sketch of Clovelly, Devon, down the cobbled street to the harbour

Pencil and coloured pencil sketch, Clovelly, going down the steep cobbled street to the harbour, North Devon, Vivien Blackburn


Working in coloured pencil and graphite, planning a future painting.


I don't normally like working from photos but I've wanted to do some paintings of Clovelly for some time. I took lots of photos when we were there on a misty day - it was very moody and atmospheric and it really suited the village which is built with rocks from the beach, the incredibly steep streets cobbled with smaller rocks.

I liked the composition in which the stone walls frame the view of the harbour and its curving harbour wall made of more of the rocks - huge ones, wrapping around and framing the sand, sea and boats. You can see some photographs here http://sitekreator.com/vivien/coast.html

Normally I wouldn't go for this 'every stone' approach but the stones are so chunky and so important to the image that I thought I would.

Charcoal with coloured pencil for another, better version, much larger? - the underlying grey would be really suitable. Or a canvas? again I could do a grisaille before adding subtle touches of colour?

I'd like to do another of the misty harbour. Too many things to do and not enough painting time :>( (photo of this in the link)

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Comments

Shirley Anne Sherris said…
Hi
You have another never ending source of pictures with this set of photos.
I didn't notice the harbour in the pencil picture - I was so into the stones and the detail of them.
And yes - TIME - oh to have more of it.
Cheers
Shirley
6:36 pm
vivien said…
I did get a bit carried away with the stones!!

In the painting the harbour would be more luminous against the grey of the stones (with subtle colours) and so would be more noticeable.

There are several I'd like to work from but find it easier if I do a drawing first to free up a bit - then free up further in the painting, I don't like painting straight from photos.
8:34 pm
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