Horse Chestnuts, or ‘Conkers’ are always a welcome sign of Autumn, and I can never resist painting them, especially when they are all bright and shiny, straight from their shells..
I make a grey from French Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna for their tops and Burnt Sienna plays a vital roll in their chestnut colour, lightened with a yellow, darkened with violet. These are in my sketchbook 8×5 inches
The Rudbeckias are doing most of the work supplying colour in the garden at the moment. There are other things but none as brash or self-assertive as these tall brightly coloured flowers. There are some marigolds which can compete in colour but not so much in height. They do very well in their own little world.
I wanted to paint these before they succumb to the weather and lose their petals.
Although these Tomatoes have their roots firmly in the grow house (a miniature glass-house for those not so horticulturally disposed), they have grown enthusiastically enough to be bursting out of it in all directions, and this vine has become rather top-heavy. The late Summer or early Autumn sun has them ripening by the day and their colour changing almost as one looks at them.
A sketch of an old Shepherd’s Hut which I am hoping to work up into a larger painting in the not too distant future, once I have finished some other things I am working on.
This little character has been standing, minding his own business in a cabinet at home for years, without me noticing him. My eye was probably drawn more to the assortment of teapots which surround him. I wonder if he is Dickensian, but there is nothing whatever to indicate who he may be or from where he came. But now I have discovered him, I love drawing him. I have no idea what he is holding. I thought at first it could be a microphone, but if he is Dickensian, I don’t think it can be!
All the greys here are variations of French Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna. His face and hands are from Yellow Ochre and Permanent Rose. His hair, purely Burnt Sienna.
Our Tomatoes have finally decided to ripen. They could do with a few more days of sunshine really as there are still a lot of green ones. At the moment we have rain and dark skies, so perhaps we will be making chutney soon!
Moleskine watercolour notebook 5×8 ” (13x21cm) portrait format
Sketched in Imperial Gardens behind the Town Hall in Cheltenham at the beginning of the week, while waiting for the car to be serviced. Very colourful and looking especially nice in the sunshine. The good weather is meant to stay until mid-week and then go downhill.
This is a sketch I did recently while looking around the old railway station at Toddington. There are a whole lot of things going on there and loads to paint, which I hope to do more fully one day, now I know what’s there. Unfortunately I’ve discovered it just as I am in mid preparation for the new term. What I hope to do is to turn this into a larger painting and write more about the location, but it will be a few weeks before I get around to doing it! Just another thing to put on my ‘Places I must paint’ list.
Our fig tree has had access to more light this year which means it has grown and looks very pleased with itself. Unfortunately, it hasn’t had so much sun, so a lot of the fruit will not have the chance to ripen. The rich colours of the insides always come as a surprise, but always fun to add to the pages of a sketchbook.
It’s looking as if we will be able to hold face to face classes again from next week (for how long remains to be seen). So been busy preparing for the new term which seems to be strange and exciting at the same time.
This barn across the field at Sherborne makes use of a limited palette of Quinacridone Gold, Light Red and Cobalt Blue, trying to keep the colours muted under the grey skies we’ve been having for quite a time now.
Graham Findlay Watercolours 