Aged Wooden Shakes

Woodchester Park Boathouse
Watercolour on Paper
16.5cm x 24cm (6.5" x 9.5")

Aged Wooden Shakes is the fifth topic in the Wood Grain Patterns chapter of Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor by Claudia Nice.

I searched locally for wooden shakes (roof tiles), I couldn’t find any, so I made do with tile-stones (a traditional roofing material that can look more like wood than stone).

Stone Shed
Watercolour on Paper
16.5cm x 24cm (6.5" x 9.5")

I applied some texture to the tiles using natural sponges (I've used the technique before with stone, see Volcanic Rock, Marble and Sandstone). The dark background tone of the shed roof and ivy made it difficult to add texture in watercolour. Lesson learnt, I initially painted the boathouse roof lighter than the tone I was aiming for, so the texture is more noticeable and the resulting tone is more accurate. 

Polperro Cottages

Polperro Cottages
Watercolour on Paper
15.5cm x 23.5cm (6" x 9.25")

Last summer, Elaine, Doris and I spent a few days in Talland Bay, Cornwall to celebrate my birthday. It's a short walk along the costal path to Polperro in one direction and Looe in the other.

We all enjoyed the walk to and from Polperro, but our walk to Looe was less successful. It was a scorching hot day and Doris insisted on a taxi ride home (see Holiday Sketches).

Polperro is photogenic, but my photos didn't capture exactly what I wanted to paint. Some 7cm x 10cm thumbnails helped to explore and improve a composition. The initial pencil thumbnail was useful for deciding on the placement and configuration of shapes. It would have been handy if it had also given a definitive statement about dark, light and mid-toned shapes (see John Lovett - Thumbnail Sketches). I will include a 3 value tonal study when I next use thumbnails.

Polperro Cottages  – 7cm x 10cm (2.75" x 4") Thumbnail Sketches
Pencil and Watercolour on Paper
Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook

The painting respects the spirit of the thumbnails except for the colour of the water. I prefer the turquoise in the second thumbnail, but if I try to adjust the painting, there is a chance I will spoil the reflections, so I will stick with what I have.