The palace of Versailles began in the early 17th century as a modest hunting camp for King Louis VIII, but around 1661 King Louis XIV decided it just wasn’t quite enough for him. He embarked upon a period of expansion that lasted 33 years, making Versailles the world’s largest royal domain. 6″ x 8″, ink […]
Category: Travel
France Sketchbook – Paris Edibles
Summer does get busy, doesn’t it? We were away at the beach in Oak Island, NC, last week, and I barely had time to get the laundry done before I had to start getting ready for a two-day “Sketch It Now” workshop here at Summerhill this weekend. Then on Tuesday I’ll be flying off to […]
France Sketchbook – Eiffel Tower Step-by-Step Watercolor Tutorial
Here’s the tutorial I promised you about how I painted the sketch of the Eiffel Tower that I did on location in Paris… I had sketched the tower lightly with pencil first to give myself a guide to follow. I was careful to use a center line, which helped me to keep it straight and […]
France Sketchbook – Day 2 – Paris (continued)
(Read part I of Day 2 here.) After we left the Tuileries, we hopped on the bus and began to make our way to the Eiffel Tower. I wanted to see it up close and maybe do a little sketching, but the traffic in Paris that day was even worse than usual. There were all […]
France Sketchbook – Day 2 – Paris
6″ x 8″, ink & watercolor on 140 lb. Kilimanjaro watercolor paper On Day 2 of our Paris visit, we were feeling pretty energetic, since we had gotten a good night’s sleep and were recovering from the time change. My friend, Karen, who was coming to the workshop in Provence, was in Paris, so she […]
France Sketchbook – Day 1
Hello out there! It’s been so long since I’ve checked in here that you might have been wondering if I got lost in Paris and never made it home. 🙂 No such luck. (Just kidding, Fred!) I’m back home safe and sound, just catching up on things and taking some time to relax with the […]
Bon Voyage!
Today’s the day! It’s finally here. This afternoon I’m flying to Paris! I’ve been dreaming of this for years. I remember buying a Paris guidebook almost twenty years ago in the hopes that I would somehow find a way to visit that magical, mythical place one day. It all seems unreal, the fact that I’m […]
Going Back to My Roots with a Simple Little Travel Journal
Fred and I celebrated forty happy years of marriage this past winter, and we decided it would be fun to take a little trip down memory lane and go back to where we met, married, and lived as newlyweds. Our celebratory getaway was delayed a few weeks due to our schedules, but the stars finally […]
ArtWalk Greece
You’ve seen the pictures…brilliant sunlight reflecting off whitewashed walls… blue dome roofs echoing the color of a cobalt blue sky… crystal clear water…. soaring mountains… and spectacular pink and orange sunsets over the Aegean Sea… Now put yourself in the picture! During my October sketching trip to the Greek Isles you’ll be bowled over by […]
Casa Romantica Step-by-Step
One of the assignments I gave the students during my “Sketching on Location” workshop in San Clemente last month was to look for a view that was framed by something, like an arch, columns, or trees. Dutiful teacher that I am, I decided to set an example by sketching the view through the arches on […]
