Springtime in Tuscany…what could be prettier? 10″ x 7″, ink & watercolor in Stillman & Birn Beta series sketchbook As we drove through the countryside on our way from San Gimignano to Lucca, the scenes we passed were enough to keep a constant smile on my face. Olive groves, vineyards, villas, and bright green hillsides […]
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Sunday Sketches
I was feeling particularly happy this past Sunday as I bustled around the house, cleaning and cooking in preparation for a party that evening. 9″ x 12″, drawn with a Noodler’s Creaper Flex pen and Lexington Gray ink, with watercolor, in an Aquabee Super Deluxe sketchbook When I paused to eat breakfast and saw how […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 13 (San Gimignano)
On Day 13, we said goodbye to Siena and headed north toward Lucca, meandering through the countryside on narrow, two-lane roads, enjoying a perfect spring day in Tuscany. 10″ x 7″, ink, watercolor pencil, and watercolor in Stillman & Birn Beta series sketchbook Our first stop was the medieval walled city of San Gimignano, famous […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 12 (Siena & Casale Virgili)
Casale Virgili was the perfect place to use as a home base to explore Tuscany. The B & B owner, Roberto, was a sweetheart. He spoke English, gave us great advice on restaurants and sites to see, and even fixed my hair dryer for me! The seventeenth-century farmhouse and outbuildings were beautifully maintained and made […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 11 (Yummy Tuscan Food)
Every time I paint a page that I really like, I get all excited and think, “Oooooh! This one is my favorite!” But then a few days later, I finish up another one that turns out better than I ever expected it to, and I think, “No, really, I think this one is my favorite!” […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 11 (Tuscany…finally!)
Warm sunshine, rolling hills, olive groves, and cypress trees – where else could we be but Tuscany? Everywhere I looked, it was prettier than a calendar picture! I started sketching as soon as we checked into our B&B near Siena. Our villa overlooked the idyllic scene that I sketched on the upper half of this […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 10 (Last Evening in Northern Italy)
On our last evening in northern Italy, we headed to our favorite restaurant for one more yummy dinner and were seated in a private alcove with a balcony, overlooking the outdoor patio. We felt so-o-o-o special! 10″ x 7″, ink & watercolor in Stillman & Birn Beta series sketchbook Even though I had done several […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 10 (A Dreamy Little Lupia Landscape)
It was an overcast day in early spring when I did this page in my travel journal. Driving through the countryside near Lupia, we had turned off the main road onto a dirt track which led across the fields to an old farmhouse surrounded by outbuildings. Suzie and I sat snug in our little Fiat […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 10 (Sketching in Lupia)
After spending the morning at the market in Vicenza, we decided to take it easy in the afternoon. It was our last day in Northern Italy – we’d be leaving the next morning for Tuscany – and we wanted to do a little sketching. 10″ x 7″, watercolor and brown Pigma Micron pen in Stillman […]
Sketchbook Journeys – Italy: Day 10 (Market Day in Vicenza)
This journal page starts out with a continuation of my day in Venice, then I wrote about market day in Vicenza, which was great fun. 10″ x 7″ ink & watercolor in Stillman & Birn Beta series sketchbook The town was bustling with crowds of people, everybody happy and excited about all the goings-on. Housewives […]
