watercolour and coloured pencils, sketching plein air

May in England, yellow fields and cow parsley. Sketch. 18x26cm approx Watercolour/mixed media. Vivien Blackburn

A watercolour and mixed media sketch of the rapeseed just before it loses it's bright yellow flowers, with the cow parsley billowing in the verges, done from near where the pastel sketch was done.

Watercolour, a little work with coloured pencils, white gouache and tippex went into this -and lots of fun splattering paint :>)

The flowers are turning to seed pods now and so the fields of bright yellow are beginning to take on a greenish tinge in places - the drama of the bright yellow will very quickly be over for the time being. One of my students tells me that farmers get 2 crops per year from the rapeseed and so there will be a second show of this bright yellow in the autumn.

This was done on Arches hot pressed paper - which is great for coloured pencils as it's smooth, but not as nice for the watercolours. The paint doesn't seem to spread in quite the same way - it isn't exactly like cartridge paper but it's a little like it in the way the paint behaves.

This was started plein air and finished in the studio.

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Comments

Smaug the Golden said…
I've never been to England before but I love how natural this painting is. You did a really nice job expressing how soothing and calm the environment can really be. =]
12:55 am
Robyn Sinclair said…
I thought the previous study was beautiful but this one is enchanting, Vivien. I love your solution for the cow parsley, which fascinates me as a plant.
6:54 am
Shirley Anne Sherris said…
Hi
I know you like the coast and sea but my favourite is the countryside and mountains so I like these pictures best. Love the colours and the style.
Cheers
12:02 pm
vivien said…
Thanks real paintings, Robyn and Shirley - I love the countryside as well :>) especially hilly country and mountains.


Where I live isn't dramatic scenery but it is hilly and pretty and very very English!
12:59 pm
Lindsay said…
Another wonderful mixed media! I agree with you about the hot press..great for lots of media EXCEPT wc. I use it alot for oil pastel.
3:30 pm
harry bell said…
If I'd realised how useful Tippex could be, I'd have stocked up before I left my office job.
1:21 am
vivien said…
Thanks Lindsay :>) I'd never used HP before so it was an experiment buying this block, not sure that I'd bother again though.

Mr Zip - it's a tippex pen, not the clumsy brush tippex if you want to experiment - I find it really useful :>)
2:59 pm
caseytoussaint said…
This is beautiful! It's so hard to catch the beauty in a scene like this in paint - excellent job!
12:05 pm
Jeanette Jobson said…
That's gorgeous VIvien. You've really captured the colours and feel of the countryside.
3:01 pm
vivien said…
thanks Casey and Jeanette :>)

I would have liked to join in your Tripod challenge Jeanette but work pressure is huge at the moment :>(
5:02 pm
Africantapestry and Myfrenchkitchen said…
What a beautiful sketch Vivien! I love the colours. And I love HP paper, especially the Fabriano extra white, but I do love the Arches too.
Ronell
5:12 pm
vivien said…
thanks Ronell - there just might be some fields winging their way to you in the FPP :>)
6:19 pm
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