Tag: Donaghadee

Categories
watercolor Watercolour

Using wet on wet watercolour techniques

Donaghadee lighthouse
Donaghadee lighthouse

I am experimenting with damp watercolour paper techniques. There are many ways to keep the paper damp for a longer period so that one has time to paint a scene. I am not going to get into that in this post as I am in a bit of a rush. The most important thing for me is that my watercolours blend well on the paper and the edges stay soft, having more time to work is also a plus.
Since being accepted into The Water Colour Society of Ireland I have felt an urge to do a few watercolours of the emerald isle. I’d love to travel there but Covid is still restricting travel. I get my first jab this Friday, feels like a relief that I’m finally getting it.

This watercolour is of Donaghadee lighthouse, which lies southeast of Belfast. 52 x 34 cm

To view a full sized image please click the thumbnail below.

Donaghadee lighthouse
Donaghadee lighthouse

Categories
Watercolour

Just doing it

Boat season
Boat season

It’s Monday today and like everybody else right now I spend most of my time indoors trying to avoid the Corona virus. This morning was the start of a new week but it was hard to know because I was still in my comfort clothes, you know, sweatpants and an old t-shirt type of thing. So I sat at my desk and luckily I have that wee hand-written sign on the wall in front of me which simply states, “Just Paint!”. It’s so damn useful sometimes to be told what to do.

I am still going through my photos of Ireland for inspiration. I might paint outdoors tomorrow. There is a rumour it might be getting warmer. I would like to visit the archipelago, but still on the mainland. I don’t want to take a ferry at the moment with the pandemic still very real. I wonder when we will be all safe again?
The featured painting is from a photograph I took in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland last year.
Title: Boat season 36 x 26 cm.

Click the thumbnail below for a full sized image.

Boat season
Become a Patron!

Categories
Uncategorized Watercolour

Life Boat watercolour sketch

meldrum art - life boat
meldrum art - life boat

I am spending a week with my elderly Mum. I find where she lives very claustrophobic, a small dark cottage in a maze of small houses that look exactly like hers. I really look forward to the afternoons when I bring her dog for a walk.
I usually drive to Donaghadee further down the coast from Bangor, it’s a nice small village with a lovely harbour complete with lighthouse, I sketched the latter many times. The open horizon outside of the harbour relaxes me and I have an enjoyable walk with Misty, the dog.
Afterwards I sit in the passenger seat and paint a watercolour sketch of something that catches my eye. Today it was the old Life Boat that was up on land and needing some love. I hope she gets it, I thought it was a beautiful boat. She was on the hard as they say, in fact she was in the car-park which made it very easy for me to sketch from my car.

Click the thumbnail below for the full-sized image.

meldrum art - life boat
meldrum art – life boat

Categories
Sketch Watercolour

Watercolour painting on a grey day

Grey day in Donaghadee, Nothern Ireland
Grey day in Donaghadee, Nothern Ireland

Yeap, it was a very grey day in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland. I walked my mother’s dog and then sat in the passenger seat of the car and painted this quick sketch of the boats that were on land for the winter.
It’s been grey since I arrived, I hope it clears soon, it’s quite depressing.
I love to be beside the sea, I like Donaghadee but I never feel at home, I’m uneasy here.

Click the thumbnail below for full-sized image.

Grey day in Donaghadee, Nothern Ireland
Grey day in Donaghadee, Nothern Ireland

Categories
Sketch Watercolour

New year celebrations

Donaghadee
Donaghadee sketch final stage

I finished this sketch of Donaghadee harbour today. I actually started the sketch while in Ireland a couple of weeks back.
My last sketch of 2017. I am so looking forward to the new year. Tomorrow I will be a full-time artist!
I have included a few earlier version of the sketch, I know some of you are interested in seeing how I paint. Saunders watercolour paper 38 x 28 sketchbook.
Happy New Year everyone! 😀

Donaghadee sketch final stage
Donaghadee sketch 2nd stage
Donaghadee sketch 1st stage

Categories
Sketch Urban Sketchers urban sketching water coloring watercolor Watercolour

Donaghadee

I visited the quaint harbour town of Donaghadee during my stay in Northern Ireland. I went there twice in fact as I feel at ease there for some reason. It’s probably the open horizon that attracts me, I can feel a bit claustrophobic otherwise in Bangor where my mother lives, I spent 10 days with her while my sister who lives close by had a well deserved holiday.

Watercolour painted from the passenger seat of my mother’s car in a Saunders 38 x 28 sketchbook.

Categories
Sketch Watercolour

Trip to Northern Ireland

Donaghadee harbour, N.Ireland
Donaghadee harbour, N.Ireland

I visited my mother last week to celebrate her birthday and spend a few days with my sister too. Visiting Northern Ireland is always a little strange for me as I grew up south of the border so visiting my mother is not the same as coming home. Actually, where is home? I have lived in Sweden for 27 years so Stockholm is I guess. Ireland is where I come from and Northern Ireland is where my mother and sister lives. France is where my parents in law live and my oldest son lives in Japan. Between the age of 21 and 26 I lived in London. With this kind of background it is impossible to be a nationalist, I’m very happy to be a person who has to travel the world to meet his family. It saddens me that countries want to close their borders, what is the benefit of such a thing?

The watercolour and pencil sketch were done when I had two hours to myself during my visit, I drove to Donaghadee which is one of my favourite places that is close to my mother’s home. The pencil sketch is on A5 paper and the watercolour is painted on Arches and is A4ish in size.

The harbour front – Donaghadee, Northern Ireland by David Meldrum
Donaghadee harbour, N.Ireland