Saturday 23 July 2011

The church with the door

All Saints Church, Earls Barton, Northampton
Well here is the finished version with the washes added. In reality the area to the left of the church is a combination of dark trees, brick walls and rooftops. It looks very unattractive. This is where my 'need' to put in every detail as best I can often lets me down. On this occasion I've made up an alternative view in order to make a better 'painting'. I had considered not including anything there at all but then realised I needed somewhere for the sky to stop.

9 comments:

  1. Hi John. When you said you were going to add colour I wanted to say "No ! Leave this as a pen drawing!" I now think what you've done with it is fabulous. The two media really work together very nicely for this type of subject :)

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  2. Thank you Michael. I have to say I was very tempted to leave it as a pen drawing and do a separate watercolour, but I'm glad I stuck to my guns.

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  3. John, it's nice to see the full picture. The washes in this have changed a pen sketch into a pleasant painting and much more interesting in my opinion. The grass hill in the foreground is hiding the base of the church, which in turn makes the trees on the left appear stuck onto the side of the tower. With hindsight, your earlier thoughts of leaving them out may have been a better option, or at least painted much paler to suggest distance, but in any case, a lovely painting.

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  4. John, you continued on and it's a wonderful painting.. I liked the pen and ink but this adds to it .. Love the little fly-ins on the left ... BJ

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  5. Thank you Frank, I'm glad you like it.

    Barbra Joan, I wasn't sure about the birds but felt I needed to balance that side of the painting with something. Thanks.

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  6. I think this is SO charming - I really like it :0)

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  7. A lovely result. I agree with Frank though about the trees on the left. Perhaps a looser approach of some bushes with lost edges going into the distance. But I love the church.
    Jean

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