Plein Air Monday
We were back in Meredith, NH this week, at the tippity-top of some mountain. With nearly a 360 degree view it was hard to choose. The panorama view above was close to 180 degrees (the woman to the left was actually sitting behind me.) You can see Lake Winnipesaukee in the distance. Views of Lake Waukewan and Squam Lake were behind us. This week I brought colored pencils and promised myself I wouldn't get all caught up in the details. I cracked open yet another new sketchbook, a Strathmore Tan-Toned, leather-bound book with some good paper for sketching. I quickly sketched what I wanted, then moved to the shade before I fried my brain. I have to say, I was digging the colored pencils. I tried to stay loose and just keep it about the marks. The fun part was that the pencils were quite soft, almost melting in the sun which helped to lay down the color quickly. It also meant they wore down quicker. I worked as fast as I could but people kept packing up early. There was a lovely breeze but perhaps the bugs were being a little pesty. The woman behind me and myself were the only ones that stuck it out. And this is what I got done.
I brought it home and worked some more. I added some water-soluble pencils (without water.) That set had better colors for getting those grays in the background. In the end, I was pretty happy with the paper and media. The paper, though smooth, held quite a few layers of wax though perhaps the sun helped with that!
