Sketches from Malham Tarn, Yorkshire Moors

Right - think I've now got things working by using another brower, as Microsoft 10 isn't compatible with Blogger ...

I recently had a great four days on the Yorkshire Moors with a great artist - Carole Baker  It was partly sketching out on the moors and then working back in the studio with acrylics (which I am not really sure about - love the effects, but not great at achieving them myself yet...)

The sketches I did were in pen and watercolour. I have changed my sketching kit for this trip. Firstly I am using colour, as opposed to just my pen and also being more adventurous with the use of colour, which is something Carole is exceptionally good at. I took my White Knight watercolours - a Russian make that a friend at the art club introduced me to. These paints are great for sketching - lovely juicy colours (semi-wet) and so much better than the normal pans of colour one can get. The link here shows a larger palette - my one only has three rows, so somewhat neater, but couldn't find that when searching just now.

I also upgraded my sketchbook. A while ago someone gave me a Stillman and Birn Beta Series sketchbook. It's fabulous - not as textured as I usually use, but  wonderful strong paper that can cope with lots of water. Normally I have to paint on one side and not the other in sketchbooks, because the ink/watercolour shows through - not with this paper. Definitely going to use this make again. Also was interested to see that Carole was using a Khadi sketchbook. I have some Khadi loose paper, but not seen the sketchbooks before. The one she was using was wonderfully textured (maybe too much for some people), but again, will look out for that and try it in the near future. I will report back when I have.

This is a quick sketch done just outside where we were staying. Really quiet (just a few walkers and cyclists coming along the road) and a view across to the Tarn (lake). You may notice the colour swatches at the bottom of the page. This is another Carole tip. If you are planning to use the sketch as a basis for a larger painting, this helps you with recognising the colours used, because of course normally they are mixed on the page and it isn't that obvious. When we got back to the studio, we could match the watercolour swatches on the page with the acrylic paints we had - so much easier. She actually has intentionally matched her acrylic colours to her watercolours, so she can get a similar effect with the larger painting.

Another view from outside the centre. Our brief was to find a spot and then do all four views. The Yorkshire Moors have fabulous stone walls, some of which are falling down, which only add to the interest as far as an artist is concerned. Bit of splattering going on here, to add interest to the foreground.

I just used my watercolours and the Rotring Art Pen. However we were watching Carole paint and were interested in another pen she had. She had requested that we brought Indian ink on the course and I had noticed that she uses it on her sketches I had seen on her Facebook page. I thought having an open bottle sitting on the grass was a rather crazy idea (chances of it falling over was very high). I should have known she had a solution.... She uses an Indian ink pen (didn't know there was one, but have just put an order in on Amazon for this!) It is by Pentel and called a brush pen  Rather like the Rotring Art Pen, it has cartridges of ink, so easy to change in situ when you run out. Carole actually refills the cartridges with Indian ink from a bottle, but I would assume that this could get rather messy and the refills aren't that expensive.

 Looking down the road heading into the moors - difficult to get this one to look interesting - and my fingers were getting rather cold.... it can be a bit bleak on the moors!

I didn't manage to finish my fourth side - must learn to speed up my sketching to fit everything in!

We then went down in a couple of cars to the Tarn - first people there in the car park. We walked down a stream that feeds the tarn and set up our kit there. It was such a lovely, peaceful location. Wish I had this sort of scenery where I live, instead of the incredibly boring flatness of north Cambridgeshire.

Moving slightly towards the tarn I did a closer view of the stream.

Our group then walked beside the tarn for a little while. We all stopped to sketch the tarn with the boat house opposite, when our tutor then said how about turning around and doing the view the other way? Interesting thought, as I hadn't really noticed it! Anyway, when there isn't much there, you have to really look. Sky was getting more interesting and there was lots of foliage near us, so used the other end of the paintbrush to score in some marks - always a good trick. One little girl passing us asked her parents why we were all facing away from the view - out of the mouths of babes....

OK - then we were allowed to turn back and do the view we thought we were going to do. Dramatic cliff escarpments above the tree line and building clouds above. Yes - there is a tiny boathouse on the other side of the lake, belonging to a smart house behind it.

On another wander out of the centre, we went down the road and on to a boardwalk above the marshy area heading towards the tarn. This was a great place, lots of moss, interesting trees and streams. I could have stayed in this area for ages, but obviously had to keep up with the group.

As it was a boardwalk, we had to find the places where it was wider, or the ground was strong enough for us to stand on without sinking! Luckily at this place it was wider, although when walkers passed we did have to move our equipment a bit to keep out of the way.

I think Carole got the measure of us on this walk! On the way back along a road and then a footpath, she stopped a few times to take photos, as did I. On the footpath she suddenly said that we were to stop and paint - we looked around and frankly didn't see anything that inspired us and we told her. That was it - she said we were definitely staying there and had to find inspiration.... OK - it is possible. Knarled old dead tree in front of moss-covered stone wall. Only thing is I was a bit liberal with colour, as it was mostly green and brown - although when you look carefully, you really can see some of the other colours - you just accentuate them to make the picture more interesting!



Now you may be asking what happened to my acrylic paintings that were done after all the sketching? Well - sorry - not going to post them, as I wasn't really that happy with them. It is something I hope to build on, so maybe in the future you will see more things in that medium, but not now!

I really enjoyed this trip and Carole was a really warm, friendly tutor, who was very happy to discuss her techniques and tricks, good at demonstrating and giving helpful advice. It has caused me to rethink my sketchbooks. At Open Studios I noticed lots of people looking at my sketchbooks - and being really complimentary - but they were all black and white (Rotring Art Pen and Pentel waterbrush). When I looked at Carole's I was inspired - so much colour and texture. She has the ability to turn a fairly bland view into something inspiring, which I really admire. I thoroughly enjoyed the sketching sessions we had, using colour in a very sketchy way and just giving the impression of a place, rather than a photographic copy. I am looking forward to trying the Pentel brush pen - which is arriving in a couple of days. Up until now the only marks I have been able to make with the Rotring Art Pen are very thin, or cross-hatched, which seems to tighten up the picture too much.

Having discussed the lack of interesting views around here, a colleague of my husband told me about the Great Fen Project. This is just north of me and is an area that, with Lottery funding, is being renovated and made into a series of nature reserves - having looked at the website I think it is definitely somewhere where I need to take my sketchbook and camera - Great Fen Project  Just wish the weather would improve a bit, so I can get out and check it out.