Pencil, Lamy Vista fountain pen with Borealis Black Noodler’s Ink, and watercolour in a 5 ¾ × 8 ¾″ Stillman & Birn Gamma sketchbook. From a reference photo I took in March, 2015.
Roughed-in pencil sketch
Before starting the watercolour in my sketchbook, I did a small sketch of the woman who is the subject of the painting — it was her impassive expression as she watched me photographing the people on the platform that lead me to want to do this piece. It’s only 1 cm across, but it captures her expression better than the watercolour sketch (where her face is much smaller). This was done on a scrap of paper that I’ll undoubtedly lose track of…
Sketched from reference photos I took on a week-long visit to Montréal in March, 2015.
The bright, mustardy yellow insulation exposed between the buildings was very striking, especially in the sunlight.
When I got home I discovered that Marc Taro Holmes had sketched buildings across the street from this in his then–recently-released The Urban Sketcher, (urbansketchers.org review) which was fun.
Pencil and Carbonpen fountain pen on 5 ¾ × 8 ¾″ Stillman & Birn Gamma (150 gsm ivory paper).
Watercolour sketch of houses along highway 935 in Wood Point, outside Sackville, New Brunswick
Series of shots of this work in progress; pencil, Carbon fountain pen, watercolour, in 8 ¼ × 3 ½″ Global Art Materials trav•e•logue hand•book. Had to include the Kubota tractor.
Some pencil studies in a Moleskine drawing pad before starting the watercolour. The tractor is much bigger here than in the painting.
A watercolour sketch — pencil begun in situ, completed in studio — of Alex Colville’s home in Sackville, New Brunswick, now preserved as part of the Mount Allison University campus as Colville House.
Roughed-in plein air sketch of Colville House
Pencil, Carbon fountain pen, and watercolour in 9 ¼ × 6 ¼″ Stillman & Birn Alpha (150 gsm) white sketchbook.