Sketching nature by the lake in Kew Gardens

Last Friday we went to Kew Gardens for the day - and spent the whole afternoon experiencing very warm weather and saying "It's going to rain soon" - but it didn't (until later that night)!

Kew Gardens - sketching nature by the lake
pen and sepia ink and coloured pencils, 8" x 10" in Moleskine Sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Good weather for birds though!

We have a favourite spot next to the lake where there are some benches and you can see all the birdlife as well as the plants which grow on the water margins.  The coot wanted to be in the sketch!

I've got an artwork planned and wanted some 'in situ' sketches of a plant - hence the above.

Links

• Visitor Information Map (pdf)
• more sketches of Kew Gardens

Summer in the Rose Garden, Sissinghurst

Last month I posted my Step by step sketch of the Rose Garden, Sissinghurst, but I completely forgot to post the finished version - completed at home.  Until yesterday - when we started making plans for our next visit.

So here's the final version of Summer in the Rose Garden at Sissinghurst.

Summer in the Rose Garden, Sissinghurst (24 July 2013)
pen and ink and coloured pencils in Moleskine Sketchbook, 16" x 11"
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

A lot of what's done at home is about strengthening colours as opposed to identifying them. Sometimes I need to build up a few layers to get proper darks.  My preference is for using complementary colours to get an optical dark green - and I find the colours red and orange come in very useful for toning down the blue of greens!

I also find other tricky bits are getting the blooms to "come out" of all the foliage and finding differences in the greens so it doesn't look like one massive green splodge!

See more of my sketches and drawings of gardens on my website - Pastels and Pencils - Houses & Gardens - sketches and drawings by Katherine Tyrrell or in Pastels and Pencils Katherine Tyrrell travels with a sketchbook - in England

If you'd like to get inspired to sketch, draw or paint gardens check out my website Gardens in Art - Resources for Artists. This is for artists who enjoy drawing or painting your own garden or gardens you visit. Its contents cover gardens in art and how to draw and paint gardens.

Find out more about Sissinghurst - see Sissinghurst Castle Garden - a great garden

Sea Bream at the Portrait Restaurant

Lunch at Portrait Restaurant at the National Portrait Gallery - Main Course - July 2013
pen and ink and coloured pencils, 8" x 10"
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

These are a couple of sketches from a recent visit to the Portrait Restaurant at the National Portrait Gallery for lunch.  Sketching was VERY rapid!  Food was very good.  Exhibition was very good - see my Review: Laura Knight Portraits

• Starter (below): Air dried ham, figs, goats cheese, rocket salad and balsamic dressing
• Main Course (above): Sea Bream, Creamy Mash, Chorizo, Spinach, Confit Tomatoes

Lunch at Portrait Restaurant at the National Portrait Gallery
Starter - July 2013
pen and ink and coloured pencils, 8" x 10"
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

The Portrait Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner (2 courses £25) - and breakfast and afternoon tea - and has a fabulous view across the top of the National Gallery to the London Eye, Whitehall, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben!