Watercolour Painting of Henrietta Street, Whitby, North Yorkshire.

Well, here I am again, after a long absence, determined to stick some sort of a blog on my blog...

I've just started on a piece - here's the source photo I'm using. I took the photo myself, last October - a figure or two in the image would have been handy for me to use later as a guide, in case I decide to place some figures of my own in the piece - dropping believable figures into a piece like this, with it's somewhat complex perspective may not be easy, particularly if they are partially beyond the 'horizon' created by the road in the foreground...
But it was fairly early when I snapped this shot, and there weren't many people about, and anyway, some people really don't take kindly to seeing someone standing around with a camera apparently waiting for them to step into view before pressing the shutter... 

              

And here's the drawing, a small piece, about 7" x 10", on Saunders Waterford Paper, 300 gsm CP.  It's nothing too elaborate - I just like to get things generally sorted so that I can see if I like how it's looking. If a fairly accurate drawing of an actual scene isn't working out compositionally, then I have two choices - I can take issue with myself for wasting time already spent on the venture, and tear it up.... or.... I can change elements within the piece so that it does present what I feel to be a pleasing composition. We have to be ruthless in this. For myself, I have no concern about changing whatever it needs - adding, deleting, moving whatever, without conscience - I am trying to produce a painting, not a catalogue of 'stuff', for that there's cameras. If need be go ahead and move, add, or delete mountains, or the sun, houses, chimneys, camels, trees, windows, grandma, flowers, etc., Just don't try to change the way light works..... 

Anyway, I must press on.... this drawing is, I feel, okay....ish. It's generally believable, I still have the option to change some elements during it's execution, if needed...

My next big move is to decide whether, or not, to use pen and ink in this piece. To that end, I shall make a cuppa.....

I shall be back... presently...



                          

King Street, Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire, 110313 .

Watercolour and pen and ink, 7" x 10" on Bockingford 425gsm paper.

South Lane, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire: 102713

Watercolour 6" x 8" on Arches Hot Press, 300gsm..

I was first introduced to this fantastic view of South Lane whilst trolling through Flicker some 3 or 4 years ago - I came across some really good photos at that time, and learned that the shot was actually taken from Victoria Park, quite some ways away...
My next trip to the UK found me in the said Park armed with my camera, and ready to get some good images for my source library.
Alas, not being too familiar with Holmfirth, other than the main drags (and various drinking establishments thereabouts), I found myself surprisingly far from my intended subject and lacking both a tripod (again) and a telephoto lens of sufficient magnification to get myself a really good shot...
Anyway, I did my best - that was on April 7th of last year... and here's the first painting...

For those who would like some exciting news....

well, sorry, but as I've been so busy of late, I don't really have any.
But I guess I should put something in my blog, now that I've installed it, and I'm itching to try uploading an image...
Whilst not exactly earth-shattering or even up to date - here's me last year at Aysgarth Falls in the Yorkshire Dales.........

To begin at the beginning... Sept: 08:2010

Well, I've finally finished working on the new website  at <vyvyangreenwatercolours.ca> , it has been an Herculean task coming thus far.
I thought it best to get it posted up, before I went totally balmy from the effort, and before I took an axe to my computer - I am not, despite my totally fantastic coolness, what the 'now' people refer to as a.... 'techie'.