Quick sketch: Whataroa River

Overcast morning on the Whataroa River, near Franz Josef, NZ

Some quick watercolour sketches

I'm trying to decide whether to take my watercolours with me to the South Island, given that I'll only have very brief moments to sketch. I thought I'd try some quick miniature sketches for practice.

Piercy Island (practising colour mixing for a larger painting)

 Karamea Estuary in the fading afternoon light

 A thick early morning mist over the fields

Sunset in Blenheim: Watercolour pencils

Vineyard in Blenheim: Watercolour pencils

After applying water:

Before applying water:

Piercy Is. Watercolor pencil sketch

I haven't used my watercolour pencils for a while, but thought I would do another preparatory sketch for my watercolour painting I'm planning to do.

Below: Sketch before adding water to the watercolour pencil marks.

Biro sketch

I did this sketch a little while back, and have been working on developing backgrounds rather than just doing faces.

I'm not sure if I will develop this into a painting. But if I did I would call it Final Journey. I thought the woman in the drawing looked like she was saying goodbye. I drew a misty Cape Reinga behind her, with the lighthouse like a ghost image, as Cape Reinga is a place from where the Maori souls would leap towards the Underworld.

Before adding the background.

Gratuitous photo of a tree in Northland, New Zealand. Photo: Jonas

Value sketch drafts for Piercy Island painting

Simpler version - no clouds. 

 Clouds added.

Would need to redo, but more panoramic format than square. Prefer it to have more ocean showing at front.

Some pencil sketches over breakfast

Otaki Beach at sunset

Smokehouse sketch

The Smokehouse in Mapua