Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Panoramic sketchbooks and Kensington Gardens

I got a new sketchbook at the Art Event last week. I've been wanting to try a panoramic sketchbook for some time and found an Artcoe Bluebell panoramic sketchbook last week (see review)

To get a sense of the size of the paper it's 430mm (or 16.9 inches) wide and 142mm tall (5.98 inches).

Albert Memorial, Kensington Gardens
17" x 6"
pencil and coloured pencil in panoramic Artcoe Bluebell sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

On Sunday, I went sketching in Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park with the RWS Friend group - and the new sketchbook came too. We met up at the Albert Memorial (table + benches and coffee stall within a few steps - what could be better!). I took one look at it and whipped out my new sketchbook and started measuring.

I have to say it was a complete joy to draw something tall and get it virtually all the page for a change! It is so frustrating when you draw anything complicated and then find that it's moving off the page as you draw!

I've had to hype the colours a little as I did find that the cartridge paper, as per usual, is not the best paper for coloured pencil. I'm thinking that I might try watercolour pencils and a water brush with it next in order to get better depth of colour.

I then went and sketched the areawhere The Great Exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, England, from 1 May to 15 October 1851. More of that in another post as it became an exercise which is worth explaining.

We had lunch sitting on the inside of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain. I was greatly intrigued by all the sign saying that people mustn't walk in the water. According to wikipedia six wardens are now engaged to stop people walking in the water. All I know is that while we sat eating our picnic lunch there was a constant stream of children all paddling and wading round the granite course which is filled with water - aided and abetted by their parents!

Who on earth could be so silly to think you could create what looks like a rather sophisticated passling pool next to the Lido but that the children must not paddle in it walk round it? (Answer) It struck me as being rather like a grand challenge (like getting round a room without touching the floor) and was naturally going to attract children. I actually thought that was rather a good memorial!

The Serpentine Bridge
17" x 6"
pen and sepia ink and and coloured pencil in panoramic Artcoe Bluebell sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

After lunch I sat next to the Lido (created in 1930 and used in warm weather for sunbathing and swimming) - in a light drizzle - and sketched the Serpentine Bridge. Of course the new sketchbook behaved beautifully again in design terms. This particular sketch has some natural smudging involved where the sporadic rain drops spattered the ink on the page.

The waiter serving drinks just behind where I was sat was very keen to buy this sketch!

I then turned my attentions to the geese who have line up next to the railings hoping for the leftovers. I sketched a couple who were having a very prolonged grooming session - they do do the most amazing contortions with their necks and feathers.


Canada Geese on the edge of the Serpentine at the Lido, Hyde Park
6" x 17", pencil in panoramic Artcoe Bluebell sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

I then walked back up the Serpentine, took a look at the long queues to see Jeff Koons' Popeye Series at the Serpentine Gallery and retraced my steps to Lancaster Gate tube station next to the Italian Garden and its fountains.

My pedometer is having major problems (again - this is the second new battery!) and has given up displaying any information so I've no idea how far I walked but Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are an excellent place for Sketchercise!

Note:
Hyde Park is 142 hectares (350 acres)[1] and Kensington Gardens is 111 hectares (275 acres),[2] giving an overall area of 253 hectares (625 acres), making the combined area larger than the Principality of Monaco (196 hectares or 484 acres), but smaller than New York City's Central Park (341 hectares or 843 acres).
Wikipedia
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Friday, July 24, 2009

The view from Château de Béduer

This is a contribution to Vivien Blackburn's trees challenge. This is Vivien's challenge
The challenge is to produce sketches of trees done from life
  • These can be: close ups, extreme close ups, whole tree, part of tree, distant views - whatever you want.

  • Style: anything goes - photorealism to impressionism but with underlying observation

  • Medium: your choice, anything goes :>) oil paints, acrylics, watercolours, mixed media, charcoal, graphite, coloured pencils, pen, oil pastels, pastels, pastel pencils ....... etc etc etc

  • Timescale: we'll finish at the end of July and I'll post links to your blogs then - please leave your links in the comments as with the skies challenge
To think about
  • The character of trees - they are so individual, consider the way it grows, the dynamic way the branches reach for the sky, the way winds may have shaped it or it clings to rocks or hillside

  • Look at the texture of the bark, smooth, rough, flaking, damaged, patterned

  • The colours - which are rarely simply brown - look for the greys and greens and in some cases ambers, blue greys, off whites and more

  • Close ups as well as views of whole trees - look at the bark

  • Look at the pattern of branches and the negative spaces

  • Remember that branches come towards you as well as sideways

  • Look at where it joins the ground - roots showing ?? base buried in tall grasses?? look how it melts into its surroundings without a line beneath it
paint or sketch trees: challenge
The view from Chateau Beduer

The view from Château de Béduer
watercolour sketch in sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

This is a watercolour sketch of the view from Château de Béduer. This castle is situated on the outskirts of the village of Beduer in the Célé valley, a beautiful tributary of the river Lot, near the medieval market town of Figeac in Aveyron area of France and the countryside round about was very beautiful.

It was done plein air while I was on a painting holiday there some 15 years ago. I understand it's still being used for painting holidays. I can certainly recommend La Grange which we stayed in for accommodation. (If you're interested in painting holidays - check out Art Holidays - Resources for Artists)

This sketch was a major innovation for me. It was during that holiday that I began to loosen up a bit with the way I painted and stopped trying to be quite so nitpicky about my watercolour painting. It was quite a revelation to paint this sketch in a way which tried to capture the impression rather than every single leaf!

Yesterday I went to see the Corot to Monet exhibition at the National Gallery. This looks at the development of landscape painting using examples from the collection. I came across Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes and his Advice to a Student on Painting, Particularly on Landscape for the first time (about which I'll be writing more on Making A Mark next week).

Towards the Gates, Château de Béduer
17" x 11.5", pencil in Daler Rowney sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

One of the things Valenciennes recommended was really getting to grips with what the bark of a tree looked like.

On the right is my sketch of the trees - with their gnarled and twisted bark on the tree trunks - either side of the driveway from the main gates up to the chateau. I think it was the very first time I'd drawn trunks and no leaves!

I was also fascinated with the design and pattern of the shadow of the leaves from the canopy of trees just behind me

I'll always remember this sketch as it was the one I was doing when I found out that my eldest niece had just been born in Australia!
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Friday, July 17, 2009

A view of Tetbury

Tetbury from Highgrove
8" x 10", pencil and coloured pencils in Moleskine sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

After showing you the sketches of the views of and from the western aspect of Highgrove yesterday (see A visit to Highgrove - Thyme Walk and Lime Avenue), it occurred to me I could show you what it looks like on the other side of the house.

Above you can see yet another one of my 2 minute pencil sketches done during Wednesday's garden tour which was then completed with coloured pencils to the best of my colour memory's ability!

This then is the view you get when standing in front of the eastern aspect of the House. The front of Highgrove house and its main entrance look out over fields towards the town of Tetbury and the very tall spire of St Mary's, its Gothic revival church. One of the previous owners of Highgrove paid for the rebuilding of the spire on the understanding that he and his heirs could continue to enjoy an uninterruped view of it from Highgrove.

Sheep, horses and cattle graze in the fields in front of the house in the very pleasant parkland which has a mix of 200 year old wanuts and oak trees and new trees planted by the Prince. It all looked very like a Constable to me (see John Constable's Salisbury Cathedral from Lower Marsh Close, 1820 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington) - although my quickie sketch gets nowhere near the impact of a Constable landscape. (Memo to self - study Constable!)

Tetbury
The town derives its name from the Saxon Abbess Tetta who in 681 AD was granted land by Ethelred of Mercia to build a monastery.
Tetbury Town Council
Tetbury is sited on a hill - hence why the tall spire seems even more impressive!. It actually lies on the site of an ancient hill fort which then became the site of an Anglo-Saxon monastery in 681.

Architecture is one of the main interests of Prince Charles and I found out subsequently that Tetbury is regarded as a architectural gem. It became an important Cotswolds market town for the wool trade in the Middle Ages. Its town centre has a really impressive pillared Market House which was built in costwolds stone in 1655. It's still used for both markets and as a meeting place. On the day we visited it had a very nice small market where I bought a couple of lavendar plants and a bunch of lovely carrots!

In addition, many of the wool merchants houses apparently still look much as they did 300 years ago. I know I was very impressed by it as we passed through and would very much like to visit again to explore and draw.

So - if you are ever fortunate enough to be able to visit Highgrove, do make time to visit Tetbury as well and you won't be disappointed!

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