Virtual Sketch Date - February

'Lake Louise, Canada'

20.5cm x 25.5cm

Gouache on Paper

So it's Virtual Sketch Date time again :o) And a great image by Debbie Later . I really wanted to try something different with this so I cropped it quite extensively, used a restriced palette and added a fancy border/mount. I used gouache paints which I liked, I tried doing a watercolour but just couldn't get the effect I wanted, gouache did as it was told. The mount was a cheap plain one which I marbled at home (not done that for years, lotsa fun). I quite like the result.

The other artists interpretations will be listed on the Virtual Sketch Date site but you also see them on Flickr

Virtual Sketch date - January

'Clementine 1'

21cm x 16cm

Watercolour and Coloured Pencil on Paper

Bit of a tough cookie this month's VSD, or so I thought anyway. This is actually version two, the first I messed the background up but liked the clementine itself. I'm still not really happy with this one but it's ok. There are some really great versions done by the other artists participating, definitely worth checking out, on the VSD blog page (where you can also see the original ref photo by Jeanette Jobson). There's also a Flickr page too.

I had a short lived abstract moment, which was fun and the result is quite attractive I think. I used masking fluid and watercolour. Abstract art doesn't really float my boat but I think it's worth doing something completely different occasionally.

'Clementine 2'

15cm x 12cm

Watercolour on Paper

Virtual Sketch Date - December

watercolour

30cm x 14cm

It's that time again. I always look forward to the Virtual Sketch Date, and this month was no exception. When I saw the reference picture I was a bit clueless, I thought "What am I going to do with this?" and really had no ideas. I started to play with various crops and started to enjoy it, and ended up doing two versions again. I think some (all) of my perspective on the buildings is a bit off but I've tried to disguise it! The really good thing about these monthly VSDs is they can move you out of your comfort zone, and I was well out of it on this one but ended up enjoying it. Thanks to all at Virtual Sketch Date, for posting the reference and doing the 'admin' stuff...

watercolour and pen & ink

27cm x 11.5 cm

Virtual Sketch Date - November

I'm a bit early posting this but it's ready so here goes...

'Trunk and Branch' 1 and 2
16cm x 13cm
Pen and Ink on Paper
(plus coloured pencil on no.2)

I really enjoyed doing these, I haven't drawn trees for ages, or used pen and ink for that matter. Pretty much unplanned, with just a quick pencil guide then started with the pen and paper and went with it. For the second version I added some coloured pencil to a copy of the original, as I wasn't too sure how it would look. I'm quite happy with both versions, for a change.

'In The Trees'

23cm x 16cm

Watercolour on Paper

It's another great reference this time, with plenty to work from. This is another section of the photograph, done in watercolour.

Virtual Sketch Date - October

Time for another Virtual Sketch Date, and I have to say I've really enjoyed the ones I've done so far. Of course one of the best bits is seeing what other artists have done. Here's my first version (one just never seems enough...)

'3 Pears'

23cm x 15cmm

Graphite & Carbon Pencil on Paper

Every time I see the work of Marsha Robinett on 'The Extraordinary Pencil' I'm impressed so I wanted to try her style, particularly with the use of carbon pencil. The blackness you can achieve is impressive but not without effort, the rest of this is goood old fashioned graphite. I think I'll be using carbon pencil again. If you've not see Marsha's work it's brilliant and inspiring, go see it!

For my next effort at this reference I went to watercolour. I quite liked the result but when I scanned the piece it went very yellow so I've took a photograph too to comapare but it came out really dull looking, as you can see.

'3 Pears'

21cm x 15cm

Watercolour on Paper (scanned image)

(photographed image)

Neither of them really captures the colours in the original. This is the first time I've noticed such a marked difference between the original and the scan - I've always scanned before. And yet the photograph looks very dull, but then I'm not a photographer. Anyone else have this problem?

Virtual Sketch Date - September

'Peony'

28.5cm x 20cm

Watercolour and Coloured pencil on Paper

So here's my entry for September's VSD. I used watercolour plus a bit of tweaking with coloured pencil on Fabriano watercolour paper. I'm starting to enjoy watercolour a bit more, although I still find it a bit unpredictable at times. This was a great image to work from with a number of challenges - I did a version before this one with a black background but it felt too harsh so I used a dark purple here with a bit of blue pencil on the left, also the vase was tricky, especially the top and I still haven't got that right but I can live with it. The flower itself was enjoyable to do, to get some colour and some delicacy. I decided to have another go, and used soft pastels - in my head I was going for a Georgia O'Keefe look, but that was just in my head of course...

'Peony 2'

16 cm x 16cm

Soft Pastels on Paper

Virtual Sketch Date - August

Here are my contributions to the August Virtual Sketch Date. From the reference photo I first used graphite pencil on a smooth Daler Rowney paper. I'd decided early on I wanted to use the indenting technique for the veins in the leaves. I drew the image freehand on to tracing paper, including the veins, then transferred it to the paper. I really enjoyed doing this one...

I enjoyed it so much I had to have another go. This time I used acrylics on Arches watercolour paper. I've never really used acrylics much before and treated them pretty much as I would watercolours, I think I mostly got away with it. The colour is a bit wrong I think but still cabbagy enough...

Really looking forward to seeing what the others have done with this. Many thanks to Sherrie Roberts for the original reference photo.