House in the woods : Sketch

House in the woods : Watercolour : 15 X 11 inches

Ended up working on this quick watercolour sketch today. Given that I haven't been painting for a while it hasn't been easy for me to persuade myself to paint. I rather reluctantly started to work on this sketch but I guess am fairly happy with the result.

If this sketch grows into a painting the dark shape ( the door) on the ground floor of the building is going!

Your comments please. Thanks.

Monsoon

Monsoon : Watercolour : 22 X 15 inches

This is my first painting after a pretty long break. I must admit that I feel completely out of touch. I wouldn't call this a disaster, but I guess there are not too many things to be happy about in this painting. Well, hopefully this is just the beginning of me returning to painting. Ahem !

Your comments please. Thanks

From the archives

Which Way? : Watercolour : 15 X 11 inches

Haven't had time to paint at all, due to lots of changes in my life that occurred in the recent past. I have a new job and had to move to a new city. I am still trying to get my feet wet with a bunch of things.

But that doesn't mean I've given up painting. I will soon have my brushes wet and hope to be able to churn out something 'post-worthy'. As a prelude to it, I decided to dig some of my old work out of the archives. Here's one of them.

Your thoughts, critiques, comments and suggestions please. Thanks.

Distant Mountains

Distant Mountains : Watercolour : 22 X 15 inches

Mountains again, but this time at a distance. The sky ended being the same tone and colour as the mountains. A lighter tone would have given more depth I guess. Nevertheless, I am happy with the result, especially since I have stayed away from foliage rich subjects for a while :)

Your thoughts, critiques, comments and suggestions please. Thanks.

I might be gone for a while since my work is taking me places. I will be on a flight a few hours from now but my sketchbook is going with me too. I hope to be able to make good use of it. Guess I'll know soon:).

Hope to be back soon. So long....

Mountains all over

Mountains all over : Watercolour : 22 X 15 inches

What happens when you paint mountains after mountains after mountains? You end up creating new :). This one came right out of my imagination. Wasn't too sure if it would work. Gave it a shot nevertheless. After all, it just paper :)

Some not so pleasing shapes in the sky ended up being those peaks in the background.

Your thoughts, comments, critiques and suggestions please. Thanks

Looking at the peak

Looking at the peak : Watercolour : 22 X 15 inches

This time I decided to add some 'atmosphere' to the painting and that's why you see the attempted mist and clouds :). I guess I was in a hurry with the foreground and that resulted in a not so fresh wash in that area. Have left a note for myself to be careful about it the next time.

Your thoughts, critiques, suggestions and comments please. Thanks.

The road uphill

The road uphill : Watercolour : 22 X 15 inches

One more from the mountain series. I added a figure for scale. Did that work? Also tried a different colour scheme this time, just to avoid monotony.

I have to improve upon my figure drawing. The guy in this painting is not as convincing as I wanted him to be. Well, something to focus on.

Your comments, critiques, thoughts and suggestions please. Thanks.

Snow Capped

Snow Capped : Watercolour : 22 X 15 inches

Here's one more all the way from the Himalayas. The sky ended up being completely different from what I had planned for. I did this one a brand of paper that I am not used to. It appeared not so heavy but I risked not stretching it, which turned out to be a blunder. As soon as I wet the paper to lay the sky wash the paper buckled and formed crests and troughs. And when the wash was laid, the pigment settled in unexpected places creating this bizarre sky :)

I seem to like the result. Just that it was not planned this way. Another of those happy accidents, eh? However, I am not completely satisfied with this one. Guess I'll take a while to adjust to this paper.

Your comments, critiques, thoughts and suggestions please. Thanks.

Trivia : Mt. Everest, years after its first ascent, still attracts mountaineers like a magnet. They climb it "because it's there." A Spanish team has ridden motorcycles up it. Japanese mountaineer, Yuichiro Muira skied down it. This feat led to the making of a documentary film titled 'The man who skied down Everest.'

Annapurna-I

Annapurna-I : Watercolour : 15 X 11 inches

Here's an attempt at Annapurna-I, the first among the peaks along the Annapurna series of the Himalayas. Painting these mountain peaks have been a satisfying experience. I guess I will continue to work on the Himalayas for a while.

The foreground was done with some wet in wet washes with hardly any detail, so that the peak itself would grab all the attention. Has that worked?

Your thoughts, suggestions, critiques and comments please. Thanks.

Trivia : A French expedition reached the Annapurna-I summit in June, 1950. For the next three years Annapurna-I remained the highest point on earth to be set foot on by man, until Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed all the way up to the top of the world in May, 1953.

Annapurna-II

Annapurna-II : Watercolour : 15 X 11 inches
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Annapurna is a series of peaks in the Himalayas. I've always held a deep fascination for the Himalayan mountain ranges and I never get tired of sketching or painting them. The peak you see in the painting is Annapurna-II, the second among the six peaks along the massif. The Annapurna peaks are among the world's most dangerous to climb, with a fatality rate of more than 40%.

What drew me to this scene was how the peak seemed to emerge out of the clouds and the mist. The shadow washes are a mix of Ultramarine Blue and Light Red with a touch of Cobalt Blue. For some reason the image has supersaturated blues as opposed to a warmer tone in reality.

Your thoughts, comments, suggestions and critiques please. Thanks.

Trivia : Annapurna literally translates to 'Full of Food" but the meaning of the word is "The Goddess of Harvest/Food."

As high as it gets

As high as it gets : Watercolour : 15 X 11 inches
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I decided to have a go at Mt. Everest and here's the result. I guess I've been strongly influenced by paintings of mountains and peaks that I keep looking at all the time. I enjoy painting them as much as mountaineers enjoy scaling them!

Isn't painting is a little like climbing a mountain. There are those flat surfaces in which you feel at ease. And there are ascents that you have to work really hard to scale. When you think all's fine, down comes an avalanche sweeping you off your feet and throwing you downhill. And all you can do then is gather your gear and set out again. This cycle goes on and on till someday you find yourself at the pinnacle. That's about it :)

Your thoughts, comments, critiques and suggestions please. Thanks.

Trivia : Mt. Everest used to be called Deodungha (Holy Mountain) in parts of northern India before it was (re)christened after Colonel Sir George Everest who was the Surveyor General of India from 1830 to 1843. Sir Everest was against the idea of naming the peak after him since he thought that the natives wouldn't be able to pronounce the name and that it was difficult to write 'Everest' in Hindi.

From Behind

From Behind : Pencil : 12 X 10 inches
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What do you do when you are going through a bad patch with your brushes? Turn to women; I mean to your pencils :). I did this one to ease me out of the spree of failures that I had with watercolours yesterday. I am happy with the result. It does bring back my confidence.

Your thoughts, comments, critiques and suggestions please. Thanks.

Three Failures

Roses : Watercolour : 15 X 11 inches
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Its been a bad day. I attempted three watercolours today and all of them ended up as disasters. Have you ever gone through such phases? Phew! Three in a row. I feel high and dry :(

I guess I was not concentrating enough or had something else at the back of my mind. Well, tomorrow is another day and I shall try again.

For now, take a look at a painting of mine from about three years ago.

Your thoughts, suggestions, comments and critiques. Thanks.

Morning Light

Morning Light : Watercolour : 15 X 11 inches
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I tend to use pigments straight out of the tube very often which results in my palette being kind of imposing. When I started to paint this morning I set myself the goal of achieving a cool-ish palette which would be soothing to the eye ( well, at least mine). I also wanted to create some soft and loose effects that's only possible in watercolour. I guess, I have achieved what I aimed for to a large extent.

The composition is not original. Its based on a painting that I came across on the internet ( can't remember whose). I wouldn't call it a copy because I did not copy. I made a sketch based on that painting and painted this one my way.

Your thoughts, comments, suggestions and critiques please. Thank you.

The Mighty Himalayas - Sketch

The Mighty Himalayas : Pencil : 12 X 10 inches
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All I have to show you today is this sketch. I am just back from a very bad infection of the throat and am in not mood to paint yet. However, didn't want to be out of touch and decided to sketch something this morning.

Here's the result.

Your thoughts, comments, critiques and suggestions please. Thanks.

Portrait - Hurray

Eeyore : Watercolour : 15 X 11 inches

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I have never painted portraits. I've always thought that I have not been wired for it. Fellow bloggers Crystal and Vinayak have always amazed me with their portrait painting skills. Crystal seems to be able to churn out one stunning portrait after the other and Vinayak does those dramatically lit portraits in oil. Well, I guess I had no choice but to derive inspiration from them.

But then, the only time I attempted a portrait was a pencil sketch of a person, several years ago and it turned out to be a cross between a chimp and an alligator. Learning from that experience I decided to choose a model who wouldn't complain and that's when Eeyore came by. He usually spends time in the neighbourhood of the living room sofa, doing nothing and was more than happy to pose.

I must admit that he's an artist's delight and has the uncanny ability to stay absolutely still through long painting sessions. I suggest you guys hire him too.

Tell you what? I have decided to be proud of the fact that my first ever portrait painting was done from life. LoL.

Your thoughts, comments, critiques and suggestions please. Thank you.

If you are a sketch freak, here's what led to this painting.

Lonely at the top

Lonely at the top : Watercolour : 15 X 11 inches

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Have been toying the idea of doing something of this kind for a while now. This was a joyful experience and provided cartloads of lessons to learn. I guess the guy would've loved it if I had let him be a not so muddy wash. Anyway, the possibility of a mountaineer series is lurking around :)

Before I forget, do you know that not just Mt. Rushmore, but all mountains have faces? Well here's the proof. Look (closely) at the dark piece of rock on the left of this sketch.

I am sure you think I planned it that way. But I swear that it just took that shape and I hadn't noticed it until I had finished the sketch.

Well, isn't art full of glorious surprises ?

fine print :: the distant range of mountains that exist only in the painting is camouflaging a dirty back run beneath it !

Edit :

On second thoughts, the dark portion to the left seems to be throwing the composition off balance. Here's a cropped version which looks far more pleasing to me. Guess, that rock got too dark. Some flakes of snow on it would've helped, eh ? Does that call for a second attempt ?

Leh Palace - reloaded

Leh Palace : Watercolour : 15 X 11 inches

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Just another view of the Leh Palace. The primary reason why I did his was because I wasn't too happy with yesterday's attempt. How do you like this one?

Guess I should move on to other subjects :)

Your comments, critiques and suggestions please. Thanks.

Leh Palace

Leh Palace : Watercolour : 22 X 15 inches

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Here it is. The watercolour avtar of the previous post. Not a disaster, but not something to be very satisfied about. I decided to write it off as a bad patch and move on.

Your comments, critiques and suggestions please. Thanks.

Leh Palace - Sketch

Leh Palace : Pencil : 12 X 10 inches
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Well, I wanted to do a watercolour today and decided on taking a shot at the Leh Palace, or what's left of it, rather. As always, I started with a sketch and when I finished it I decided that I might as well leave it at that.

What does one look for in art? The finished work or the joy of 'creation' ? I found joy in 'creating' this sketch and I am afraid I might kill it by taking this subject to the next level - a painting that is.

Or am I scared that I might not get good results with the same subject in watercolour. Yes perhaps. Your greatest enemy is yourself, eh ?

Crystal, have I let you down ?

A day well spent

I'd call it a day well spent.

I was at a special exhibition of paintings on India by British artists - all of them done between 1790 and 1927. It was an amazing experience and I spent hours gaping at those stunningly beautiful watercolours. The fact that I was the only one at the exhibition made it all the more interesting since I could spent all the time I wanted to, looking at those masterpieces with no one to interrupt me.

Picture this. About a hundred top class paintings to look at. All the time in the world. Absolute silence. Would you call that bliss?

The works on display included those of 18th and 19th artists like Thomas Daniell, William Daniell, George Chinnery, Thomas Longcroft, Charles Harcourt Chambers, Robert Smith, William Carpenter and William Simpson. Honestly, I haven't heard of most of these artists ever and was stunned by the fact that a good number of them were amateur artists. Does that inspire you ?

For those of you who are not within driving distance of the museum here's a sample of what you are missing.

Gateway of the Buddhist Top at Sanchi : William Simpson : 1862

Ali Masjid : Michael Anthony Shrapnel Biddulph : 1890

A drink by the way : John Griffiths : 1876

View of Government House, Calcutta : James Baillie Fraser : 1826

Interior of Golden Temple, Amritsar : William Carpenter : 1854

Ancient Observatory : William Simpson : 1864

The Taj, Agra : William Simpson : 1864

The Summit

The Summit : Watercolour : 15 X 11 inches

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Here's what I brought back from a painting trip to the Himalayas. Kidding :)

Jokes apart, This was inspired by accounts of Himalayan expeditions that I have been reading lately. I enjoyed doing this one especially since I only had to reach out for two colours.

Your comments, crtiques and suggestions please. Thanks

After the rain

After the rain : Watercolour : 15 X 11 inches

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This one is an attempt to capture the wet atmosphere after the rain. Guess I failed, more or less. The foreground is a disaster, especially the reflections. Nevertheless here it is for you to see.

Your comments, suggestions and critiques please. Thanks.

Foliage Phobia

Old Warehouse : Watercolour : 15 X 11 inches

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I must admit that I am foliage phobic. I tend to shy away from subjects that have too much of them. Lately, I have been telling myself that I need to focus on my weak areas. That was when, Vinayak Deshmukh who's a fellow blogger and a good friend sent me a picture of one of his paintings. I derived inspiration from it and here's my interpretation of the same scene. I made sure there was enough foliage to challenge my brush.

On a lighter note, when I was done with this painting I showed it to my 5 year old. She liked it and wanted to be in the scene. I told her that its looks like an abandoned building and that no one would go near it. She told me that she wasn't scared as long as I went with her. The result is for you to see.

Your comments, critiques and suggestions please. Thanks

Twin Houses - Watercolour

Twin Houses : Watercolour : 15 X 11 inches

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This is a watercolour based on the sketch in the previous post. The foliage behind the houses bothers me. At the point where I had finished that part I had half a mind to give up.

Well, I must admit that I am glad I didn't !

Guess, I got carried away and overworked a bit with the detailing on the houses. Like they say, its easy to start a painting but very difficult to stop it.

Your comments, critiques and suggestions please. Thanks

Twin Houses - Preparatory Sketch

Twin Houses : Pencil : 12 X 8 inches

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I decided to get back to my painting ways and started with making a sketch of this scene. The plan is to paint a watercolour based on this sketch but I am having second thoughts on the composition. Would a vertical composition work better with such a subject ? Yes, perhaps. How about some foliage behind the houses to make the compostion more tighter and 'busy'.

Your thoughts please. Thanks

From the archives

Old Timer : Pencil : 15 X 11 inches

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Haven't painted or sketched at all for a very long time now. Dug this one out of the archives the other day. This structure is the entrance to a temple in South India. It must be about a hundred years old and sadly gave away a few years ago.