Sketchbook pages April 2024

In April I went on a trip to Cramond and North Berwick and did some painting on the beach. The light shifted quickly and I had little time to sketch before the landscape completely different. I would love to go painting there again and focus on the contrast between Bass Rock and the silhouettes of the town houses.

Cramond Beach House, ink and watercolour on paper, 33 x 15 cm, 2024

Bass Rock, ink and watercolour on paper, 33 x 15 cm, 2024

North Berwick West Beach, ink and watercolour on paper, 33 x 15 cm, 2024

In the last half of April, I followed Melanie Chadwick’s prompts for spring: Morning Light, Greenhouse, Blossoms and Garden. These prompts are very useful, especially on days when I find it difficult to focus on a subject.

Morning Light, ink and watercolour on paper, 33 x 15 cm, 2024

Greenhouse, ink and watercolour on paper, 33 x 15 cm, 2024

Cherry Blossoms, ink and watercolour on paper, 33 x 15 cm, 2024

Potted Garden, ink and watercolour on paper, 33 x 15 cm, 2024

My favourite sketches in April were Cramond Beach House and Potted Garden.

As usual, I sketched on location and I finished colouring some sketches in the studio. It takes me somewhere between 20 minutes and an hour to finish a sketch, depending on the subject.

The materials I usually use are the A6 Zen Sangam Artist's Watercolour Art Journal, Kolinsky Travel Watercolour Brushes and Winsor and Newton Cotman watercolours (with some White Nights and Daler and Rowney pans). The ink pens I use are the Faber-Castell Pit Artist Pen fineliner in Dark sepia and De Atramentis Document Ink - Green Grey in my Pilot Parallel Pen.