Sketch work - Watercolours by Jane

Posted on 31 March 202331 March 2023 by Jane

Sketching at the Helford

We enjoyed a glorious sunny but cold February but sadly March has been very mixed. On this day the forecast promised sunshine so I headed out to do sketching at the Helford.

Glendurgan Gardens

I do love it down around the Helford River but with its narrow lanes I prefer to visit out of season. First stop was Glendurgan Gardens, with its beautiful blooms, the rhododendron in all their glory, the magnolia trees in bloom. It was so peaceful and it was great to be out and appreciate nature at its best.

View of the River

After walking through the gardens, we ventured out of the gates at the bottom of the garden and on to Durgan beach. It was so beautiful and peaceful. I found a lovely spot to capture the scene looking towards the beach at Trebah Gardens (Polgwidden Cove). Helford village is in the background and out came my paints and sketchbook.

Sketch of view of Trebah Beach on Helford River

Grebe Beach

Venturing further I then followed the path down to Grebe Beach. There was a few people making the most of the weather and enjoying a swim. I wish I had my swimming kit with me, but as I didn’t I sat down to capture the scene instead.

Back to Glendurgan Gardens

As well as enjoying sketching on the Helford River, I also took some photos, mainly of Glendurgan Gardens. My photos of this glorious day are below, click on any image to see an enlarged version.

At the time of writing this blog post I have a couple of paintings of the Helford River for sale. One is of the tree-lined banks of the Helford River. The other is Grebe Beach , but a slightly different scene from the one I sketched today. If these have sold then have a look at what paintings for sale are currently available.

Posted on 10 March 20238 March 2023 by Jane

Sketching again

In a previous post I talked about my recent eye surgery however I am delighted to report that I am sketching again!

A few weeks ago it was a gloriously sunny day, Mark had made pasties so we packed them up and headed up to West Pentire. The view from the car park was just stunning – gosh I do love Cornwall.

I decided to have a go at a quick sketch looking across to Pentire Headland. The tide was coming in and there were great surfing conditions. I did struggle a bit using my one good eye, which made it quite hard to work out the exactly how far away the paper was! We also had a walk around where I was able to get some good reference photos for future sketches.

Looking towards Crantock beach

As the car park was rather expensive, we only stayed for an hour and drove up to Pentire Headland. Thanks to Cornwall Council offering free car parking during the winter in some places, we could stay as long as we liked.

The tide had been coming in fast and looking across to Crantock beach, the sand was almost covered.

Sketch of Crantock beach with tide coming in

I didn’t think I did too bad a job until I realised I forgot to paint the sky!

Not sure how the sketching went, painting with one eye is not easy but I did enjoy our beautiful scenery.

Sketching at home

Back at home I decided more practice needed and as I had been asked if I had any small paintings of the Newquay area, so I some more sketching from my ol photos.

I started with my little sketches of Holywell Bay, Newquay Harbour and the views across Fistral Bay.

Illustration: low tide at Fistral Beach, Newquay Greeting Card

Illustration: Newquay Harbour Greeting Card

Illustration: Holywell Bay, Newquay Greeting Card

Illustration: Fistral Bay, Newquay Greeting Card

Illustration: Pentire Headland, Newquay Greeting Card

This was very successful annd I am pleased with the results. Even better I turned 5 of them into cards and 3 were sold within a few days! I definitely will be sketching more locations around Newquay.

Chapel Porth

I know feel inspired to get sketching again and Chapel Porth is next on the list! This and I love this scene.

I have lots more ideas for future cards, mainly painting scenes like Chapel Porth above that are always popular. Also on my list are Kynance Cove, St Michaels Mount, as well as different locations like Porthgwarra, Housel Bay, Lands End … to mention but a few!

Posted on 6 November 202217 February 2023 by Jane

Turning sketches into cards

Looking around this website it may be apparent that I love sketching however it does mean that I end up with too many sketches. So I decided that I would turn my sketches into cards that people can buy.

My sketches can include being in a beautiful spot in Cornwall, perhaps visiting Portreath or Godrevy. I love to sit down and capture the day with a little sketch.

It could be taken from one of my photographs, I love walking and taking photographs so I have a vast library of images that I would like to paint. Doing a little sketch also helps me decide whether to paint a full scale version of it.

Sketch using pen and ink

Style wise, I have two different styles. One style uses a stippling effect, where the image is drawn using lots of dots. The other uses a free, quick sketch approach. The difference in these two techniques will depend on the subject matter is stippling tends to be a more accurate representation, wheras the free, quick sketch can be more dynamic, capturing the essence of a place.

The initial sketches can be when watching TV, as I find it a great way to unwind. I find stippling very relaxing. Then I will add the watercolour at a later date, perhaps sat in the garden or my summerhouse, which I particularly enjoy on a summers evening.

I always like to revisit these sketches at a later date and decide which of these sketches other people may enjoy and I cut them down to size, around 90–100mm square and attach them to a blank card stock, usually a 6×6 inch card.

An inexpensive gift idea

The cards, which are blank inside for your own greeting, all have matching envelopes. Alternatively why not put them into a square frame. Most high street, and online retailers, have square frames that a 6×6 card will fit in. This creates an affordable framed painting to either have in your own home or give as a gift.

This is a Win Win situation, I love my sketching and you can enjoy owning an original piece of art – without breaking the bank. Have a look at the greeting cards that I currently have for sale.

Remember these cards are all originals and once they are gone I may never paint that scene again.

Posted on 12 October 20229 February 2023 by Jane

Sketches from Scotland

Recently I was lucky enough to spend time in Scotland, mainly in Edinburgh and Oban, and as always I took my Moleskine Sketchbook, Pens and Paints so that I could capture the scenery, so here are my sketches from Scotland.

Edinburgh

We started our holiday in Scotland, and it turned out to be quite a different experience from what we had been expecting as it coincided with the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The whole country then observed a period of mourning but as Her Majesty passed away whilst staying at Balmoral, Edinburgh led the way. This meant we were able to pass our respects in person when she came to Lie in State at St Giles Cathedral, something that living in Cornwall is not usually possible due to the distance in travelling to London. However it did mean that access to a lot of Buildings and Places were closed or restricted.

The weather was lovely during our stay, with a lot of blue skies and here are my sketches from Edinburgh.

Illustration: Tower of St Giles Cathedral above the rooftops

Oban

We left Edinburgh and transferred to Oban, via Glasgow and the West Highland Railway. Our Flat had the most amazing view of Oban Harbour and Bay, looking towards the island of Kerrara, with the islands of Lismore and Mull in the distance. I could have just stayed in the flat and looked (and sketched) the wonderful view all the time.

Sadly the weather was not as good as Edinburgh, and although we avoided heavy rain it was mostly grey, so my sketches will include a lot of grey clouds. However I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Oban.

Illustration: View from Pulpit Hill, Oban

We flew from Newquay Airport to Edinburgh Airport with Loganair, which was highly recommended. We decided to travel around Scotland using local transport, mainly trains and because of the risk of train strikes we did restrict where we visited. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Scotland and I can’t wait to visit again visiting other places.

Posted on 16 August 202217 February 2023 by Jane

Quick easy watercolours

I have a variety of styles, some are quick easy watercolours – these are watercolours that I can paint in 10–30 minutes. This is usually when I am outside trying to capture the scene quickly. Other watercolours take me a lot longer and these are my larger paintings, and are not usually painted in one session – an idea for another blog post I think!

Acrylic paintings

Sometimes I paint using Acrylic paint and I have to be quick with these because they dry so quickly. Never has that been more evident than this summer when it has been so hot! I have been painting my little easels but also drinks mats.

I did a few more but using different colours this time.

I have been visiting the beach on quite a few occasions and after taking a dip I got my paints out. Here is my attempt to capture how busy Godrevy beach was, with so many people swimming, on paddle boards and inflatables. Everyone was really enjoying the lovely weather.

Greeting cards

I like to convert my quick skethces and make them into cards. As mentioned I I love painting outside, so afterwards I cut them up into squares and turn them into greeting cards that hopefully people enjoy. They are purposely put on to 6×6 square cards so that they fit a standard square frame that can be purchased from a variety of supermarkets and other shops.

Visit my Greeting Cards page for what is currently available for sale, although as they are original paintings, once they have gone there is no guarantee I will paint the same scene again.

Lastly, this sketch is of Noto Cathedral, which I haven’t personally visited but was for an anniversary card for a special couple who got married there.

I hope you have enjoyed an insight into what I have been working on during August, don’t forget to find out my latest paintings that are availble to purhcase.

Posted on 7 June 20229 February 2023 by Jane

Sketches of Norway

If was about this time 5 years ago that we visited Norway and luckily I was able to do some sketching. I wasn’t sure if the weather would be warm enough to sit outside and paint, but here are my sketches of Norway. Click on the images to see a larger version.

We were doing a train tour and flew from Gatwick to Bergen, where we stayed for a few days. The first day was very much what we were expected from Bergen i.e. wet! However in the afternoon of the second day the sun came out and it was glorious. We sat outside close to the Bryggen, where I tried to capture the Wharf houses, which are the iconic buildings that are associated with Bergen.

The next day we were off to Flam, where luckily the glorious weather continued and it was just magical to sit alongside the Sognefjord and get my paints out. Even better was in the evening, where I sat on the beach at past 10 o’clock at night and was able to do another sketch. I loved the four small fishermen houses, or Fjordhytter, that sat below the dramatic mountain above it with their reflection in the water.

We had two days in Flam then we were off on the train for our final stop – Oslo. Oslo is a vibrant and relatively small city and we had another glorious day, so we grabbed a coffee and cake from a local shop (very cost effective) and I sat and sketched the University building. Then later in the afternoon we sat alongside Oslo Fjord looking across to the Oslo Opera House, I just couldn’t capture this building, with the sun shining on all the glass and white walls. Yesterday evening we had visited it, not long after arriving, and climbed on the roof (along with everyone else!) to watch the sunset, quite magical.

All too soon it was time to go home. A wonderful holiday and I am delighted to have captured the scenery with my little sketches as a permanent memory of my time in Norway, including a quick sketch of our plane getting roead to take us home.

Posted on 28 April 202217 February 2023 by Jane

Memories of my holiday in Sennen

Recently I enjoyed a weeks holiday in Sennen with lots of walking and painting. Now you might be surprised why I would want to holiday in Sennen, when I live so close to it, and the reason is two-fold. One relates to Covid and the potential problems of travelling, and the other is, by staying somewhere I can have one week to enjoy the sunshine, the sunset and everything in-between. I don’t have a sea view from where I live and it is an absolute joy to experience such a beautiful view for one week.

On the Saturday the weather was glorious so we walked along the south west coast path, which involved walking past the glorious Gwenver Beach, where I sat and sketched the painting above. However I just haven’t manage to capture the stunning white sands and the total peace and tranquality that you feel when you sit on the beach. I have taken photographs so I will have another attempt.

On the rest of the days the weather was quite cloudy but on the day we walked across to Nanjizal bay the sun came out and it was simply glorious! The tide was coming in but we ventured down on to the beach for a short while, and I just don’t have enough adjectives to describe this beautiful place. I should mention it isn’t an easy walk, and there is nowhere to park close by to park, not to mention scrambling across the large boulders on the beach to reach the sand – but it was well worth it!

The above are sketches of the view from our accommodation where I tried to capture the fog rolling in and the waves rolling on to the shore.

As you can imagine I love Sennen and I have taken loads of photographs so I can’t wait to get my paints out at home!

Posted on 21 March 202217 February 2023 by Jane

Sketching at The Lizard

We have recently had a wonderful spell of weather here in Cornwall and so I was delighted to be able find a nice comfy seat, get my paints out and enjoy sketching at The Lizard in the glorious sunshine.

Parking at The Lizard we walked down Lizard Head Lane and joined the coast path from Kynance Cove to The Lizard, stopping at a lovely sheltered spot by Old Lizard Point to capture the scene and sketch the rocks that were exposed as it was low tide.

Heading on further we stopped for a lunch at Polpeor Cafe, where we were able to sit outside and I had a great spot to capture another view of The Lizard.

What a great day, walking and painting in the sunshine! Bring on more spring days.

Posted on 28 February 202218 February 2025 by Jane

Snow in Switzerland

In 2018 we decided to go in search of some snow, not to ski but just to look at and marvel at its beauty. Here are sketches of snow in Switzerland from our magical tour around Switzerland, where despite the extremely cold weather, I managed to get my paints out.

We decided on Switzerland, where we undertook a mini-tour around this country that we love. Little did we know at the time that whilst we were away Cornwall would end up covered in snow. This was due to the arrival of “the beast from the east!”

As it was ski season we were able to fly from Exeter to Geneva. On arrival we got the train to Basel – our first stop.

Basel

It was incredibly cold in Basel. However our first day was very a sunny day, which was glorious. I was even able to sit and sketch some of the beautiful buildings.

Filisur

Next stop was Filisur, going via Chur so we got the train up to Arosa. However it was so cold minus 18 degrees! It was not only was it too cold to paint, it was too cold to be outside! Still the train trip up to Arosa and back, going through the snow covered forests was stunning.

When planning our trip I wanted to experience a moutain village and Filisur certainly did that. It was a lovely little village and our hotel room had a full length door/window, with a great view over the valley. A great spot to watch the trains winding up through the mountains to nearby Bergun. If you look at my sketch above, look for the red train.

We stayed for a few days, getting the Bernina Express one day to Tirano. I managed a quick sketch of the nearby mountains where sitting on the train.

Another day we walked to the magnificent Landweisser viaduct. It was so sunny and felt warm, I decided to sit down and sketch the scene. However I became quite puzzled at the strange texture that was being created on my page. I realised the water on my brush was quickly turning into ice crystals! On our last day we woke up to snow, so out came the paints as I tried to capture the scene.

Brig

Back on the train – and not just any train The Glacier Express. We were travelling from Filisur to our next stop at Brig – just magical. Back to painting the scene from our hotel room, this time it was the mountains at Brig. Our last visit was to Zermatt, where we were hoping to see The Matterhorn. It was quite a coldy day, but the clouds did clear for a short time so I was able to sit down and quickly capture the scene. The temperature was now above freezing and so the water in my brush didn’t freeze!

Our trip back didn’t run quite as smooth because by this time Geneva airport was covered in snow. Exeter Airport had closed the day before and the morning of our flight! Luckily it opened for a couple of hours and we managed to get home!

A truly magical holiday, with memories that will stay with me forever.

Take a look at my page on Switzerland for more of my paintings.

Posted on 21 December 202118 February 2023 by Jane

Snow in Cornwall

A selection of Christmas cards using original watercolour sketches

I have created a selection of Christmas Cards that featured my original watercolour sketches of snow in Cornwall. Except of course we don’t get snow very often in Cornwall, and when it comes you have to be quick to get out with your camera to catch it! Initially I did my little “dotty” drawings, whilst sat in the comfort of my armchair, before getting the paints out.

Clicking on the image will enable you to see it larger.

I start with West Penwith, I think it helps when you can see the snow has settled onto a hard surface and Lanyon Quoit, does the job quite well, with Ding Dong mine in the distance! I experimented with different colour blues for this, to see if it made a difference having a warm or cold palette, but I think both work.

The painting of snow covered Roughter, up on Bodmin Moor has to be my favourite, and again, it is the snow settling on the rock that makes it work

Then of course I do have a selection of Engine Houses — this first two are on the Great Flat Lode, a cycle track near Redruth that has lots of Engine Houses, here the snow is slowly started to melt. Another favourite is the Engine Houses at Wheal Peevor near Redruth, with other mine workings nearby.

Lastly we have Godrevy, looking towards the lighthouse, but if I am being honest it could just look like I haven’t finished the painting! So I tried including a rock, so you could see the snow settling on it, but again, it could be another unfinished painting!

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Category: Sketch work

Sketching at the Helford

Glendurgan Gardens

View of the River

Grebe Beach

Back to Glendurgan Gardens

Sketching again

Looking towards Crantock beach

Sketching at home

Chapel Porth

Turning sketches into cards

Sketch using pen and ink

An inexpensive gift idea

Sketches from Scotland

Edinburgh

Oban

Quick easy watercolours

Acrylic paintings

Greeting cards

Sketches of Norway

Memories of my holiday in Sennen

Sketching at The Lizard

Snow in Switzerland

Basel

Filisur

Brig

Snow in Cornwall

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