is it friday again?

I’ve been reorganizing my palette and sorting out all the yellows that I have collected and doing a little experimenting. The pears were really fun, but the paper in my Fabriano Sketchbook was not happy with the soluble pen and the layers of paint–it bled right through to the back. It was ok with the light touch of the flowers above, but anything wetter causes it to bleed through. I’ve ordered a couple of watercolour moleskines for upcoming travels which handle multiple washes, but meanwhile I’ll persevere with this one. It’s a good size and fits easily in my carry bag.

Yesterday I was walking home following my favourite route through the old section of the city. Our city grew up around the harbour and the river and as you walk away from its core, you are always walking up hill. My route west up Catherine Street is no exception–it is quite a steep grade. I always measure my cycling by whether I can pedal easily up this hill. But yesterday I was walking and I had my sketchbook and an extra half hour. Across the road from this house is a low stone wall, the perfect perching spot. I drew the outline of the house from my perch on the wall and then added the colour later at home. I’ve walked and pedalled by this house many times–it is one of my favourites with its peaks, turret and gingerbread– but it wasn’t til I sat down to sketch it and hence really look at it that I realized what a charmer it is.