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Saturday, February 16, 2013

Sketching in the sun

Sea, Sun and Sand, watrecolor sketch on Arches travel book
I am back from a week's absence and eager to see what everybody has been up to and to catch up on blogging.

I spent the last week at a beach resort in Mexico, escaping from the knee-high snow, traffic chaos and the chores at the office.  I made a point of doing at least a couple of sketches every day. I tried choosing simple subjects or simplifying the scenery. Though the sketches often didn't turn out the way I wanted, there was something good in almost every one of them and I felt that I was learning about the different subjects. The whole point of sketching is sketching itself, not producing masterpieces. The little Arches travel book (25 x 15 cm) proved a perfect size to carry around, with quality paper allowing to paint on both sides of each sheet.

One thing really surprised me - how humid  it was there and how different it was to paint in such conditions. So far I have been wondering how fast some artists must be painting to be able to keep wet edges and do a good wet-on-dry technique. So, you people from the British isles, now I know what advantage you have with your humid climate too! :)

I'm posting a few of my sketches. More to come in the next post....

Pueblo Rio at night
This was the commercial part of the resort, with
picturesque buildings situated along a salt-water river
Sketching people at the beach with watercolor only, no pencil,
as people move and there's very little time to capture a pose
A pelican by the sea
On a sunny day the sea really has these intense colors

10 comments:

Merce Ares said...

Blaga.Preciosos los trabajos y en horabuena por tus vacaciones.¡Qué colores vibrantes, el último está genial!! Un abrazo

Anonymous said...

I particularly like Pueblo Rio. Very nice color harmony and love the way you captured the reflections.

Polly Birchall said...

I do love looking at sketchbooks, they are very personal! These are lovely. Didnt realise our climate was such an advantage. I do know if I paint abroad it dries too quickly so add a little glycerine to the water. Look forward to seeing some more sketches

AK said...

I can see that you really utilised your holidays.Specially like the part of the resort with water view. The colors are just fabulous. Great job.

Jane said...

All very good sketches Blaga , telling the story of a beautiful holiday . xx

Sonia Aguiar said...

Hola Blaga, hermosos sketches. ¡Te felicito! Feliz domingo.

JANE MINTER said...

lovely sketches blaga Pueblo Rio is great ... sounds like you enjoyed the sunshine !

Rita Vaselli said...

After the holidays, the suggestion of the artistic notes is better than any photograph. And you gave me the sweet habit of taking me to the sea, with you, even this year!
Thank you dear Blaga, and congratulations! I know how hard it is for me to stop somewhere and do this work, outdoors!

Blaga said...

Estoy tan contenta de que te gusta el segundo, Ina, lo pinté en la oscuridad y no fue fácil elegir los tonos adecuados

Gracias, Mercedes! Empecé a disfrutar realmente de la pintura exterior

Thank you, Jean! Pueblo Rio was much fun painting as the reflections in the calm water were very clear, almost geometric.

Thank you for the glycerine advice, Polly! I'm going to try it. I think I've heard this before, but now that I faced the problem, I'll remember it

Thank you, Asit! I'm starting to really enjoy painting outside.

It was a lovely holiday, Jane, but naturally too short. Thank you!

Muchas gracias, Sonia!

Oh, I love the sun, Jane, it's never too hot for me! Thank you!

Thank you for you nice comment, Rita! It is much easier to paint outside when among vacationers, and I started to enjoy it. So this experience should help me overcome my fears at home too.

renate said...

Dear Blaga:) You surprised me with the beauty of your sketches. You did such a great job on the poses. The second sketch is amazing! Very great job, you should be proud!xx