Polished Wood

One of Many Lamps
Watercolour on Paper
24.5cm x 15.5cm (9.75" x 6")

Polished Wood is the second topic in the Wood Grain Patterns chapter of  Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor by Claudia Nice. 

Claudia observes that polished wood has similarities with shiny metal; it has strong value patterns and the possibility of reflected colours.

Our house came with a separate electric circuit for lamps, so we have a quite a few, most of them with lampshades made by Elaine.

The most difficult decision with the painting was what to do with the pattern in the lampshade. I decided it was best not to try too hard. 

Wood Grain

Wooden Easel
Watercolour on Paper
24.5cm x 15.5cm (9.75" x 6")

Wood Grain is the first topic in the Wood Grain Patterns chapter of  Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor by Claudia Nice. The topic includes some excellent swatches of different woods and their grain patterns.

Claudia recommends drawing the grain with a pen or a dry brush. Drawing the pattern in ink proved more difficult than I expected. My initial subject was a plate carved from a piece of Ash. This has a very delicate grain pattern that I couldn’t replicate. I couldn’t match the thinness of the lines or the lightness and variety of the colours. I am probably blaming my tools, but I think you need a collection of technical pens to draw accurate grain studies.

Lesson learnt - I chose the top of Dad's desk easel as my second subject. The grain pattern on this is less subtle and lent itself to be drawn with a brush rather than a pen. The main challenge was making the perspective believable - I had to draw it 5 or 6 times before it looked right.

Holiday Sketches

Too Hot for Doris
Ink and Watercolour
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
8.9cm x 14.0cm (3.5" x 5.5")

Elaine, Doris and I spent a lot of May and June on holiday. In May, Elaine and I went to Saundersfoot in Pembrokeshire (Doris went to stay with Pagan - her Old English Sheepdog friend). Last week, all 3 of us went to Talland Bay in Cornwall. 

Courtyard Corner
Ink and Watercolour
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
14.0cm x 8.9cm (5.5" x 3.5")

While we were away, I focused on small sketches - rather than big complex scenes. There are my favourite sketches from the month.

Scots Pines
Ink
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
14.0cm x 8.9cm (5.5" x 3.5")

The perspective of Elaine’s boots was difficult to get right. Making the two boots look the same shape and size was a particular challenge. I drew this after we walked to Looe along the coastal path. We took a taxi back (rather than walking) because Doris made it clear her fur coat was inappropriate attire for a long walk on a sunny day. We had done the usual check to make sure the ground wasn’t too hot, but when we got to Looe, Doris revealed she wanted to spend the rest of the day in the shade. 

Harder than it Looked
Graphite Pencil
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook
14.0cm x 8.9cm (5.5" x 3.5")

The Scots Pine was part of the view from our window in Cornwall. The courtyard was part of our view in Saundersfoot. The egg sketch was an exercise in using pencil shading to create a sense of volume – I need more practice.