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Sunday, March 27, 2011

A street in Mdina, Malta

Mdina, Malta ( Arches, 22 x 33 cm)
This is painted by a photo from a Mediterranean vacation a few years ago. Mdina, is a medieval fortified city, with narrow streets winding between the palaces and villas of the local aristocratic families. The yellowish local stone, used practically for all older buildings determines the ocher color of both Mdina and Valletta.

Below is my initial sketch, done in a few minutes only with a brush. I bought a sketchbook and a box of half-pan watercolors and was eager to try them. The other new gadget I was trying here was a water-brush. It has a little plastic water tank in its handle, which wets the brush when pressed. Turned out that it is a great tool for quick sketching outdoors - no need for a water container. This means that I can carry only my new little pocket-size box of paints, the water-brush and the sketchbook. All set for the coming spring!
Mdina - sketch

6 comments:

Judy said...

Great painting Blaga!
Good to hear that you like the waterbrush, I was thinking of buying one myself. Looking forward to your spring sketches!

Lydie said...

Beautiful view of a Mediterranean street. I also have a waterbrush wich I use for my watercolor pencil sketches. Have fun with it !

Blaga said...

Hi Judy and Lydie, the water-brush seems perfect for adding color to pencil sketches. It is very worth it, as long as you don't expect to do larger wet washes with it.
Thank you both for visiting :)

Ha said...

The sketch looks pretty cool... especially when reading about how you did it. I also like the painting very much! Sharp details contrast very well to the background. Great work :)

Blaga said...

Thank you, Ha, I appreciate your feedback. I was quite happy how the painting turned out so, I'm glad you think the same.

Jane said...

This is the true color of Malta, I went there many years ago, and what I have in my memory is this color everywhere , sandy, dusty. Great painting.
A friend of mine gave me a water-brush a little while ago, and really...now there is no excuse not to paint everywhere you go, it is just so practical!