Just Lines For This Clothesline

Staedtler Pigment Liner on Moleskine Notepad - Click to Enlarge

For us North-Americans accustomed to hiding our drying laundry as if it were something shameful, seeing clothes drying from balconies in Europe is one of the charms of the old continent.

That morning, I was going to go out to find an interesting clothesline to sketch, when I realized that I had a fine one right under my nose, or rather, right on my own balcony. I hadn't noticed it because in my mind those clotheslines had to be captured from the outside.

I decided to follow Miguel Herranz's suggestion and use no colour for a while, concentrating on the drawing instead. It was just the advice I needed at this juncture...

I had to take the necessary time to draw the lines as faithfully as possible, and to get the proportions and the perspective right. I realized that, for me, speed is definitely the enemy of straight lines, and so I drew these ve-e-e-e-ry slowly.

Now I have to practice drawing curlicues; I never seem to get those right.

Meet Miguel Herranz

I've often spoken here about how much I enjoy Urban Sketchers*. One of the reasons is that the members are so darn nice and if you travel to their city, chances are they'll be willing to meet you even if you're just an amateur like me.

While in Barcelona, one of the sketchers I wanted to meet is Miguel Herranz. Yesterday, that wish came true and I had a chance to practise my Spanish during our three-hour chat at a terrace cafe. Miguel is every bit as nice in person and he gave me some very good advice and even a signed copy of his book, Here & There.  You can see it in this video:



But this only shows a tiny part of this multitalented artist's accomplishments. Check out his blog (it's bilingual) and don't forget to click on the links in his "Otherwise" section in the sidebar.

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 * Here is the link to the Urban Sketchers blog: http://www.urbansketchers.org/

The Search For A Personal Style

I complained earlier about my lack of a personal style, which is obvious to anyone who sees any two pictures of mine. Here is some more proof:

"Purple Garlic", Ink and Wash, 5" x 5"

This is the style that I have the least trouble with, and I find it works well for this kind of subject. Except that I don't really want to be painting still lifes all the time!

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"Four Friends in Port Vell", Watercolour in Moleskine Notebook, 5" x 8"

I fell in love with this scene, and took a photo, then tried to paint it at home. Those are boats and masts beyond the fence... I'll bet you hadn't guessed!

The foliage was extremely delicate, so I used a sponge to stamp it... I think that worked out quite well.

When I get home, I'll try a larger, more detailed version.

I'm In Barcelona... Now What?

I don't promise to do much posting from Barcelona. I brought my old iBook, which is slower than a snail, and my iPad, which, for mysterious reasons, refuses to connect to the internet, except for the built-in Mail.

But the main reason is that I haven't been painting that much. First I had to get my bearings, then I bought some paper but I don't like it (entirely my fault -- one is supposed to like Arches rough paper but I don't, only I didn't know it!) Worse than that, my Moleskine watercolor sketch pad has only a few pages left, and I can't find another one...

Excuses, excuses... I know.

I tried painting in situ but found it too intimidating. I must keep trying, because that's the whole point of suffering through a nearly 24-hour trip under inhumane conditions. Otherwise, one may as well copy photos from the web.

But I did paint this scene from the safety of my tiny balcony, away from prying passers-by. The narrow house is very similar to the one I live in; it's about 10 feet wide, and it's typical of most houses in this part of the old town.

So I took a photo of my sketch and here it is.

(Those are only the top 4 storeys of the building. On the ground floor there is a bakery that makes cakes with photographs on them (honest!), and the second storey consists of a highly modernized façade that is mostly glass.)