This is a video of my Crete sketchbook, with all my gouache studies painted on location during my trip in March 2024
Some gouache studies painted on location during a week-end dedicated to painting in Arcachon and Cap-Ferret
I’ve spent 2 weeks in Crete in March and did around 15 sketches, painted with gouache, all on location
After 2 studies to be less intimidated, I did the bigger painting yesterday on a 24*30 cm Pastelmat.
It took me around 4 hours to complete the painting, with a break after the third hour.
Thanks to the small study done with oil pastels, i had my selection of colors, that made the bigger painting process less overwhelming 🙂
Small study (10*12cm) done with pastel pencils, in order to understand the values and colors of this composition. Next step will be a small study again, but with oil pastels. Then, I will tackle a bigger painting with oil pastels.
Gouache studies painted in location: Amalfi coast, Matera and Puglia (Lecce, Monopoli, Gallipoli, Peschici) – Dec 23/ Jan
These are paintings made with oil pastels from Sennelier (softer) and Neopastel from Caran d’Ache (more opaque)
Yesterday, I bought new oil pastels from several brands, to test their quality. Sennelier is really creamy, soft and opaque, so it’s great for top layers. Mungyo, Talens or Sakura are harder, so good for first layers. I found also in my drawer my old little set of Neocolor 2 from Caran d’Ache. It’s always fun to discover a new medium
Flowers in the garden, after a photo I took during my trip in Italy in May
Gouache on paper
Bad weather is perfect to perform some master studies at home.
Studies from Paul Serusier, James Wilson Morrice, Clarence Gagnon and Lena Rivo
All done in gouache in my hot-pressed paper sketchbook
Sunday practice of the view on Alexandre III bridge and Grand Palais, along with @3lodab, who painted the same view in oils
Gouache on paper
This week, I did a night plein air painting session, in Paris, with a group of painters
Sunday afternoon plein air near the river Seine, during a meeting with 2 others Paris painters
These are the gouache sketches I did during my trip in Hokkaido, Japan, all on location
September 2023
My paintings done en plein-air, Le Pouliguen, France. August 2023.
Gouache on Canson cold-pressed paper.
Sunday morning plein air practice, clouds moving fast due to wind
Sunday Morning plein air painting, at Jardin des Tuileries. Gouache on paper
Sketchbook started last summer 2022, watercolor in Scotland, gouache in Paris and various studies.
Quai de Seine, Master copy after the impressionist Russian Painter Bato Dugarzhapov
Oil on canvas 18*24cm
You can check my gouache and watercolor sketches done on location in Northern Italy in May 2023, in the main menu of my website
They were painted in Alba, Pavia, Mantova, Lago di Garda, Cinque Terre, Genova and Torino
Some of them were painted during grey and cloudy days, others under a strong sun and some were interrupted by rain and storm. This is the joy (and difficulties) of plein air painting!
Violets, gouache on paper
After a Stuart Park’s painting that I saw in Glasgow last summer
Studio cloud painting after a study I did at Champlieu, in the Compiègne’s forest
After the storm, Jardin des Tuileries, Paris.
Gouache on W&N watercolor cold-pressed paper
Portrait parctice, mainly on skin tones and values, with oil painting on paper in my sketchbook
Study of clouds and value relationships between the clouds and the lights on the building
After a big storm, the sun is back. Sunrise painting of the Gran Castello in Ir-Rabat je Gozo island
From the bow-window of my hotel in Rabat, near the entry of the lovely old city of Mdina
Quick sketches of Birgu and Casa Rocca Piccola’s garden
First morning sketch from the Upper Barraka Gardens.
Gouache on paper
Severals sketches done on location. Colored pencils, pens, Posca pens, Ecoline brush pens…
A5 hot-pressed sketchbook from Etchr. November 2021 – September 2022.
All sketches are done with gouache.
Sketches done on location or studies.
Julie Manet, after Ernest Rouart
Painted in gouache on Etchr hot-pressed sketchbook
Some figure studies in watercolor, after the great american teacher Charles Reid
Just needed to paint a quick gouache sketch at home, after several weeks of using watercolor exclusively
This is view of Kyle of Tongue, one of the most beautiful landscape I saw in the Highlands
I completed a full sketchbook during my first two weeks in Scotland and started a second one
See below the a sketchbook tour of the first one, and you can see my sketches in my Scotland gallery if you click here.
I will publish soon my watercolor paintings done in my sketchbooks, during my trip to Scotland this summer 2022
See below the painting I’ve done at 7 am in a lounge room in my hotel at PortPatrick, when everyone is still sleeping…
According to me, one the best sketchbook for watercolor is the Etchr cold pressed sketchbook.
Not really possible to use it for pen and ink, but for watercolor, this heavy paper is the best.
I love the look of the sketch, and the paper is very forgiving. I can go back to the clouds with no risk of dirty blooms.
You can compare it with the 3 tests I did on the other sketchbooks from my previous posts. On smooth paper, the colors are more vivid, but I find it more difficult to create soft edges and mix colors on paper.
Testing the paper of several sketchbooks
-Watercolours Book from Boesner. 250 g/m2
-Premium Sketchbook Zeta Series from StillMan & Birn 270gm2
-Watercolour book cold pressed 250g/m2 from Hahnemühle
Still life practice.
Oil painting on mdf pannel primed with gesso
Photo reference: Remi Cárdenas
This is my study of a painting done by the landscape painter Lena Rivo. I wanted to practice some situations I had during my trip to Mediterranean Sea during sunset: the contrast, the sparkles on the water, the colors.
Gouache on paper.
All painted on location: Marseille, Cassis, Cap Canaille, Hyères, Porquerolles, Saint-Tropez, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Antibes, Nice.
Gouache on paper.
