburgh New Town

My original photograph here

Faces

It's ok to drink and buy

I had a drink in a wine bar in Barrio Alto, Lisbon one evening during my trip and on the way back to my hotel, after a nice Sauvignon Blanc and an Early Gray tea, I popped in to a charity shop as I've been on the hunt for a cheap piece of pottery to keep my brushes in.  The shop was open late, presumably hoping to cash in on late night drinkers buying weird and wonderful pre-loved objects whilst tipsy.

 

I found a perfect little pot for 2 Euro.  It doesn't have 'Made in China' stamped on the bottom so I'm happy to accept it as Portuguese.  When buying it, the lady in the shop asked me in English if I knew what sort of shop it was; that seemed obvious but I said "Yes, I think so" (I might have been missing something) but she clarified that it was indeed a charity shop and that I might be interested in the organisation, so she gave me a leaflet to take away with me. I'm afraid I'm little the wiser from the apparent mission statement on the leaflet "We count on you to pull up the work of making happier Man by instilling hope".  Sounds good though so I'm glad to have made a contribution.

 

I found fewer opportunities to sketch whilst in Lisbon than I expected, though as a novice it is difficult to find drawable subjects.  Ideally I'd love to be able to sketch in the style of some of the artists whose blogs I've linked to down the right side of this page.  That's what I'm aiming for at any rate.  I did manage to find a quiet square in Alfama where I drew a building, a palm tree and this little street lamp.  It was a pleasant spot to sit in the shade and watch the world go by. That is, until an elderly Portuguese lady sat next to me and was talking to herself (or maybe to me but I couldn't understand her).  I moved on as I suspected she was maybe a little crazy.

 

 

 

 

Torre de Belem

I've just returned from a few days in Lisbon.  Yesterday I took the number 15 tram along to the waterfront suburb of Belem from where Vasco Da Gama set off for India (the first European to reach there by sea) in 1497.  The Belem Tower, completed in 1519, has UNESCO world heritage status.

 

 

The boat house

This boat house is situated on the Union Canal in Edinburgh at Polwarth.  The canal was opened in 1822 and connects Falkirk with Edinburgh. 

 

 

Apple

If you are new to the blog, welcome.  If you are wondering what it is all about, I can tell you that I'm just a beginner.  I 'discovered' drawing/painting a couple of months ago.  I never knew that I could draw anything so I'm glad I tried as I've enjoyed what I've done so far.  It's not art of any merit, I know that; it's just a hobby.  The point of the blog is just for me to keep track of what I've done and hopefully I'll improve through time, hence "The Journey".  Hopefully you may become inspired to find your inner artist too. And yes, I'm well aware that this is a funny looking apple...

Charcoal

Charcoal, it seems, is a tricky medium.  This is supposed to be fields in front of Mount Fuji.  I'll stick to pencils for now

 

 

6H

Drawn with a 6H pencil.  I liked using this grade which I've tried out for the first time here.  It was easy to make light outlines before committing to the defined shape.  I'm hopeless at hands and faces at present so I gave up on the hands (though I quite like the mere suggestion of them here) and luckily I didn't have to draw a face!  I'm quite pleased with the way the foot turned out though.

The Balmoral Hotel

The Balmoral is a five star hotel in Edinburgh which opened in 1902 as the North British Hotel.  It sits atop Waverley train station. The clock is set a couple of minutes fast to help travellers catch their train.  I can tell you that champagne afternoon tea in the Palm Court is a very pleasant experience