A sunshine tulip and white sketches.
The tulips I brought back from Amsterdam last year are all in bloom, except for 3 Allium bulbs that I lost to greedy rabbits. I picked all white bulbs and got big surprise when a few of the carefully picked white bulbs turned out to be a bright sunny yellow! That is OK. Oh well, I am not too angry. Seeing that we are still wearing winter clothes and waiting for spring weather, I can only imagine the yellow was chosen by fate to uplift my spirit..some very welcome sunshine in a tulip!
As usual, I wait until the very last to get something done..including sketching the tulips. The yellow ones lost all their petals today, except for one lonely one, hanging on a few petals only for my benefit. While mon chéri saw to diner, I took the opportunity to sketch these tulips, before the fat lady had finally sung. I made it just in time…all the yellow petals are gone..
The white tulips are still flowering happily and elegant in their waving. I am not a huge tulip fan and never had many in my gardens, but I have to admit that they do make for a spectacular show en masse!
à bientôt
Ronelle
30/3/2013: Joyeuses Pâques!
To all my friends and readers and visitors, those who stop for a moment and those who pass right by…whatever you do during this Easter period, whichever way you celebrate it, or even ignore it…I wish you fun and joy, many chocolate Easter eggs, (may you win the Easter egg hunt), and the most important of all…stay safe and pass on that wide smile!!
Joyeuses Pâques a tout le monde!
Ronelle
A coffee break..
I cooked the whole day today, but I managed to pack in a doodle sketch during my coffee break. Using only contour lines, most of the objects done in one line, I could sketch quick and without restraint. Adding some watercolour splashes afterwards and voilà, a doodle sketch to show for the day!
I accidentally dipped my brush in my coffee (which happens every tile I paint with a coffee or glass or something by my side). This time I decided to keep it and even added some more coffee splashes. Coffee, wine and tea actually make for great mediums to paint with. Add some aquarelle varnish or finish off by sealing your sketch with aquarelle varnish and it will last as long as watercolour.
..A coffee break doodle..
pen and watercolour in l’atelier du papier aquarelle sketchbook
I am driving up to Paris for the week next week..spending some Valentine time with mon chéri …will show him all my secret corners I love to visit, take him to my favorite Rodin museum and garden, have late afternoon tea at my favorite cafe, stop for our traditional romantic moment on Pont Neuf(he just adores crossing the Seine on Pont Neuf all day long..!!). I hope to come home with some great sketches and photos and …books of course!
I leave you with an old sketch of Paris, done a few years ago…
..Paris-les arbres de Jardin de Luxembourg..
à bientôt
Ronelle
Birds and chickens sketches.
With this very first post of 2013, I wish you all a very good new year..may it be all you wish it to be!
I have gotten myself back to the easel and sketchbook..a great achievement here in January. For myself, I hope that 2013 will be a better year than the previous, especially on the art front. But of course, that only depends on one person..me.
Of all the sketches I did today, the following ones are the most successful. The three chickens kept still long enough with their backsides to me, so I could practice my observation skills which got lost during the past year.
..three chickens in a row..
done in watercolor on Aquarelle block, HP, 18x26cm
It is a different story with the birds. The mésanges(tits) are way too quick for me and I could only succeed in blobs of colour which looked more like flying saucers and even that would be an insult to the Martians. So I took closeups and put my own sketch together. According to my own rule, it is then not by definition a sketch, but more of a drawing, using sketching techniques. That is a mouthful! By my definition a sketch is only a sketch when done right in front of the live subject, “sur le motif”, we call it in French. when using the help of otter media..magazines, photos, it becomes drawing. The observation and rendering become totally different. By saying I used “some sketching technique”, I suggest that I used about 4 different photos, composed 2 birds on my paper, referred to the photo’s for colour and lastly added some branches and seeds from direct observation from the tree. So, finally, the whole sketch is my own composition with my branches and seed block being a true sketch with birds drawn onto it…
..Feeding two mésanges..
done in watercolor in Hahnemuhle watercolour sketchbook, 15.3x25cm.
Sketching a coffee in Toulouse and marigolds at Coin Perdu – 4 & 5 May.
..a coffee in Toulouse yesterday while waiting for my daughter to go fit her wedding dress. – 4 May.
pen and watercolor in Daler and Rowney sketchbook, 25,4×17,8cm
Doing this sketching every day in May is meant to get me back on track. I’ve lost some concentration, my ability to observe and interpret instantaneously. the last few months I’ve been distracted by so many things and art got put onto the back burner. My sketches in May is not supposed to be beautiful work, but a program of work and exercises. Flowers are always a good way to sharpen the saw and by looking at my wonky, askew marigolds…I need a lot of that!
..wonky marigolds – 5 May..
Terracotta potholder sketch – 2 May
..terracotta pots on garden pot holder..
watercolor and pen in Daler & Rowney aquarelle sketchbook, 254×178 cm.
Sketching everyday in May – 1 May 2012
Les muguets de 1er Mai..
..Lily of the valley..
watercolor and pen in Daler & rowney watercolor sketchbook, 254x178cm
Horse sketches
Our post card exchange has now come to an end, sadly, but maybe we have something new in the pipeline.
I sent Desiree horse sketches ..she and her family had horses at an earlier stage. Our two Comtois horses were my models and the sketch on the envelope I did from one of those sketches.
Gubi(envelope)
gouache and pen on envelope
Gaitchi and Gubi
done with pitt artist pens in sketchbook
Some lunch sketches.
I had some lunch at a small restaurant close by and sketched my lunch of a vegetable soup, coffee and the surrounding salt and pepper set.
…vegetable soup and bread…
pencil, pen and watercolor in Daler rowney sketchbook
The coffee sketch was my first and when I tell you that I had a very upsetting experience just before I arrived at the restaurant, you’ll understand why the lines are so dark and the whole sketch is sombre and almost violent. I’m always amazed by the strong influence emotion has on art.
The salt and pepper set was the last sketch and you can see that my emotion has settled a bit by that time. It did my a world of good to do these drawings…therapeutic.
…vegetable soup…
pencil, pen and watercolor in Daler rowney sketchbook
…coffee and water with cpeculoos biscuit…
pencil, pen and watercolor in Daler rowney sketchbook
Sketches of cute sheep.
A sheep and lamb or two from our neighbors camp. If all goes well and I can convince my husband with my sweet puppy eyes, I might just have my own cute lambs this spring!
…Sheep and lambs 1…
pencil, pen and watercolor in Daler Rowney sketchbook CP, 254x178cm
…Sheep and lambs 2..
pencil, pen and watercolor in Daler Rowney sketchbook CP, 254x178cm
Colors and foliage in November 4
In the woods I picked up 2 different ivy’s, some pine branches, mushrooms and cushions of yellow green moss. for the greens, my palette c0nsisted of pure olive green, prussian blue, cerulean, cadmium yellow and ochre. I added touches of burnt sienna and raw umber.
In the first sketch I did yesterday, I found the colour too uniform and without depth, too uninspiring.
…greens..
pen and watercolor on Canson Montval watercolor paper CP, 29,7x42cm
…then I went back in this morning and darkened some values – in the mushrooms, the pine branches and I used a thicker .7 pen. I think it has now a bit more more…oomph?
Colors and foliage of November 3.
I found some beautiful grays…some more bluish, others more yellowish and greenish and some just simply…gray.
…grays..
watercolor and J Herbin inks on Hahnemuhle paper CP 15,5x25cm
Doing the above sketch was very quick and dare I say easy, without sounding obnoxious? I’ll tell and you can decide…
- With a goose quill and nib and “gris nuage” ink from J Herbin, I drew the outline of the twig/branch with contour lines.
- I added a wet was over the areas that I wanted to highlight as the greyish moss, in the process flooding some the water soluble ink lines.
- I dabbed in some light dabs of indigo, prussian blue, paynes gray, ochre and raw umber on the wet areas. To finish off the background, I dropped some paint , using the same colours, from a loaded brush to loosely suggest random patches of moss.
- Lastly I finished off with some dark paynes gray(little water, lots of pigment, to give very dark values, suggesting the small dark corners between the moss.
..J Herbin inks and goose quill…
Colors and foliage of November 2
More experimenting with fall colors…which are quickly changing to grays and blacks and umbers. some of these experiments and playing with line and color simply turn out a mess…as can clearly be seen in “ochres and siennas”, but somehow I actually like this mess, since it is much more loose and spontaneous than the others, which are strict and too precise and stiff. the goal of this experimenting is, after all, not to render, but to interpret. In that sense, “ochres and siennas” are my best effort so far, the one I’m the happiest with.
..ochres and siennas..
watercolor and pen in sketchbook, 15,5x25cm
I used the messy sketch above to do a painting 0n larger scale and extra white abriano artistico paper. I shgould’ve gone for a more yellow tinted paper. Much lighter hand, lighter in color and more diverse in nuances…but still not what I’m after. A lot more work to do. But for this Sunday, it will do. I’m going for a walk in the woods now to find some grays.
..ochre fall branch..
watercolor on extra white Fabriano artistico paper HP,41,5x30cm
..crimsons..
watercolor and pen in sketchbook, 15,5x25cm
Colors and foliage of November 1
I’ve been neglecting my sketching and I can feel it clearly in my wrist. Stiff and uncomfortable. Unsure. Hesitant.
…colors and foliage of November – yellow greens…
..watercolor and pen in watercolor sketchbook, 15,5x25cm..
I’m back at Coin Perdu for a painting sabbatical. Only me, my art and my soul. I’m staying in the barn, made many changes and it is now more of an atelier than anything else. We surely won’t receive any visitors during winter, so I’m set with my easels and paints around a huge fireplace which burns day and night to provide me with heat. It is actually good to be a little on the cold side. It keeps my brain from being too comfortable and become lazy and my body needs to move and work constantly to keep my metabolism up. It helps with my neglected sketching, because my doodles are starting to turn into sketches. I will bounce back. I always do.
There is no better way to get back into sketching than using what is in abundance around us. Nature. and if it is too cold outside, we can even bring nature inside. Which is what I’ve done with the following three sketches. Going for walks and picking up.
…foliage and colors of November – burgundies…
..watercolor and pen in watercolor sketchbook, 15,5x25cm..
…colors and foliage of November – umbers…
..watercolor and pen in watercolor sketchbook, 15,5x25cm..
This will be my excercise for some time…trying to capture nature in its colors of Autumn and winter..with additions of whatever is moving and living during these months around Coin Perdu.
Until next time…keep warm in the Northern hemisphere and enjoy the summers seasons elsewhere!
Ronelle
A handpainted aquarelle sketch and provencal pots.
When you forget a paintbrush at home, you use what you have available. In this case, it was my hands. And for this occasion it worked fine, although it will definitely not become my preferred way of working. I will in tie or glue my brush to my bag so I’ll never forget it again.
…interior of “la panettiére” in Toulouse…
pen and watercolorin watercolor sketchbook, 18x24cm..
The next sketch was done in the barn one evening.. and I only noticed the slant during the daytime the next day..the light in the barn at night is just not good enough for any art making, but I quite like the quirky feel to these pots. They are two of my very old terracotta pots from Provence and I adore them! I’ve started doing an oil panting with these pots..a canvas that has already been standing a few weeks on the easel…and now I’m subjecting my name to scandal by admitting it here..
…two provencal pots…
..pen and watercolour on Arches watercolor paper, CP, 18x26cm..
More paintings from Provence.
Our first outing was to this lovely spot and we planned on all doing gouache. Except for me – I had a real bad hair day and nothing worked that day…Robyn gave me such encouragement and comfort that day…she’s very special. The gouache you see here, was done here in Correze from the little watercolor I did on the spot. It isn’t quite what would normally make me jump in the air from joy, but seeing that it came from an already hesitant little watercolor, I think I will now yield and validate it as OK.
…vineyard and cherry orchard…
gouache on paper.
…the original watercolor sketch, vineyards and cherry orchard..
…pen and watercolor in sketchbook…
Our first outing all three together and we painted the same spot. Sarah hadn’t arrived yet, so you can see mine and Robyn’s at the bottom with Katherine’s to the right.(mine in watercolor and the other two in gouache…see them on ‘Four go painting in Provence.‘)
Sarah’s painting of the same spot a few days later is on her post Farm and cherry orchard afternoon.
This was very early…6:30 in the morning. Sunrise. But it actually works more as a sunset painting!
…sunrise, sunset…
watercolor on Fabriano watercolor paper
So I tried again here in my gallery to get a more early morning feel, which wasn’t a success either. But I learned in this process and that is important. I learned a LOT on this very short trip…maybe I will share it later…
...sunrise…
watercolor on Fabriano watercolor paper
And to finish off…a sketch of a terrace in the little village Bédoin, while having a diabolo cassis at the café opposite.
…a terrace in Bédoin…
pencil and watercolor in sketchbook
To follow: Oil and gouache studies.
Paintings from Provence
My week in Provence ended far too soon and it went by far too quick. I managed to do a few, not nearly as much as I planned, because typically Ronell, I forgot half of my art stuff at home. I left my very important oil canvases, boards and large watercolor pads by the door to pack them last and that’s where they still were while I as in Provence. Finding an art store proved to be harder than imagined and so I ended up borrowing two canvas papers from Katherine…can one borrow a paper/canvas…?
To start off with: all of the following are sketches done around Les Couguieux, where we stayed.
…the blue shutters of les couguieux…
watercolor and pen on watercolor paper
…hameau des couguieux…
pen and wash on watercolor paper
…the terrace at les couguieux…
pen and wash on watercolor paper
…still life with cups and lemon…
pen and wash on watercolor paper
To follow: landscapes in watercolor and gouache
People sketches in ink in a bistro in Tours..and a postcard.
I’ve picked up my pen again. If one stays on a break for too long, you can lose the desire to return. It is like that with everything in life. At some stage you need to apply some discipline to get going again.
For the first time in along while, I have done some sketches while having coffee in a bistro in Tours. My favorite way of doing it, is with contour lines. If I don’t watch it, I’ll do everything in contour fashion. I love it.
Some of the sketches worked, others didn’t. But it is always like that. Not every sketch is a success. I’m happy with the sketch of the three men at the top and I’m happy with the two men to the left in the bottom sketch. Unfortunately the child and man to the right didn’t work out.
I have also received my first postcard from Albrecht in Germany. Please visit A postcard from albrecht in Germany to see the post on his postcard.
Sketches in January 2011-flora of the Loire
There is always something to pick up on a walk and take home to sketch, especially on a rainy day like we had today. I picked up a few twigs and leaves..which are always good to sketch. Leaves in winter have fascinating shapes which make up for their overall monotone brown color.
I also sketched some scampi and prawns, which are normally a translucent, greyish color, but turn red after cooking. Unfortunataly I couldn’t put these to mouth after sketching them..it felt a bit too “cannibalistic” to eat them after studying them so up and close…
..all sketches done in Fabriano artisico water color sketchbook, 18x26cm, with inks and watercolor..
…scampi and prawns..
..dry leaves of “Platanes” (Sycamore)tree and moss covered twig..
..a variety of seeds, leaves and twigs..
..bon week-end et à la prochaine fois..
Ronell
Sketching troglodytes along the Loire.
In winter the troglodytes all along the Loire are much more visible than in summer when they hide behind lush green vegetation.They are nestled in the cliffs high and low and some are still inhabited, although it is getting less frequent, as circumstances are changing and cliffs get unstable and dangerous.
I went down the road this morning and sketched two spots where the caves/troglodytes are still inhabited and a smoke trail is often seen escaping the hidden chimneys.
…troglodytes in Montlouis sur Loire…
..sketches done in sketchbook, 14 x19cm, pen and watercolor..
My contribution to Sketchercise, where sketching and exercising combine to keep us healthy and creative at the same time!
Drawing faces in contour.
I am itching to move outdoors and go paint, sketch, draw. Why? Simple. Because I feel inspired. I can only be on the couch in front of the fireplace for so long and then I tire of having it good. I need some difficulty, like going out and sticking it out in the cold, feeling my fingers go numb, but persevering in finishing a painting or sketch. When surroundings and circumstances are too easy, life becomes difficult too. Luxuries and comfort numbs us – we don’t feel the pulse of life and we don’t hear opportunities knock on our doors.
So. No, not any cold outdoor sketches yet, only some faces done in the comfort of a heated indoor living room! contour drawing is one of my favourite styles of drawing…there are artists out there doing amazing work in contour drawing. I cheated a bit on mine…I lifted my hand now and then and added some more lines, which I probably shouldn’t…the charm of a contour drawing is actually the scarcity in line work. I’m looking forward to so some life drawings in contour.
…drawing faces in contour..
..pen on Canson drawing paper, 13.5 x21 cm..
Garden sketches in December 2010
I stuck my nose out in the cold today…just outside the atelier and sketched the Jack Frost plant, whitered from the frost and the dry iris sculptures and a tree and shrub, struggling to hold onto some last colour.
..whithering Jack Frost(Brunnera macrophylla)..
..Plum tree..
..Dry Siberian iris pods..
…à la prochaine…
Ronelle
Autumn sketches II..leaves and Marie-Christine’s cheetah.
Picking up leaves on my walk by the Loire resulted in autumn sketches number II during our art afternoon earlier today. This is what I did, while Marie-Christine continued working on her cheetah.
All my sketches were done in pencil, pen and watercolor sketchbook, 19x20cm
…yellows in autumn…
…reds in autumn…
With her permission, I photographed Marie-Christine’s painting this afternoon, to show the stage where it is at now…far from finished of course. It is an old painting that she is reworking: keeping the cheetah, and started changing the background, wanting to work towards a warm African feel with heavy skies. Looks good to me already so far!
..Marie-christine’s cheetah in progress…
oil on canvas
