Northumberland Coast Workshop 23 May 2015

Workshop involved 12 people started at 10.00 and was due to finish at 4.00 pm but people started to drift off after three. Everyone was given a 1/4 sheet on 200 lb Bockingford not paper so we were all painting on the same surface.
 My preference is Bockingford over the rag papers of Saunders Waterford or Arches as I find it gives brighter colours and easier to lift off. The down side is that is does not take more than three washes.

I decided to amend the my original painting to enlarge the castle, make the house larger, shorten the rocks below the house so as to not run into Rumbling Kern and to lift the Kern to break the horizon.

Colours used and order of painting

1. Sky cobalt blue with light red, ultramarine and burnt sienna and naples yellow. ( I used Daler Rowney naples yellow as I find this gives a weak grey to the bottom of the sky without turning green. Other manufactures tend to be too strong of a yellow.)
2. Cobalt blue with light red and raw sienna added to the castle.
3. Sea - same sky colour slightly stronger.
4. House - raw sienna, permanent magenta and light red- starting with a dark mix on the chimneys and softening as it comes down. This was continued down into the rocks with some veridian added to the raw sienna to give an acceptable green. Raw sienna added for the sand and the base colour for the Kern.
5. Cullernose Point was added behind the house using french ultra,brown madder and and raw sienna.
6. Rocks second wash cobalt and raw sienna to form the angle of the rocks and ultra and burnt sienna for the darks.
7. The Kern fracture lines were painted with a strong mixture of ultra and burnt sienna  then a wash of brown madder and raw umber flooded over the top. Timing is important too sooner the the lines disappear and too later and first wash appears to harsh. ( another tip from John Cartmel-Crossley ). Strong wash was added to the fracture lines and bedding planes when dry.
8. Strong foreground added with ultra, raw umber and brown madder.
9. Detail - Shadow on the house using a warm dark, windows, little detail on Cullernose showing the vertical lines in the basalt, little work on the grass and finally the seagulls
10. The painting was given to one painters at the end of the session after a raffle draw.
    
    
    
    

Preparation for Northumberland Coast _a workshop at Coquetdale Art Gallery 23 May 2015

For the watercolour workshop I choose to do the scene looking north from the Rumbling Kern at the Bathing House of Howick Hall looking towards Dunstanburgh Castle.

To practice further Northumberland landscapes I did a view of Dunstanburgh Castle looking over the houses at Craster.

This is a conventional painting in the top third then cling film added to the rest pulling the film taut at the top and leaving larger marks at the bottom to give the allusion of perspective. A puddled wash was applied to a soft line in the middle of the field to form the top of wall . This puddle was allowed to run down to form the individual stones. Negative painting and some lifting out were used for the undergrowth.

I did find some old workshop phase paintings I did some 16 years ago so I decided to finish one of the off. The sky was heavily influenced by John Cartmel-Crossley with whom I took lessons in Alnwick involving a 100 mile around trip after work. (I had a company car then so paying for fuel was not a problem).

I have two other paintings to complete sometime.

Same sky with more foreground showing the fissures that run into the sea.

Softer sky.

Original sketch.

Deerness Art Group sunday 10 may 2015

Tutor Gordon Hindmoor discussing figure drawing. My attempt at drawing people at a distance.

Members busy sketching.

Finished off two watercolours using double cling film texture for the foregrounds.

First wash after ink work.

Finished work Maston Ground Farm near Bowness Windermere in Cumbria.

First wash after ink work on SAA practise paper - does not give as bright colours as Bockingford.

Finished work Brimmer Head Farm Grasmere.

Sketching in Durham

From Gilesgate passed Old Durham to Whinny Hill. Sketched from the manhole looking towards the Cathedral. Why there is a manhole on top of a hill I don't know!

Walked into Durham then lunch overlooking Elvet bridge from steps in front of the Swan and Cygnets pub.

The next week I walked along the river pass Kepier Hospital and sketched on the river banks.

Jon Hall aka Suncage was painting on the walkway near Framwelgate bridge. Not a spelling mistake only one L in the bridge but two in the village of Framwellgate Moor according to the Ordnance Survey and local business addresses. 

Had not done a lot since I passed about 3 hours earlier - too busy chatting to passers-by.