Monday 22 June 2009

A sketchy weekend ....

I had a great day yesterday. My 'better half' and I popped over to our daughter's for dinner as it was Father's Day. He got thoroughly spoilt and I spent the day sketching! This is the view from our daughter's back garden - she overlooks Dartmoor - if you click on the picture and zoom in you can see Dartmoor miles away in the background.


This is my interpretation of what I could see using oil pastels on a blue spread (previously painted with Brusho) The sun was melting the pastels while I was desperately trying to be creative!!

This is a view from a farm gate on the way to our daughter's home, but worked on a beige background (corn coloured). When I got home I worked Winsor & Newton Liquin Original into it with a paint brush, which blends all the strokes of oil pastel.
The difference the background colour makes to the finished sketch is amazing.
The first one on the blue background is a lot 'greener' that this one.
The vertical marks each side are creases I 'achieved' as they were drying, after I Brusho'd the pages. I shall have to be more careful next time!

This is on the other side of the road, and I sketched this in coloured water pencil on a greeny yellow background. The right hand side has been 'watered' - the left hand side has not.
Aren't I lucky to live in such a green and pleasant landscape.


3 comments:

Heather said...

Gorgeous landscapes in the flesh and in your sketchbook. Glad you had such a lovely day and put us all to shame who don't use a sketchbook!

Doreen G said...

I agree with Heather--when I go out in the car I never take coloured pencils let alone a sketchbook.
I love how all your sketches have turned out Val and it is interesting in what you say about the base colour.

dot said...

Way to go Val... They look absolutely delightful, good way to get to know your "Art Materials" better, seeing how they behave and what they do... like the background colour and how it affects and the pastels and pencils "watered" and not.