Watercolour Sketching Kit

This is my watercolour sketching kit. We are planning to travel light this fall, 3 weeks/24 days with only carry on luggage so I've been refining my essentials. I had watercolour pencils in my hand today at Opus and after carrying them around for a few minutes put them back because I realized I'd also have to carry a pencil sharpener.

My set up includes:

A sepia coloured permanent ink micron pen and a graphite pencil. 

A fresh Pentalic 5x8 watercolour journal for the trip. 

A Windsor & Newton Pocket Cottman watercolour kit with a mini paintbrush and 2 nested pallets inside. I  removed the rubber hinge thing as it prevented the pallet from laying flat. I think it keeps the moisture inside though so will have to put it back on to protect my purse while travelling. 

And a collapsable cup! I had this idea the other night - I remember Grandma Fulford had these, I think in a picnic set she kept in the car or the Boler, I remember playing with them, expanding and collapsing repeatedly. Fun! So Dean found a set of 2 today at Capital Iron. This cup worked well today and it's nice and light. Not sure it is coming on the trip yet but it has promise. 

Learning to Sketch with Watercolour

In anticipation of our travels this fall (more about that in a future blog) I thought I would learn watercolour sketching. I sought out the classrooms of Google and YouTube over the last couple months and I think I've got the basics - and I hope enough talent to capture some of the flavour of our adventures.  

October 5, 2014

The lovely ladies at Glow Gallery in Metchosin offer open house on Sundays. Linda and Terri are very talented and experienced artists who share their gallery and enthusiasm for art with anyone who wants to create. The still life today was in keeping with  Metchosin Apple Fest. 

August 24, 2014

This one I worked from photos taken on my outing to Spirit Bay with the Al Frescos at the beginning of August. I tried a simplified design of the scene which I like. I was using a black ink pen that I found had too much contrast. I have since changed to a sepia tone that I like a lot better. 

August 24, 2014

These iris have naturalized at Esquimalt Lagoon and are a bright spot of color if you know where to look in the spring. I like how I captured the morning dew on the delicate petals.

August 31, 2014

Back in March I had the best getaway with a couple of girlfriends to Tofino. It poured rain like only it can in Tofino, like deluge, like careful you don't drown breathing the watery air - thankfully we are not sugar. As we were having dinner at Long Beach Lodge there was this beautiful pink and purple sunset. I learned about painting wet into wet and washes with this painting and I love the soft colors but I will have to do it again with more vibrancy like the original. The dog makes this painting for me. :)

September 24, 2014

Esquimalt Lagoon, trying to be quicker about sketching and doing a quick wash of color. I need to work on grey-blues for the distant mountains. 

Summer 2014

We had a beautiful summer at Beecher Bay. Lots of time spent boating but not a lot of salmon this year. This is our second summer renting a spot for the Minnie, our 27ft motorhome at Beecher and we love it. Although it is only 20 minutes for home it is a remote haven on the edge of East Sooke Park with no cell reception. It's a little like having a cabin with the option of taking the home on the road any time. 

Beecher Bay Marina

Smokin Tuna Cafe - a hidden gem at Beecher Bay. So many delicious meals eaten here. Ahi tuna and salmon spring rolls are my favs!! But then again, the best creme brûlée and home made ice cream are amazing too. Every September I start wondering how I will make it through the winter until May when the restaurant opens again for the summer. 

Beautiful mornings. I only got out fishing a few times this year. Dean likes to get up at the crack of dawn or earlier and... I do not on weekends.

Relaxing with a book on the deck - one of my favorite activities at the Minnie! 5 volumes of Game of Thrones this summer. Dean built this recycled deck last year and it's a great spot to hang out and keep an eye on the neighborhood.

And painting en Plein Aire

I took my first acrylic painting class last June and discovered over the winter that it is a relaxing, frustrating pastime but I'm now addicted. I took a plein aire workshop in May to learn how to paint outdoors - it poured rain so I discovered that I am a fair weather plein aire artist. In August I had the opportunity to go out with the Al Frescos to Spirit Bay and then finished another piece in the company of other artists at Glow Gallery in Metchosin. While painting in the security of my kitchen can be fulfilling, painting in public is intimidating as an amateur. But I found if I wasn't critical of my own work most passers by were complementary and genuinely interested in what I was doing. The benefit of joining a group of experienced artists is that I have found them to be generous in sharing their techniques and tips. 

Beecher Bay beach, looking out toward the Bedfords.

This is my favourite painting that I've done so far, Creykie Point at East Sooke Park as seen from the beach at Beecher Bay.