The palace of Versailles began in the early 17th century as a modest hunting camp for King Louis VIII, but around 1661 King Louis XIV decided it just wasn’t quite enough for him. He embarked upon a period of expansion that lasted 33 years, making Versailles the world’s largest royal domain. 6″ x 8″, ink […]
Category: Sketching
France Sketchbook – Paris Edibles
Summer does get busy, doesn’t it? We were away at the beach in Oak Island, NC, last week, and I barely had time to get the laundry done before I had to start getting ready for a two-day “Sketch It Now” workshop here at Summerhill this weekend. Then on Tuesday I’ll be flying off to […]
France Sketchbook – Eiffel Tower Step-by-Step Watercolor Tutorial
Here’s the tutorial I promised you about how I painted the sketch of the Eiffel Tower that I did on location in Paris… I had sketched the tower lightly with pencil first to give myself a guide to follow. I was careful to use a center line, which helped me to keep it straight and […]
France Sketchbook – Day 2 – Paris (continued)
(Read part I of Day 2 here.) After we left the Tuileries, we hopped on the bus and began to make our way to the Eiffel Tower. I wanted to see it up close and maybe do a little sketching, but the traffic in Paris that day was even worse than usual. There were all […]
France Sketchbook – Day 2 – Paris
6″ x 8″, ink & watercolor on 140 lb. Kilimanjaro watercolor paper On Day 2 of our Paris visit, we were feeling pretty energetic, since we had gotten a good night’s sleep and were recovering from the time change. My friend, Karen, who was coming to the workshop in Provence, was in Paris, so she […]
France Sketchbook – Day 1
Hello out there! It’s been so long since I’ve checked in here that you might have been wondering if I got lost in Paris and never made it home. 🙂 No such luck. (Just kidding, Fred!) I’m back home safe and sound, just catching up on things and taking some time to relax with the […]
Bon Voyage!
Today’s the day! It’s finally here. This afternoon I’m flying to Paris! I’ve been dreaming of this for years. I remember buying a Paris guidebook almost twenty years ago in the hopes that I would somehow find a way to visit that magical, mythical place one day. It all seems unreal, the fact that I’m […]
Going Back to My Roots with a Simple Little Travel Journal
Fred and I celebrated forty happy years of marriage this past winter, and we decided it would be fun to take a little trip down memory lane and go back to where we met, married, and lived as newlyweds. Our celebratory getaway was delayed a few weeks due to our schedules, but the stars finally […]
3 Easy Ways to Transfer Lettering to a Sketchbook Page
Have you ever wondered if there’s a better way to add lettering to a sketchbook page than simply drawing it directly on the paper? Sometimes we aren’t sure exactly what style we want to use or what size we need to fit in a particular spot. So we sketch a title or a phrase, then […]
Find the Perfect Lettering Style for Your Sketchbook Page
Hand lettering can add so much to a sketchbook page… It can personalize your sketches and make them more interesting, meaningful, and graphically pleasing. You can change the mood of a page from serious to playful with just a few strokes of the pen. You probably use your natural printing or handwriting for the […]
