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 SWEDEN to scout out locations for a future sketching workshop! I know, it’s crazy, huh? But I just couldn’t pass up this opportunity – I promise to tell you all about it when I get back.
So, I haven’t had much time to work on my France sketchbook lately, but I did finish this page that features some of the food I enjoyed during my time in Paris…
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| 6″ x 8″, ink and watercolor in a handmade sketchbook with 140 lb. Kilimanjaro watercolor paper |
The title was roughed in with pencil when I first started the page, then I inked it later with a Pitt Artist’s Pen, size S. I wrote the lettering with a single line, then went back and thickened all the downstrokes. After the entire page was painted, I decided to add some shadows to make the lettering a little more prominent. I used a small round brush and lavender-blue watercolor to copy the writing slightly to the left of the black ink lines.
After a long day of walking around Paris on Day 2, it was a relief to take a few minutes to sit down and have a cool sweet treat in the afternoon. And how could I resist sketching that clever ice cream spoon? The shape of it fit perfectly onto the side of the cut glass dish
That evening, we walked around our neighborhood in the 7th arrondissement of Paris and finally settled on having dinner at a Thai restaurant. It was late, and I wanted something light, so I ordered an appetizer of grilled prawns on a bed of seasoned grapefruit “pearls” topped with what I think were beet sprouts. They were the most amazing bright purple-y fuchsia color. The whole salad was served on a circle cut from a tropical leaf. It was all so pretty that I decided to sketch it to prolong the fun of this feast for the eyes.
The next day, after fighting the crowds at Versailles all morning (which I will tell you all about in a future post) we wandered around Paris for awhile and found an outdoor market surrounded by restaurants that all looked appealing, but, in the end, we all decided we could really go for a burger. An excellent choice – I don’t know when a burger has tasted so good!
Our last night in Paris found us at a corner cafe just down the block from our apartment. I selected creamy pumpkin soup topped with whipped cream, bacon, and roasted chestnuts in a green pepper cup. I can’t even begin to describe how rich and yummy it was. I had to try really hard not to embarrass myself by moaning with delight over every spoonful.
Our last evening in Paris felt like a celebration, so we all toasted the good times with an Aperol spritz.
One sketchbook page…so many memories!
12 Comments
This is wonderful! I stumbled upon you on Facebook and am so glad I did. I am now an email subscriber and eager to see more of your work. I am a novice sketcher, but travel and food are two of my favorite subjects.
Welcome, Pattie! Maybe we can connect at a workshop sometime. My European workshops are a great way to combine travel and food, and they're so much FUN! Hope you'll be able to join me one of these days. Until then, enjoy the blog posts, and keep on commenting – I love to hear from my readers. Makes me feel connected. 🙂
Such a fun sketch–it makes me hungry! Congratulations on the opportunity to do a workshop in Sweden!!!! That's SO exciting!
beaux dessins des délices gustatifs de votre visite à Paris !
Another gorgeous page!
Look forward to seeing your Versailles paintings. We haven't visited there for a few years…. not since they decided to gild the roofs and set up the gates etc. It all looks very nice and shiny but I loved being able to just walk up to the house….
It's pretty glitzy now, that's for sure, and now you get routed through the visitor's center and security scanners – signs of the times, I guess.
I keep you on my "favorites I follow" on the side bar of my blog.
GOSH you are such an inspiration.
The food paintings are out of this world.
ginnystiles.blogspot.com
Thanks so much, Ginny. Thanks for linking to me on your blog; I hope we can connect in person some day.
HI Leslie — If you get a chance, can you please list the pigments you used for the orange in the Aperol Spritz, the pink in the beet sprouts, and the lighter green in the green pepper and burger lettuce? Ive been struggling with dull colors lately and these are so clear and bright – love them
Hmmm, let me think…for the Aperol Spritz I think I used Perylene Red and New Gamboge or Cadmium Yellow Light. The pink in the beet sprouts was Opera mixed with maybe Cobalt Blue to turn it slightly purple-y, and the light bright green is mixed from Leaf Green, which is almost neon it's so bright, but it really works well for that light but vibrant color you need sometimes.
I so appreciate your really excellent descriptions of your process. For those of us on a learning curve, it's very helpful! (And looks great!)
Glad you enjoy the posts, Jeanie. Be sure to check out the Tutorials tab where you'll find lots of step-by-step sketching posts.