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Sketch Uncategorized Watercolour

Urban Sunday

Urban Sketching is just so much fun. This month we visited Lilla Wien which  I have walked past everyday going to work and never once thought, “Oh, I must visit that pub!”.  Every Sunday it seems, elderly jazz fans gather to listen to live music and to dance. They really looked like they were enjoying themselves.

I sat down at the long table that was reserved for us sketchers, I wasn’t facing the band but instead I had a good view of the bar. I am reasonably happy with the watercolour sketch, it would have been nicer if I had fewer hard edges. The bottles behind the bartender should have been out of focus, also the light on his shoulders should have been soft too.

 

 

Categories
Sketch watercolor Watercolour

From my sketchbook

I am having a lot of fun playing with light and shadow right now. These two photos show a little of the technique I use. It’s sketched on Moleskin watercolour paper which really sucks because it doesn’t if you know what I mean. It doesn’t matter though, I use the sketchbook for learning porpoises. 

Today, I cycled around Stockholm for hours taking pictures of buildings in the autumn sunlight. I think the more technique you learn the more interesting watercolour becomes. I am totally fascinated by it.

Categories
Sketch Watercolour

Stortorget puzzle.

The name of the square is called Stortorget, the big square. Not much imagination was used in giving it a name.
Anyway, I am trying to find a way of painting it. I have used a typical tourist picture as reference and I have tried to make it interesting from a watercolour point of view. It’s a sketch, so it has lots of faults but I think I am moving in the right direction, even if it is painfully slow.
Looking at it now, I find it is a pity I followed the bright colours of the reference photo, it would have better if the colours were more dampened in tone. Yeah, yeah, the journey of improvement continues…

Watercolour sketchbook Saunders Waterford 28 x 19.

Categories
Lunch Sketch Sketch Watercolour

Trying to loosen up.

Buildings are a bunch of boxes, straight lines and a few curves, rigid things that demand to be stiff and upright. I am trying to create an impression of what I see – to this point I have failed every time. I enjoy the challenge though, trying to find what is missing.

 

Gamla Stan
Gamla Stan

 

Categories
Sketch Video Watercolour

Filming the process with a GoPro

Sunday was a rainy day here in Stockholm so I stayed in my studio and played with my GoPro camera. I filmed myself painting a sketch in my Moleskin journal. I have an ambition to publish films of my painting process to help others learn from the knowledge that I have gained since I started in 2012. I need to learn how to edit film, next weeks project I guess.

gopro
gopro

Hopefully I have something to show real soon…

Categories
museum Museums Watercolour

Life is good

Cerold Johansson who is responsible for art acquisition at the Nordic Watercolour Museum has bought one of my paintings! It arrived safely today with the glass still intact. To say that I am happy would be a bit of an understatement ?

https://www.akvarellmuseet.org/
https://www.akvarellmuseet.org/en/about-the-museum

Categories
Watercolour

A Proud Salamanca Moment

I am proud to have been choosen by the Nordic Watercolour Society to particapate in the 20th ECWS* exhibition in Salamanca, Spain. The exhibition continues until the 27th of October 2017.

Thanks to Peter Reuterberg for the photographs.

*European Confederation of Watercolour Societies

 

Categories
Watercolour

Autumn has arrived

This is a larger version of a painting I did the other week, click here to see that one. It is a challenge to paint larger formats, this watercolour is 70 x 50 cm and painted on Arches rough paper. I added a touch of autumn as the trees outside my window have wonderful colours right now. I am happy enough with the painting, I completed 70% of it and became scared, I think this is a common problem for watercolourists. It is so easy to screw the whole thing up. It’s a real challenge to stay loose and free to the end.

Click image below for full sized watercolour

Autumn archipelago by meldrum
Autumn archipelago by meldrum
Categories
Sketch Stockholm Watercolour

Sketches of Stockholm 

Two sketches from my Moleskin watercolour journal (not cotton paper and it shows). I plan to develop and paint these during the week.

Click image below for full sized watercolour

meldrum sketches
meldrum sketches