I took myself to Björnö yesterday which is a 45 minute drive from stockholm. I walked for another 40 minutes through woods until I reached a beautiful spot that inspired. It was meant to be a grey day but it wasn’t. I find these kind of small adventures so rewarding.
I think this watercolour sketch represents my feelings pretty good. It’s March and summer is coming.
I could do a better job sketching this series but to be honest I like the freshness of a first attempt. It’s really interesting capturing emotions with watercolour.
I sketched my first outdoor watercolour for 2021 yesterday. It was 8 degrees but sunny enough to stay warm. Damn it feels good to be outside sketching again.
It’s always difficult to know when to stop painting a watercolour. Maybe I should have stopped already after the first wash. It doesn’t matter, it was just a sketch, I was playing with some paper I haven’t used for years, Fabriano Artistico /S, it’s really difficult to paint on. The blending of colours is difficult. It’s not paper I like but I have lots of it so I’ll just have to enjoy it even if it’s not a favourite. Which do you like best, the finished painting or the halfway stage version? Let me know in the comments. Cheers 🙂
In this episode I take myself to a small island called Beckholmen where I sketch another little island called Kastellholmen, both are very close to the centre of Stockholm. It became a grey day and so it was a challenge to make the sketch interesting. Follow me step by step as I paint and hope for a watercolour that satisfies.
The autumn is here, the days are getting shorter, I take lunchtime walks to get as much light as I possibly can. It’s that time of the year when it’s totally natural to spend more time in the studio. I have sketched all summer and I feel I have improved a great deal due to all the practice. In a way I am looking forward to the winter, I want to see if I have really developed – painting larger studio watercolours is a great test of this. I do not want to stop sketching, I will do this too but less during the winter months.
And so, here is my latest sketch after saying all that. I sometimes drive to HellasgÃ¥rden which is close by for one of my lunchtime walks. I take myself around the lake and it relaxes me from the day’s stress. There is a small island called “Lilla holmen” which means little island funny enough. I decided to try and paint it, insanely difficult to capture on paper and even harder to make it interesting. This is how I improve though, I am forever putting myself in these uncomfortable situations, I enjoy it.
Lilla holmen, Hellasgården 13 x 17.5 cm
Click the thumbnail below to see the original full-sized image
I was in my studio at home when workmen started drilling into the outer wall of the apartment. After 15 minutes of painful noise I gave up grabbed my sketch bag and jumped into the van. It was grey and wet but I told myself to go to the local waterfront (Nacka Strand) to paint a watercolour sketch. A plain white ferry contrasted wonderfully against the greyness of the sky and sea. This was enough to inspire me and I am happy with the result – a simple composition that captured the day pretty well. 13 x 17.5 cm
If you would like to see my latest video click this link: Sketching watercolours while cruising Ep23
Click the thumbnail below to see a full sized image of the featured watercolour.
As we sailed south there was one day when the winds were gentle, not so common this year I have to report. So as we sailed slowly past this small island with it’s navigational light I just got the urge to try and capture it. Light winds became a pleasure.