Bordeaux

This painting is based on a couple of pictures I took in Bordeaux last year. I really liked the grilles inside the arch of the door and the balconies. It wasn't as sunny as it is in the pictures, and the shadows were not as much defined.

I followed some of the tips and techniques explained in " Watercolours Doors & Windows" by Wendy Jelbert.

Sketching Day: RWS Spring Exhibition and Riverside Sketching - Sunday 29th March 2009

Blackfriars Bridge

St Paul's Cathedral

Tate Modern

I met with the RWS Friends on Sunday for an outdoor sketching day along the river. We did a tour of the RWS Spring Exhibition at the Bankside Gallery and then Salliann Putman RWS did a talk on Bonnard's sketchbooks. It was a sunny day and we spent the rest of day sketching outside the Founder's Arm.

Canbury Gardens

I did a sketch this morning while seating in the sun at Canbury Gardens. The greens of the trees and the bushes don't mix well, and as I have been having this problem since forever, I did a quick study on mixing greens when I got back home. I started mixing sap green with the blues, the browns and the yellows in my watercolour pocket palette, but I wasn't happy with the results, so I started from the three yellows obtaining much better greens. I must remember all this next time I'm painting landscapes.

Kingston riverside

We spent about three hours on the other side of the river last Sunday. It was very sunny and we enjoyed spending time outside just sitting on a bench. It was a bit difficult to sketch as the colours were drying really fast and I could hardly keep my eyes open as it was too bright and I wasn't wearing sunglasses.

Saturday Night at the Library

We stopped at the library near Picadilly Circus, after meeting with some friends on Saturday. It was so calm and quite inside that it felt like we were miles away from the crowded and noisy streets of London.

North Kingston

I can see North Kingston from my desk in the office. Today was a bit grey and I couldn't see everything clearly. The church in the distance is the Parish Church of St Luke's.

Painting Buildings

I painted this abandoned villa from a photo I took two years ago, when I was visiting my parents in Calabria during Easter. I've recently bought 'The Watercolourist's Guide to Painting Buildings' by R. Taylor, so I thought I would give it a go in applying some of the techniques explained in the book. The results are not quite the same (especially the perspective of the windows on the ground floor, as my little brother pointed out), but I enjoyed the painting overall.

On the train

Friday afternoon on the train to Surbiton, finally going back home from work.

High Holborn under the rain

It rained all day yesterday....but it wasn't too cold. I was able to sit outside Pret a Manger and sketch the surroundings while drinking a hot miso soup.

Bloomsbury Square Gardens

I draw this yesterday during my lunch break. There were still snow on the grass and patches of ice on the footpath. It was very cold, but the sky was clear. I added the colour later at home.