Sunday 12 July 2009

Sketching rocks in mixed media - stages

Rocks between Sennen Cove and Lands End finished, watercolour, biro and coloured pencil in the moleskine folio watercolour book, approximately 10x11 inches, Vivien Blackburn




Rocks between Sennen Cove and Lands End stage 2, watercolour added loosely, biro and watercolour, approximately 10x11 inches, Vivien Blackburn


Rocks between Sennen Cove and Lands End prelininary biro sketch, approximately 10x11 inches, Vivien Blackburn

Jeanette has issued a Paint/Sketch Rocks challenge on her blog and this was done in response.

Unfortunately it's from a photo, as Sennen Cove is 320 south and west of me right now so popping over wasn't an option - but I'd wanted to sketch the fantastic rocks there and thought this was my chance. I also like the figure perched precariously, though confidently, on the edge, giving the rocks scale and adding a little drama - well I don't 'do' heights so someone standing above that drop is drama to me!

I first sketched it freely in biro (Parker - they don't blob as much as some others) and then sloshed some watercolour on it quite loosely. Next I added some scribbles of coloured pencil and some more biro.

You can see a slide show of previous paintings/sketches of rocks here - they are something that fascinates me with their shapes, cracks, facets, crevices, ledges, colour changes and general complexity, not to mention trying to get the feeling of hardness, jaggedness or smoothness and their innate dangerousness.

This is the first time I've used the moleskine folio watercolour book, other than the try-out doodles in various media on the first page. I quite like it.

7 comments:

Jean Spitzer said...

Really interesting to see the stages. The scene makes me feel a bit dizzy--I do heights, but often regret it when I look down--and this feels unstable, particularly the lean of the bottom right rock.

vivien said...

it does look very unstable and the rocks do eventually fall - but they are hard rock and so it takes quite a while for them to go

I feel very dizzy with heights that have sheer drops!

Africantapestry and Myfrenchkitchen said...

Loos great vivien, I especially like the the mixed media!
Ronelle

Africantapestry and Myfrenchkitchen said...

MMmm, I see now that the watercolour was stage 2...it already looks good enough to be a finished piece!
ronell

Jeanette Jobson said...

The scene is well done and gives a strong impression of the ruggedness of the area.

Its good to see the various stages to completion.

vivien said...

thanks everyone :>)

Lindsay said...

I love your line quality, as always and I wondered if biro were pens?