Miniature landscape sketches

Some watercolour minatures (1 x 1.5 inch) for practising colour mixes etc. Using up scraps of Fabriano 300gsm rough watercolour paper.

Ailsa Mountains

Cows grazing in front of Mt Ruapehu

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.

Beach

Watercolour study for larger painting on multimedia paper. The above is the original. I'm not sure whether I was picturing in my head something a bit flatter like the altered (on the computer) version below, to reduce the size of the block of sand in the foreground.

or even this:

Homer Tunnel, South Island, New Zealand. Photo: Jonas

Trying to get back to doing watercolours... again...

Quick watercolour sketch - Early sunset in Mackenzie country, South Island, New Zealand.

Watercolour 16/30

Arches N.O.T. paper. I am starting to think I prefer the hot pressed paper. I was trying for a more graphic design look with solid blocks of colour painted with gum arabic. I think the N.O.T. paper isn't the best choice for this. I might re-try this painting a little later on.

Gratuitous photo of Arthurs Pass area, South Island, New Zealand. Photo: Jonas.

Catlins Estuary

In my goal to do 30 watercolours over 30 days (OK, maybe over 3 months), this is watercolour 15 of 30. Fabriano 300 gsm hot press paper.

Watercolour 14/30

Another miniature study (8 x 12 cm) for a future larger painting of the Catlins Estuary.
 

Gratuitous photo of elsewhere in the Catlins area, South Island, New Zealand (photo: Jonas)

Watercolour 13/30

Above: Late afternoon storms over Caitlins Estuary, South Island, New Zealand. 8 x 12c. Arches 300gsm paper.

The line between the still water, which reflected the stormy sky, and the water in the foreground and background which had a faint breeze on it, was supposed to be quite a clear line. At some point during one of the washes I messed it up. I might come back later and try this one again.I'm still trying to do the 30 watercolors in 30 days challenge, although not always managing it!

Gratuitous photo of Mt Cook Village, South Island, New Zealand

Mini watercolour sketches 10 and 11/30

 

As usual, on 8cm x 12cmish Archers 300 gsm watercolour paper.

My second go at a watercolour portrait (still in miniature though). 

 Gratuitous photo of Mt Cook, South Island, New Zealand. Photo: Jonas

Mini watercolor sketches 8 and 9/30

I did the same sketch twice, quickly drawing on one while the other one dried.  I don't know which one I like better.

It was probably a bit ambitious to try to paint a watercolor sketch every day just before Christmas! But I'll try and keep at it. 

This is a sketch of a tiny old boat winch at the Pauatahanui boat houses. A lovely summer's day and everyone was out with their bikes and dogs.

Watercolour 6 and 7/30

Somewhere on the Otago Peninsula, 4 x 6 inches

 

Rocky Kaikoura Beach, looking north.  2 x 2.5 inches

(The paper was a bit bent in the photo!)

Watercolour sketch 5/30

Beach on the Otago Peninsula. 2x2.5 inches.

Watercolour sketch #2

Another view from the deck on an overcast day (5x7cm).

Watercolour sketches #1. View from our deck

A couple of breakfast watercolour sketches of the view from our deck this morning. These are miniature sketches, about an inch or an inch and half tall.

Looking towards the Taraua Ranges

 

Looking towards the west, and the Upper Hutt hills (or the Akatarawa Hills?)

I've seen a number of people online doing a 30-day painting challenge. I missed the cut-off and this might have been too ambitious for me anyway, but I am going to try and do a painting a day (ha ha ha), or at least one or two a week.  

Book from the sketchcrawl at Oriental Parade

I make a little bound book from the sketchcrawl that we did recently at Oriental Parade in Wellington. I had always meant to do that, so I had done my sketches on a page of watercolour paper, already marked with the pages that would be cut out. This is to send to one of my friends overseas, who has never been to Wellington.

The front cover

The inside pages:

This is the centre page, which is a double page sketch. I ummed and ahed about whether to paint it, but decided to leave one uncoloured pen and ink sketch in there.

 

Most of these sketches I did on location at the 42nd Worldwide Sketchcrawl. However, I realised that the book looked a little blank without the otherside of the pages filled in, and I wouldn't have a chance to go back to Oriental Parage to sketch for some time. So I did some extra sketches from photos.

Sketch: Looking across to Whitereia

I had another go at home at sketching the view from Plimmerton across to the Whitereia peninsula.