A View of Mont Ventoux - WIP

A View of Mont Ventoux - WIP, a photo by makingamark2 on Flickr.

I tried to finish this pastel - of a view of Monet Ventoux with the vineyards in the foreground - on my last evening in Couguieux. The light beat me in the end so it's not finished.

I think I'm calling this one a large scale study for another pastel yet to be completed. You'll recall I've already done one sketch of this view in Mont Ventoux and the vines http://paintingprovence.blogspot.com/2011/06/mont-ventoux-and-vines.html

The view is from the bend in the road where I took the photo of a sunrise over Mont Ventoux in my PJs on the the first morning of my stay.

I'm now off to Calais via Boulogne for the last leg on Frency soil of my trip home to London. I'm then catching the 6pm Eurotunnel train and hopefully getting back to London sometime around sevenish - having collected my lost hour en route!

Then it's down to sorting out all the stuff that's not been posted as yet!

The Demoiselles de Coiffees - WIP

The Demoiselles de Coiffees - WIP, a photo by makingamark2 on Flickr.

I'm now on my way home and am posting this while sat in a hotel in Bourg-en-Bresse.

It's a good time to try and to post some more of my sketches and pastel works in progress which haven't yet made it on to the blog given to only being able to post images via Flickr.

This work in progress is maybe about 60% completed - enough for you to see where it's going and not enough for me to be happy with as a completed work. It's on half a sheet of Art Spectrum Colourfix.

I spent a lot of time while at Couguieux directing people to the path where you can see these amazing landforms. There was a point where we speculated about putting up a picture and a finger saying "They're that way" but I don't think any of us had the correct french for it.

I was very disappointed not to be able to make it to Rousillon on Thursday. Most of the day was given over to trying to find a hotel for last night's stay. What I hadn't realised was that France hits the road as soon as the schools break up - the traffic I saw going down the Autoroute de Soleil yesterday were awesome.

My sat nav decided that the traffic was way to heavy to let me go via the autoroute and took me via the D7 and D8 up the Rhone Valley where I drove through very many vineyards and lavender fields.

However if you want to paint sunflowers go to the fields south of Bourg-en-Bresse either side of the A42 - there are numerous amazing fields of sunflowers.

Today I'm off to more vineyards on the Cote d'Or which is where the best red burgundy wine comes from.

The Pine Tree (work in progress)

Pastel drawing of a Pine Tree (work in progress)

I started this yesterday having found a spot in complete shade in the morning. it was very, very hot here yesterday.

we watched the lunar eclipse at 10pm last night while stood in the warm night air on the road outside the house.

My Art Materials - or why it's a good idea to take a car!

This is my checklist of art materials and equipment for drawing, sketching and painting in Provence.  It contains some top tips from people more experienced than me at painting plein air in oils.

I thought I might as well put it on the blog and then I can't lose it!  I'm bound to have forgotten stuff I need to take so this will keep being updated as I remember it!  Hopefully it will be complete before I set off on 9th June.

Now I know it looks like a lot but I am going to be in Provence for three weeks and this is a painting holiday not a sightseeing one.  Plus I've got six days of travelling there and back when I'll be fitting in sketches to break up the journey.

Plus I'm driving - and that's what I buy a decent sized car for - so I can take art materials on holiday!

Sketchbooks

• Moleskine sketchbooks (A3, A4 x 2, ordinary size)
• Moleskine watercolour sketchbook
• Panorama sketchbook?
  

Dry Media

Unison Pastel Sets at Walden Pond

• My complete sets of Unison Pastels - seen above during a plein air outing to Walden Pond in Massachusetts
• My Pastel Art Bin (more portable!)  So sad to see that they don't seem to be making these any more - I really like them.  However they won't take Unisons which is why I've always kept mine in their boxes.
• Lots and lots of coloured pencils + pencil wraps + pencil cases

Links:

• Pastels - Resources for Artists
• Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists

Paint

Water based media

• Schminke paintbox - if I can find it
• Gouache - but whose? / do my old tubes still work?
• Black brush roll and Brushes for watercolour / gouache

Oil paints

• W&N Griffin Alkyds (need to buy / including 200ml white / need to decide how these are best carried)
• W&N Liquin
• W&N Art Guard
• W&N Art Gel
• Brushes for Alkyds - to buy 
• Palette knives for Alkyds - to buy
• Cheap nutcrackers for if lids are hard to open (tip from Vivien Blackburn)
• Zest It
• Disposable Palette Pad
• Really Useful Boxes for paint tubes and other art media
• Baby oil to clean brushes and clothes!  (another tip from Vivien Blackburn)

I'm also looking at oil bars as maybe a half way house for me -see Winsor & Newton's page Artists' Oilbar - Oil Colour at your Fingertips

Paper and supports

• Pack of Arches sheets cut down to usable sizes
• Arches HP Block
• Ampersand Colorfix (Fix colourfix to mountboard?)
• Mountboard cut down to usable sizes (plus gesso? / plus watercolour ground?) 
• Oil Painting Pad (A3?)
• Baking Paper to cover wet paint (that tip was from Sarah) 
• Cling film to cover palette (that tip was from somebody else - I forget who) 
  

Links:  Paper and Non-Canvas Supports - Resources for Artists

Art Equipment

Me on my Phillips Chair - nearly 20 years ago
Sketching Pura Ulun Danu Bratan by Lake Bedugal in Bali
Check this gallery for the pastel painting completed at home

Various chairs and stools

I'm going to take different ones have different weight for different circumstances - plus we're a party!)

• Blacks Eurohike Compact Chair
• cheaper camping chair 
• Phillips De Luxe Folding Chair 
• Blacks Compact Stool (for sketching)
• RHS Kneeling Pad - for sitting on ground

Drawing boards and clips

• Different size sheets of 5mm foam core for drawing board 
• LOTS OF BULLDOG CLIPS (can you tell what I often forget?)

Easels and pochade boxes

• Box easel - probably not.  Buy a lightweight sketching easel instead?
• Pochade box instead of an easel? 
  
• Maybe a Julian?  (see Places to buy Pochade Boxes in the UK)
• Maybe a plastic clic box instead? (see Really Useful Boxes)

Vivien - who understands my problems with carrying too much weight / the need to maintain balance at all time (or else I fall over due to very dodgy feet!) - suggests I forget the pochade box and easel and use something lightweight as an alternative - she's now written up her advice in the email below as a proper post re what she takes on painting holidays

Consider as an alternative,  a simple plastic food box - the kind with clip sides is good.  That's what I took to Cornwall.  Though I took my easel I never actually used it!   I hand hold my work - you can use the lightweight board you use and clip your sketchpad and palette to it with bulldog clips.  The liquin and palette knives fit into the box as well.   Brushes in an old padded envelope rolled up.   Then baby oil and rags and tissues plus your oil paper sketchbook and it all fits into a lightweight rucksack.

Vivien Blackburn (Painting Prints & Stuff)

Painting media equipment

• baby oil and wet wipes - for cleaning up
• Masking tape
• roll of kitchen towel 

Pastels and Pencils media equipment

• Cornmeal for cleaning pastels
• Really Useful Boxes for keeping pastels I'm using in plus cornmeal to keep them clean (this is a Felicity House tip - see this post)
• Electric pencil sharpener (Yes / No / Maybe?) I do wish there was still a decent portable sharpener around with like my old Panasonic KP-4A
• Jakar battery powered erasers + small batteries + spare erasers - I'll probably pack three as I'd be distraught if I only packed one and lost it
• Tuff Stick (this is a tip from Dianna Ponting)

 Links:   

• Art Equipment - Resources for Artists
  
• Pastels and Pencils - Art Materials - Erasers
• Pastels and pencils - Art Materials - Pencil Sharpeners  
• Product Review: Really Useful Boxes (for art media and crafts) 
• Product Review: Jakar Battery Operated Eraser Pen

Camera etc

• Camera + charger
• two new SD cards
• spare batteries + charger
• Camcorder + charger + new SD card
• iPad + mains lead + USB cable + up to date software
• card reader
  

Venice shopping trolley
doubles as Artcart

Other essential equipment

• Sun Tan cream / sun block
• long sleeved shirt for if I'm in full sun
• insect repellent plus cream for if I get bitten (guaranteed!)
• Visor to keep sun out of my eyes.  I don't wear sunglasses while using colour.
• Hat with decent brim
• Baby Oil and wet wipes - clean up equipment
• Shopping trolley from Venice - this from a holiday where I gave in and realised that the shopping trolleys were an excellent way of getting stuff around really easily 

Exhibition

Even if it's just for ourselves!

• BluTak for displaying work without damaging walls 

Books about Oil Painting

But that's another post.......