Showing posts with label sketching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sketching. Show all posts

01 February 2016

Vegetable sketches.

Saturday morning after shopping, I was having my mid morning coffee,
and reading the blogs I follow.
 I saw that Ronelle from africantapestry
who writes and paints was
also having a mental block with her painting.
So I wasn't feeling so bad after reading that.
She describes this as losing her 'mojo'
Her post that day was vegetables.
ah - ha  I thought !

I'd just emptied the shopping bag,
full of colourful fruit & vegetables onto the kitchen worktop, 
and although I don't particularly like painting still life
the colours certainly looked tempting to paint. 
As I'd been lacking ideas to re-start watercolour sketch painting,
 and Ronelle who's style of painting I love
I thought this was an omen, I decided to get painting.

I'd recently been to a craft shop and bought a basic sketch pad, 
thinking this will get me started again.


Then when I feel I've really got my interest back,
I can go back to using my Moleskine journal again.



Paints and palette all ready.


A nice fresh bunch of Radish, almost like a posy of flowers
just waiting to be painted,
and delicious as well.


Painting palette, not touched for so long, all the blobs of paint dried up.
but amazingly just a few drops of water brought most of them back.


After a wobbly beginning, I used my Micron pens
and then mixed a few different shades of green.







 I roasted the Fennel with the potatoes, it was very tasty.



So thank you  Ronelle for the vegetable sketch you shared.
and my followers who have been encouraging me 
to do some painting. at least I've made a start.

When the weather improves 
I'll get out and try some scenic views and buildings for a change.
 I've joined an on-line painting course given by
who paints wonderful street sketches and snow scenes.
I'm hoping I'll learn something.
This is one of her paintings.

RiverGate
Winter snow scene by Shari Blaukopf

I'll be doing some (I mean a lot of ) practise lessons first,
before I show any of my efforts.

I'll say good bye
I hope you liked my sketches
and will come back again soon.


à bientôt
Barbara Lilian







22 April 2015

Taking a short break from my garden.

This time of the year is always busy in the garden.
We are leaving for a trip and everything is growing so fast,
I wanted to do so much, but time is running out.
I feel like the mad hatter in 'Alice in Wonderland'

These days everything seems to take us so much longer to do.
We have shrubs that have grown so big they need to be cut back or moved.
They'll have to wait a little while longer.
 Fortunately the new roses have been planted at the replacement arbour.
They should have settled in nicely while we are missing
 and hopefully will have signs of buds when we return.


We do take a break now and again, to sit here
 and drink a mid morning cup of coffee and early evening 
after our day working in the garden we have an aperitif,

or as Mr France says.'Him doing the hard work and me titivating'.
Well someone has to give the orders.

I'm hoping that these climbing roses will do better this year.
After a year of neglect, I've given them lots of TLC which they were
in desperate need of, so I'm looking forward to seeing the reward.
Also I must stake up the peonies before they get too big.
I have Day Lilies & some Penstemon that a friend gave me still to plant.
Can you see my garden whimsy peeping out from behind the Euphorbia ?
I still haven't decided, whether she stays or goes.
Take a look here it was my gift from the floral committee. 

A gift from my daughter three Ranunculus in a pot.
Their petals are so pretty, wrapped round and round and so paper thin.

At the moment this is our view from the terrace.
We can see the wild Cherry trees in blossom  Food for the birds.
When we get back, I'm sure this view will be very different,
 all the trees will be dressed in their green robes,

I did manage to find some time to paint a sketch in my garden journal
of one of my Camellia flowers, before it turned brown & fell off.




I'll be taking this small sketch journal with me
 and a few ink pencils .


This lovely hand bound sketchbook was sent to me by Valerie Gardiner 
who has a lovely blog called Colours in the Breizh
 On her travels she doesn't use a camera, only the
detailed sketches she does 'en situe' in her own hand bound sketchbooks.


If I miss your posts, while I'm away, I'll try and catch up when I get back.
Enjoy your gardens,
especially those who have only just stopped having snow.


à bientôt
Barbara Lilian

23 February 2015

Painted Pansies & Primulas.

At this time of the year Primulas and Pansies can be seen in all
the garden centers. Their colourful heads shouting out
 to be bought and planted to give some instant colour
Whether you choose vibrant colours.
 


or these pastel pinks.


When I first learnt how to paint in watercolour in 2008
I was terrified learning the technique of wet on wet, especially for flowers.
I learnt how to let the paint run along the paper I had just wet,
not realizing that the paint would only run where the paper was wet.
After a few mishaps, I loved what I was able to do, knowing I was in control.
 I continued my painting at home using books I'd bought and one
I borrowed from a friend written by a French artist Maryse de May.

One of her pansy paintings from her book.
She paints in a style I particularly like and fortunately in her book there are lots
of diagrams so I am able to follow the technique and adapt it to my style.



I have seen some of her paintings at an Aquarelle Exhibition which is
 held every year in a small town not far from where I live.
St Yriex Aquarelle Exhibition.
 Exhibitors  come from all over the world.
I have the date set in my agenda, as the previous two years
I arrived on the last day about half an hour before it closed

I used the Maryse de May  'L’aventure avec les fleurs ' book as reference
 and practiced a lot that winter.



I remember only too well, as we had a long cold winter
 so that was when I mastered the way of painting wet on wet.
 At that time, I gave everything I painted to family.Then when I got a bit
 more confident a gave them to friends.This weekend while visiting my daughter
 I asked if she still had the painting of the pansies I had given her.
Well here it is for you to see. (I didn't remember it being this good)
I feel quite proud of myself.



Which has given me the push I needed to get back into painting
instead of just dabbling .
So now my paints and favourite paper are out


 ready and waiting for ME.




I think these Primulas would make make nice painted cards.

These  are still in their plastic pots
but look a lot nicer in these decorative metal holders on a tray
which I've put on the wide window ledge, waiting
 to be planted in the garden when the ground warms up.


I have promised myself and Mr France I will do more painting.
 I'll be showing more frequently 
So if you like to see my sketches / paintings please come back soon.



à bientôt
Barbara Lilian

21 November 2014

My 100th Post




I can't believe I've just written that.
If Blogger didn't count them and inform me 
 I would have let this special day pass me by without knowing.

If you don't mind I need to write it again only in bigger numbers
100 th. post.

I promise I won't mention it again.

 I created my blog in 2012. If you weren't reading me then take a look at my first post.

Except for my family, I really didn't know who would want to read about my daily life, 
but 99 posts later and just past the 40,000 number of views.
I'm feeling quite pleased with myself.
 I'm still here and when I don't enjoy writing and sharing I'll stop.

I thank every one of you who take the time to read about me, 

If you don't write a comment  I don't know you are reading it, but thank you anyway.

Finally a special thank you to all my blogging friends
who leave such lovely encouraging comments.

 A sketch from my journal of the back view of our house from the grazing field.

What better subject to share with you than the beautiful countryside I enjoy where I live, 
and what a stunning time of the year when the trees are exploding with such beautiful colours.


If you would like to join me on my walk, we will start from 

Our summer visitors have gone. the vine has been trimmed




                         but it still looks inviting with the lovely red leaves on the Virginia Creeper.






During my recuperation time I sat most days on our terrace 
and sketched this view of the ruined barn 




Now the Berberis is looking at its best, so many shades of red.
  



We could take this lane.




But I think we'll go  this way.



 We will walk the  'Le Route Forrestier' 

 I haven't taken this pathway for quite some time as it was too hilly for me, but now I'm able to walk much further again, it's the best route for views.  We will be able to see the many species of trees which grow in our region  some of them are already bare and others are still showing off  their colourful robes. This particular day started with heavy showers then the sun came out which lit up the trees making their colours even more beautiful, 

I climbed the first hill to see the lovely big Oak tree
 which stands alone in the field where the Limousin cows feed,
 This oak always look splendid whatever the season, it hangs onto
it's leaves almost until the new Spring leaves begin to appear.





 I stopped and turned around so that you could have a glimpse of my home through the bare trees.






I can see lots of  dark clouds beginning to gather so before it starts to rain again.
I think we'll take a little detour,  I don't think you'll be disappointed.
it's this winding path which has lots of ferns along the edge of the path





Look at the lovely shades of rust of these ferns, 
I'll be cutting them soon and taking them to use as a winter coat for my fragile Fuchsias.
I learnt that tip from an old man in the village where we lived when we first arrived in France.
If you'd like to read some of my happenings in that village take a peep    here




I'm so glad I took the detour even though it didn't rain
We would have missed seeing these trees.
Aren't they beautiful ?




When it snows and I write about the snow plough never passing our house, you can see why. 






         I'll be able to show you the ruined house near to where I live.which is so over grown now









We are now back, to where we started our walk.
I hope you enjoyed the beautiful colours I'm seeing at the moment.
This year we still haven't had any frost, so we're still enjoying our Autumn.

 Now for a little insight of my preparation before I actually make a post. 

I say it so many times I am not technically minded.
I forget how to do things, so have to write it down, especially doing a link.
That's why I don't join in with Link posts but I do read the blogs you all link to.

I'd never get anything done I'd still be sitting at my laptop struggling.
Oh believe me sometimes it takes me ages.
However I have managed to put two links in this post.

When I first started writing on my blog I used to get Mr France to take the photos.

But since then  I've learnt such a lot about taking photos and I'm still learning, 
Here I'm preparing for a photo shoot I wanted to show you 
the last three stems of Lavender I found this morning.

Most of the photos I take are with my aim & shoot camera,  I can master that.











It's still not right. but was the best of all that I took.
This stone jar I found buried in the barn under all the hay at our first house.






I fiddled about adding a few more bits and pieces.
I've just made some Lavender sachets as extra little gifts for Christmas
and I thought it would fit in with the theme.
But too many shadows. 





I hope you enjoyed my special post.



à bientôt
Barbara Lilian

17 October 2014

Autumn colours.





The Virginia creeper which climbs up the wall
of La Petite Maison, is always the first to turn to such lovely shades of crimson.



I managed to capture the beautiful shades of gold of the leaves
on the Canadian oaks planted in rows in a field near my home.






These tall trees I see near where my daughter lives.
Another favourite walk we love to take when passing.
Fortunately I had my pocket camera with me whilst walking there recently.




Ah! good, a bench to sit awhile and soak up the splendour of natures beautiful colours.


Who wouldn't want to sit and devour these beautiful colours.
 I keep telling myself I should try painting 'en plein air'




This picture is not my own and I'm sorry I can't give credit to the photographer.
as I saw it on a friends facebook page and recognised where it is.
It's the old part of Limoges city near where I live.
It the colours that made me want to show it in my autumn colours post.




These are a few bits of autumn I brought home from my walk
waiting for me to sketch in my Moleskine journal.


With all the beauty of autumn around me
I have so much to capture, so I'd better get painting.
Couldn't resist showing a few autumn stems in a simple jam jar



.





à bientôt

Barbara Lilian