Category Archives: Pen and Ink sketching

DAVID BELLAMY LOSING THE FOREGROUND

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How often have you viewed a scene where an exciting subject stands in the middle distance and there is a boring or ugly large feature blocking the foreground? These moments can be truly frustrating, yet it is well worth trying to work round the problem if the main subject looks worthwhile. You might be able to alter some of the details in the offending foreground feature, perhaps obscure the worst parts or introduce some really dark shadow to blot it out completely. My own preference is to use a vignette technique if possible, to lose the immediate foreground to create a more pleasing composition.

This is a rough little watercolour sketch I did while overlooking Brasov in Transylvania. The roofs, towers and domes in the middle distance appealed to me, but the foreground was marred by large buildings that were much less attractive. To include these as they appeared would dominate the composition, so I decided to just record their roofs and lose all other detail. There were hardly any windows or doors on this side anyway, so I just hinted at a little foliage and then worked in the large conifer, also losing that at the bottom. I had intended to lay some spatter over the foreground when I returned to base, but somehow forgot. A little spatter and maybe some suggested light foliage would enhance it further. I normally prefer to include a gap where there is a feature right across the foreground to suggest a lead-in, so if I followed up with a painting of this scene I would probably create such a gap perhaps to the immediate right of the large conifer.

With summer here it’s a great time for getting out to paint or sketch before nature, so I hope you are making the most of it. If you are nervous about working out of doors with or without people around then just take an A6 sketchbook in your pocket and a few pencil stubs and people will think you are just making a few notes. That will help you gain confidence to work on larger, more ambitious work. In Transylvania I was naturally a little wary of bears, Goths and vampires, but all passed without a great deal of mishap. Happy sketching!

David Bellamy – Painting Snow Scenes

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 Well, at this time of year we’re supposed to see some snow, but the only time I’ve come across the white stuff this winter is on the high mountains, so last week I did encounter brilliant snow effects in the Brecon Beacons, accompanied by the most divine light flooding the western face of Cribin. Alas, I’d left my paintbox in my Viper haversack and the resulting sketch done with watersoluble pencil failed to capture the amazing colours, and I was too high up to make a quick dash for the car.

 So here I will show you a pen and wash sketch I did of New Radnor church many years ago in beautiful snow conditions.   

This was done in an A4 cartridge book with limited colours. Everything is cool, except the yellow ochre on the buildings. In a painting I would simplify the scene, as the cottages compete with the church, which is the main centre of attention. I’d probably put these cottages into shadow, making them quite dark to throw the emphasis on the church caught in strong sunlight.   

Christmas was a happy, but wild affair of tearing round Kent, Sussex and Hampshire to see various members of the family. Still, I was able to relax at times with a riveting novel set in the French Alps around Chamonix, Running Water & The Guide, by A E W Mason, himself an Alpinist active in the early 20th century. It has been brought to life again by Professor Roberta Grandi with an excellent scholarly introduction and notes on Mason’s life and career. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and recommend it whole-heartedly. The cover shows my watercolour of the Brenva Ridge and the misty slopes of Mont Blanc. It’s available on Amazon.

The sun is beckoning me out, so I will leave you with the hope that 2022 will be a great year for you all, after all the problems of Covid, and I wish you much happy painting!

David Bellamy – Pen and wash with limited colours

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One of the joys of going away on holiday is the anticipation of exciting things to come, and one of the joys of being a professional artist is that this sort of thing is classified as ‘work.’ Whether you are professional or amateur you can still get a real kick in preparing for these exciting moments, and I do recommend that you give some consideration as to how you are going to tackle all this excitement with your methods, materials and choice of approach to the various subjects you have in mind.

This alfresco watercolour of Malcesine on Lake Garda was a demonstration for a painting group. Before flying to Italy I had decided that I would be using pen and wash for some of the lake scenes and limiting my use of colours. For this scene I decided on a palette of cool blues – mainly cobalt blue, with warm colours concentrated on the main features and the centre of interest, ie, the town itself. The warm colours were mainly light red, cadmium red, yellow ochre and quinacridone gold. This approach really does make the buildings stand out.

Because of the intense heat and the fact that I had to use Waterford hot pressed paper to accommodate the pen I had to work fast as the washes dried incredibly quickly. The smooth hot pressed paper tends to dry quicker than a not or rough surface. The pen I used was a fine-tipped sanguine colour to complement the warm-coloured buildings. I did not use it on the mountain features. This lends itself to creating a more unified result.

I’m afraid the reproduction is not first-class as it was photographed by a camera and not scanned at home, but it does give you an idea of the sort of methods you can try out, and not just while you are on holiday, of course. It always pays to think out how you wish to tackle the type of subject matter you will encounter on holiday, and ensure that you have all the right materials to work with.

David Bellamy – Sketching with pen and watercolour

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One of the most effective ways of sketching is by using pen and wash. I carry around hardback bound sketchbooks of cartridge paper amongst the many odd items in my rucsack, and these accept pen drawings well. While the dip-pen and bottle of ink are the ideal way, it is less practicable to carry around bottle of ink, so I normally resort to a technical pen, although this has a uniform line.

This sketch was done in evening light in the Maritime Alps, on cartridge paper. I began with the ink drawing using a .02 nib. Where you have considerable depth in a scene, and especially with distant mountains, or wish to draw clouds, it is imperative not to be too heavy-handed with the pen on these distant elements. I prefer more intermittent line work rather than continuous lines as seen on the building, as this will suggest distance. In places I have totally omitted the line work and relied solely on the watercolour wash outline to describe the shape of far ridges and trees. The ink line is also an excellent way of rescuing a painting or watercolour sketch that is too weak in tones.

My recent trip to the Alps was aimed at capturing snow scenes, but there was no snow until the final day when I had to leave. Somehow the snow appears to have been deliberately eluding me this winter!

There are still one or two spaces left on my Croatian painting holiday in September. This is an easy, relaxed painting holiday in congenial surrounding amidst lovely scenery, and will not involve any wild mountain work! For details check out my website at http://www.davidbellamy.co.uk/painting-holiday-to-croatia-2016/