Seventeen come January

I forgot to mention in my last post, I recently turned seventeen ... for the third time! The stresses and strains from work related matters are quickly beginning to fade now as my company's latest product finally moves out of development and into full production. The snow has disappeared completely now and the white, snow leaden skies of late have given way to the beautiful and clear, cobalt skies of late winter. Spring is still a few weeks off, but it soon will be here, bringing forth new growth, and of course, from a personal and selfish point of view, the chance to get out there and have some plein air fun again :)

While I 'm waiting for the better weather, I have been playing around with various papers using small sets of student quality watercolour paints and pencils in an attempt to get the contents of my sketch bag whittled down to something I can physically carry LOL. I'm beginning to move away from good old cream coloured blocks of Arches, towards spiral bound pads of bright white papers like Fabriano Classico 5 HP (50% cotton rag) and gorgeous Winsor & Newton Artists CP, both of which seem to handle any wash I throw at them ... not literally of course !

Happy painting !

True blue

The willows in winter

On thin ice

You take the high road

When the heart rules the mind

It's been a busy week at work again so I've had very little time to settle down, chill, and to get any art done. All that left brain exercise was starting to take me off course a little ... so I decided that I needed to give the right brain some 'me-time' !

I did finally get to sit down in the studio this morning (Sunday). I took out my (A4 Kraft sketchbook), a small set of Caran d'Ache Pablo coloured pencils (gorgeous if you haven't tried them yet), and tested out my new portable sketching easel. I poured a litttle Zest-It into a tin and dipped the pencil points in there to help to loosen the pigment and draw out richer colour from the oil-based dry pencils.

I really enjoyed doing this little imagination sketch and may try this method again en plein air with a real landscape or townscape ... that is when it warms up a bit! Lots of snow here in the East this morning! I really do love the stuff (and so does Louie) but it is flipping cold here ..... Good for the rosy cheeks, but not for the dry hands .... Ouch!

Happy painting and drawing to you all !

'Seasons must change', coloured pencil, 16x18cm/6.5x7in