A return to watercolours

The last assignment of the course was, in fact, two finished landscape paintings. For my second one I took the leap from oils to watercolours, and indeed, in the beginning, it was painfully clear I had not used the techniques in a year. I quickly remembered, and from then on it was easier.
I chose for my subject a photo of my beloved island Gotland, the east coast, last winter, which was a very snowy one. The light in the sky was a true challenge to capture, and however well or else that I succeeded, it does not transfer at all to a digital photo and then a computer screen. This is true for most drawings and watercolours anyway, but it is worth mentioning every time.
I used watercolours and some white gouache, which at first looked far too bright but after some drybrushing (this may be the first time I have thanked myself for using paper with a pressed grain in it, I generally dislike it and prefer flat paper) worked out better than I had anticipated. I chose an A3 size of paper (oddly enough, watercolour pads generally come in the A*-sizes) that, I think, has been cold-pressed. The painting took a few days, with some pauses to allow the paint to dry, and was mostly painted with a round sable brush of fairly large size. I began by sketching the outlines of things with an HB or 2B pencil.
The clouds were by far the most fun to paint, and possibly the most difficult and least successful. I am not certain. The light source, that is, the sun, was behind the clouds, and the light didn't at all fall on the clouds like it normally does. Low hanging sun means a very different light. There are, in fact, no easter eggs or anything in this picture. It didn't need it.
All in all, returning to watercolours was pure joy, and I look forward to doing more in this medium.

Pictures from my application

In a small flash of inspiration, today I would like to bring to you the pictures I chose to use for my application to the course! I am proud of all four of them, despite some being not the best in pure technical terms. Making some sort of transition of one of my drawings to the computer screen is as always very nearly impossible - scanners and I have never been on speaking terms, I don't know why, and taking a photo never really conveys the full amount of detail. At least, not with the camera I've got!
So here we go. The first picture is an old one; in fact, it was drawn in 2008, I think, in springtime. As so often, my linework with the pencil is thin and delicate. I drew this mostly with a... I believe it is called a "propelling pencil"? The hardness was HB. The pictures shows one of my own dreamed-up fantasy creatures, bark-skinned and twig-haired, talking to an elf in a pair of old jeans. There's a tiny owl and a small fox hidden away, though they do steal some of the viewer's attention; and also some kind of fairy lights. This one took a while to draw, and I worked on it in several sittings. It is a pity all the detail disappears in the transition to photo.
Next, we have another one of my portraits! This being the probably third or fourth that I ever dared show. Unfortunately the angle makes it look a bit odd but oh well. As you can see, my trusty Stabilo Woody crayon has done its work well here. Portrayed is a friend, Johan. The picture is very yellow, but I assure you the paper is white in real life. I originally had some trouble with his beard and some of the lines around his mouth, but then I asked him to smile, and suddenly I could see a lot better, where they were. The crayon is a somewhat blunt instrument, but it certainly covers a lot and is quicker and more efficient than, say, pencils.
Third is a finished watercolour of a meeting on a frozen lake. This was a Yule gift for a friend. I used photo reference for the nature, but freehanded the fox and the skiing little fellow that he is so curious about. I used watercolours, working mostly wet-on-dry, and finished with some white acrylics or gouache. It took an unknown amount of hours, but I remember being surprised at its taking such a relatively short time.
Fourth is a piece that is rather special to me. It is a work in progress, but I am proud of it regardless. With the help of some photo reference for the wood itself, the rest has been painted as I saw fit. A dancing Lady of the Forest, a flute-playing Lord, stick-and-twig-men, little foxes (there can never be too many foxes) and even a more current-day take on fairies. This was a real joy to paint, and a relief as well. I learned a lot about the medium itself, even while painting, and how I wished to use it. Some cue and inspiration I took from Charles Vess, and also a few tips on technique, that were most useful. In this picture it is evident some of my own personal "main points of interest" in art are, I would say. I hope to revisit this during this summer, to try and finish it. Also, I have learned a lot of colour theory which will hopefully help me avoid some of the pitfalls I was well underway of making with this one.

I hope you have enjoyed this little indulgence! For now, the main art course is over, but I shall continue painting through the summer and, hopefully, have something to show you all every now and then.