Sketchmeet: Concert in the park.

Impression of the bandstand and The Band of The Parachute Regiment

Last Sunday, I arranged for the Colchester Sketchers to sketch at the bandstand in Colchester Castle Park where The Band of the Parachute Regiment were playing. The concert was great, the sun was out for the majority of the afternoon, and there was a good turn out of sketchers. The only negative has to be my wonky perspective and roof on my watercolour.

People in the audience

The band leader

After doing the watercolour sketch, I did the two quick pencil sketches above.

What do you think of them? The band liked my watercolour.

*****

Next Sunday, if you are in the Colchester area, you will find me at the Farmers Market at Bourne Mill, where I have a table showing sketches, paintings and selling prints and cards. Pop by and say hello :)

Have a lovely week everyone.

Hello spring!

The gates are open for 2016 at the National Trust's Bourne Mill. ©SuePownall

Today is the Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere, and spring is one of my favourite seasons. I also like autumn ... and summer ... oh and winter if I'm inside and warm and it's snowing outside.

On Wednesday, I was sketching outside in order to record the 2016 opening of the National Trust property, Bourne Mill. I'm working with the property this year, so rather than sketch the building, other than the outline, I chose to focus on the open gates.

I used a Monologue sketchbook and inked on site. However, I added the watercolour added at home due to icy wind.

St. Patrick's Day. ©SuePownall

 On Thursday, Saint Patrick's Day provided the opportunity to get some green paint out as I sketched with some friends in a local pub. The above sketch was completed on site, Winsor & Newton watercolour with Staedtlar pen in A5 Daler sketchbook.

Sketching with my assistant.

 More green featured this morning, which is why I'm blogging this evening, as I experimented monoprinting using a Gelli plate. Some of these prints I am thinking of working up, maybe with stencils, or watercolour, or.... not sure. Some as collage backgrounds, maybe. Whilst one will become an Easter card to send to my mum.

Spring monoprint experiments. ©SuePownall

Now, I'm looking forward to lots of garden drawing, flower sketching, and more spring printing.

 What about you? Is spring your favourite season? What are you working on?

50th WWSketchCrawl: Colchester

Yesterday afternoon, I arranged for the Colchester Sketchers to sketchcrawl at the bottom of the High Street. Tucked down a lane is the Coffee Cube café, which is where we arranged to meet. After a week that saw sleet and rain, we were amazed to have a blue sky and sunshine, so half of us sat outside to sketch the castle.

First sketch underway.

Being the organiser, I spent more time talking than sketching at the meeting point, but did manage to spend half an hour on my sketch of the castle. Luckily, as the sun disappeared behind the clouds, it was time to move on.

My first sketch

 Our second location was Hollytrees Museum, which is a museum of domestic life and childhood. Several of us were attracted by the Alice in Wonderland temporary exhibition.

The Queeen's croquet game.

  Our final location was the new Tiptree Tearoom at the Minories Gallery. I think we were all so interested in each others sketches and having some tea, that nobody sketched there. I plan to return another day as the choice of teas and cakes demand a proper "sketch" visit.

Colchester Sketchers (minus Johnny) show off their sketches.

  Where did you sketch?

Drinkdraw Chappel

This is as far as my first sketch got. ©SuePownall2015

My assistant.

The railway viaduct at Chappel has been on my "to-sketch" list for many years, so on Friday I arranged for the Essex & Suffolk Sketchers to meet at the Swan pub. With quickly failing light and the temperature dropping, I sat on a bench in the Swan's car park and quickly tried to paint it. It was difficult to tell the colours I was applying as the light changed and dropped. Above is as far as my first sketch got.

Heading into the pub to warm up, I think the guys having bar snacks got drawn by everyone. As usual, I spent more time chatting than drawing, so these two were all I did. Plus, Degas got bored and decided when it was time to go home.

I was sketching in an A4 Monologue sketchbook with Winsor & Newton watercolours & Inktense pencils.

Bar snacks. ©SuePownall2015

A Perfect Day?!

Spindle Drilling Machine

This weekend is Heritage Weekend in UK with many interesting places open for free. Yesterday, taking advantage of the lack of entrance fee, I went to the Museum of Power, Langford.

In situ in Museum of Power

The sound and sight of The 'Simpson' Belt Driven Workshop attracted my attention, so I decided to sketch there. With so many machines, belts, and interesting things I chose a small section to focus on and the above sketch is the result. Here is the in-situ photo. This sketch was done with a sepia Derwent pencil in A4 Monologue sketchbook. Whilst the afternoon sketch was Winsor & newton watercolours, Staedtlar Pigment liner in Daler A5 sketchbook.

After lunch, Degas and I went to Goldhanger for their Gala Weekend. With a karate demo going on in the churchyard, I took Degas down the road and walked her around the sea wall before heading into the village. As musicians were setting up in the Salty Dogs Tea Room, we headed there. It was the perfect afternoon: What's better than drinking tea (and eating carrot cake), in a beautiful garden, listening to live music, with your dog lying at your feet as you sketch?

Music, tea & cakes in a beautiful garden.

 It was a lovely day. What would make your perfect day?

Big Draw Colchester

From the morning's sketching of St Botolph's Priory. ©Sue Pownall 2015

Yesterday, CO3 Gallery in Colchester arranged a Big Draw event, which I attended. We were based near a sponsor, Tindalls Art Store in Trinity Street, but spread out through the town. I wanted to draw St Botolph's Priory as I hadn't drawn it since I was at college in the town. Once again, my colours have come out brighter than usual due to the sunlight, and yes this is England.

After heading back to base, I joined Colchester artist Colin David McAllister on a doorstep with a great view of an old Tudor building, which is now Tyndalls' café. The waitress was great and kindly served tea where we were rather than at a table. Afterwards, I went  into the rose garden, initially to paint roses, but instead captured the gable-end.

Photo by Angella Horner.

All too soon it was time for those left to gather for a group photo and to share their sketches. I'm not too sure why there are Spanish flags behind us - perhaps because we'd stolen their sunshine for the day.

Sketches from at Tymperleys ©Sue Pownall 2015

There was not any cider in my sketch kit this week. I used an A4 Monologue sketchbook with Staedtlar pigmentliners and Winsor & Newton watercolours. It was a lovely day sketching with new people and I look forward to sketching with them again.

Café Sketching

This week's homework for Liz Steel's online course Sketching Now, which I'll be posting about next Saturday, was to sketch in a café. My morning didn't go to plan, which those of you doing the course know, is what happened to Liz too. The brief was to sit head on a café counter and to draw from the focal point out. My idea was to head to Tiptree Tearooms & Jam Factory mid-morning for a cuppa and a scone. 

 

However, I got engrossed in some material I was preparing for a course I am giving and didn't get there until midday. I got a head on view, of the side, which was not exciting as the photo shows. To my left was the hostess desk, so I chose to draw that instead.

I used my Super5 pen, which is filled with Noodlers blueblack ink, and started at the desk, added the girl who flitted there and back, then worked more details out from that point. I do like how the sketch looked before I added watercolour.

 Initially, I had thought to have a scone with my tea, but as it was lunchtime I ordered a salad instead. Whilst, waiting for it to arrive I added colour to my sketch. (The finished scanned image is below). Unfortunately, due to a huge queue of people waiting for tables at the hostess desk, I scrapped my plan to sketch my food too, so ate quickly and left.

 

I will be posting tomorrow as I've been nominated for the Around the World Blog Hop. Please come back and see what I post. In the meantime check out some of the others' posts such as Béliza's post here and Tina's here.

A spy in Wonderland

Skaters II, watercolour only.

Yesterday, I was asked if I was a spy, really. It came after saying I have lived and travelled abroad and am only in England temporarily. Spy or not, I don't do cold, so the 4°C and showery afternoon was a challenge.

The London Urban Sketchers had arranged to sketch in the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park and after meeting in a nice warm pub ten of us headed across Marble Arch and into the event.

Near the entrance was a big wheel complete with Santa in his sleigh, and it had to be drawn. Taking shelter under one of the many wooden food chalets, I grabbed an Inktense pencil and started sketching. The slightly unusual effect is due to spots of rain on the page.

I wasn't happy with the red, so added red watercolour at home.

Next up, Isabel & I sketched Zippo's Circus. I have to say I was tempted to go and see the show, especially as a sign boasted "It's warm inside". Instead, it was a cup of hot chocolate and onto the outside skating rink. I sketched the skaters directly in watercolour. The spots on the page due to the paint taking forever to dry.

Isabel & I sketching skaters, 27th December.

Skaters I, Inktense Pencil sketch.

 With icy feet, fingers & nose, a great find was the firepit, where thawing out whilst sketching was a perfect way to end a visit to the Winter Wonderland before heading to the pub and sharing of sketches.

Pencil with watercolour added at home.

Unfinished Pencil sketch (too cold)

  

Note: I was using a Monologue A5 hardback sketchbook, which the company sent me to review. I have to say that so far, for me, this is not a book that works well when out and about sketching. Firstly, it has perferated pages, which means you are limited to single page spreads and I am already loosing pages after just 3 days of use. Then, the paper is thin with even a few splashes of rain making it buckle slightly and you can not draw on the back with out the drawing underneath showing through.On a positive side, the paper takes pencil and ink well. If you don't over use the water the intensity of watercolours does remain.

Granary Square, N1

Fountains, Super5 pen & watercolour in A4 sketchbook

 Yesterday, I joined the Drawing London on Location meetup group for a day drawing around Granary Square, just north of Kings Cross, which was held in collaboration with the new House of Illustration.

I enjoyed the day, and it's a very interesting area, but feel I could have got better results. Here are some of them. 

The Book Barge. Soluble ink & watercolour A4 sketchbook

Musicians on The Book Barge, watercolour A4

Train people on route to London, A6 Laloran sketchbook

 What did you do yesterday? 

btw. The next post will be another from Brazil. 

Monologue

Wren's St Mary Abchurch 2 August 2014

A while ago I received an email from Monologue asking if I would like to review their sketchbooks. Naturally I said yes and a little while later a courier delivered this lovely parcel.

They are designed to be used with a variety of mediums listed on the wrap: charcoal, chalk, graphite, pencil, pastel, oil pastel, wax crayon, red chalk, acrylic, collage, oil, marker, spray, tempera... Everything except ink, my prefered medium. As I am part way through the A5 Seawhite sketchbook, I decide I would test drive the soft cover A4, with holding elastic.  It has a handy niche on the edge keeping it both in place and away from the pages - neat!

Wren's Monument to the Great Fire of London

Pete Scully had arranged a sketchcrawl of Wren's buildings,  so I thought that was a good time to testdrive the sketchbook.  Aren't new ones scary? At the meeting point lots of peeps were busy sketching the buildings or craning their necks to draw the top of Monument. Eek. I drew 2 construction workers on their break at the bottom.  The sketchbook liked my pen, so that was a relief.

St Magnus the Martyr

Getting my map of locations,  & sticker for my sketchbook,  I drew the church clock and spire of St. Magnus the Martyr listening to the chimes of the bells. I added the watercolour,  which the page handled well  I am very lazy,  mixing colours direct on the drawing with quite a bit of water. It crinkled a little but not much at all.

Next it was St Marys Abchurch and I loved its poor green, damp covered, neglected side. I spent a long time on this sketch as I built up the watercolour glazes to emulate what I saw. I'm pleased with the result and the way the Monologue sketchbook took the paint. 

I'm not so pleased with my last sketch of St Mary le Bow Church as the church is soooo vast, my initial marks were way off. The café shot is the best way to view it. I then had to head home to walk my lovely assistant and missed the final meet up at St Paul's.

I had a lovely day, thanks to Pete's planning,  and look forward to using the sketchbook more as so far I think it's really good. I must try some other mediums for a thorough test. 

Sketching St Mary Abchurch rear entrance

St Mary le Bow

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