Sketchbook pages

We have been in Melbourne for a few days and I didnt get much chance to do any painting but I did manage a few sketchbook pages. The first was looking out from the kiosk at Rickets Point where we had lunch on the first day, rather cool and windy.
the second was done on the first day we arrived, hot and blowing and new smoke from the bushfires with huge cumulus clouds over the top of the smoke, as seen from the train near the railway station at Cheltenham which is quite a few miles away.
I loved the name on one of the fish shops and jotted this one down, while waiting for our son to do a bit of business. It maybe a chain as I saw another one on a different day, or perhaps he just owns two fish shops.
Click on the photos to see them a bit more clearly.

Portrait

Hmm well this doesnt look any thing like the photo I tried to paint, I really needed to get another painting done but I have been feeling so tired and I have been here there and everywhere this week, as well as rather worried about John who has had a melanoma taken from his back, I can only hope they got it all.
Any way I think everything I had done with Lorraine went sailing out the window today when I did this, nose too big, mouth far too big and at first shadows in the wrong place.
We go to Melbourne on Monday so this may be the last I dofor another week.
I have a textile exhibition of sorts coming up and need to concentrate on that, but of course I cant find something I knew I had put in a safe place. Huh so safe I cant find it!

from my sketchbook

A couple of pages that havent scanned all that well from my sketchbook. done from the 13th floor of the Hilton, the first was directly opposite and is I think the Catholic Cathedral and the other I have no idea what it is but I rather liked the columns and the round thing on top. If you click on them you can see them better.
Warm and sticky today, John went fishing and I walked the beach and went to the farmers market.

Quick figures

This was an exercise we did today using a lot of white and then some quick color in strategic places to show up what you wanted. I am not explaining this very well but this quick painting was the best I could do.
Lorraine Lewitzka who was teaching the classes is an expert at this sort of thing and I felt I would never be able to do it, and this really is an exercise just to re enforce what I had written in my notes, but I think is going to be very useful.
Had a great 3 and a half days.

Day 3 Watercolour class. Landscapes

This new scanner of mine is not doing as well as it should it washes out the color.
Any way while the others were doing the teachers photos I was of course doing one of my own and I was quite pleased with the way it came out, although I must confess I had help with the clouds as I had no idea how to do them. I do now! using dry brush strokes and the side of the brush and some darks it sort of came together. In case you cant work out what it is its the pathway to the beach.

More of my class, Portraits

Today was fun and then not such fun! the first scan shows our first lesson of the day, getting shadows into a very minimal face and then we had to go on and try it with a photo for reference and added color.
There are good and bad bits of this painting, perhaps my shadows were too hard but they do give me an idea of where and how to get the paint on.
I was up early but was still late getting over there as I had to make sure the chooks had food and water and I still didnt get the dishes done. Oh well John wasnt home either, infact he isnt home now. I was supposed to go to beading but as he isnt home and I am tired and have already had a glass of red I will stay home and quietly bead here.

Watercolor class day 1

After a lovely week end for us, a totally traumatic one for the State of Victoria with the most devastating bush fires imaginable, I did a class today and this is one of the paintings I produced.
I must say that our stay at the Hilton and the various places and things we ate and our trip down to Glenelg on the tram was wonderful.
Not so wonderful was the worry about the many people I know with Welsh ponies involved in the fires in Victoria. It was emotionally draining seeing and hearing the stories of the survivors and the awful tales about those who didnt.
So far all the people I know have survived although the fires were very close to a lot.
So up early this morning and a trip across to Yankalilla to my class and although I over worked this a bit much its ok.
Thank you to all who follow my blog and wished us well for our 50th wedding anniversary.

The Bluff

I am rather disappointed at the way my scanner is dealing with some colours, I was having a go at painting waves but they seem to have disappeared and I am left with the Bluff and Norfolk Island pines on the near point. It may look better if you click on it.
we have had a horrendous few days of heat which is why I havent posted, I couldnt really face much at all. We have cooled down quite a lot now, over 30 degrees seems much cooler than mid 40's.
We have a busy week, Adelaide tomorrow where it will be far hotter than here, and then to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary on the 7th we are going to Adelaide to stay at the Hilton for 2 nights, I like the Hilton as it backs onto the market and lots of nice eating places, but I wish it wasnt going to be 40 degrees again on Friday when we go up. I had thought we would do lots of walking and go to the museum and the art gallery but I just may stay in the pool!
So there will be another break but I am doing a 4 day series of classes next week with Lorraine Lewitzka so we will see if I have improved or gone backwards! I am looking forward to being pushed.
I cant believe it is 50 years, but they have been great and happy ones so we are very lucky.