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Sketch Uncategorized Watercolour

Folkboat

Moleskin watercolour sketch of Folkboat by David Meldrum
Moleskin watercolour sketch of Folkboat

I love the design of these scandinavian pearls called Nordic Folkboats.
A friend of mine owned one and I sailed it a number of times, it is a beautiful boat to sail, the only negative was that it felt cramped when camping out in the archipelago. I painted these two sketches in my Moleskin journal (29 x 21 cm). Special thanks to Erik Lähteenmäki for the inspiring reference photos of a Folkboat regatta in Finland.
I plan to paint a few large format watercolours featuring these classic boats in the coming weeks.

Moleskin watercolour sketch 29 x 21 cm by David Meldrum
Moleskin watercolour sketch 29 x 21 cm
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Sketch Uncategorized Watercolour

Urban Sunday

meldrum urban sketch
meldrum urban sketch

Urban Sketching is just so much fun. This month we visited Lilla Wien which  I have walked past everyday going to work and never once thought, “Oh, I must visit that pub!”.  Every Sunday it seems, elderly jazz fans gather to listen to live music and to dance. They really looked like they were enjoying themselves.

I sat down at the long table that was reserved for us sketchers, I wasn’t facing the band but instead I had a good view of the bar. I am reasonably happy with the watercolour sketch, it would have been nicer if I had fewer hard edges. The bottles behind the bartender should have been out of focus, also the light on his shoulders should have been soft too.

meldrum urban sketch

 

 

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Tuesday’s life drawing

A different location (ABF) and a different model. Her name is Roza, I’ve drawn her so many times, she’s very professional. I think she was tired this evening though, I spoke to her later and she said she had worked all day from 9 to 9. Can’t be easy standing still all day! I think I am sensitive to if a model is enjoying themselves or not. If they just stand there and and strike a pose without enthusiasm then I sense it and then I do not get excited either. ABF is a difficult place to sketch in, the room is large and the bare florescent tubes lined up on the ceiling create cold flat light. Am I blaming other things besides myself? Maybe, maybe I am. Funny how one can be inspired one day and not the next.

Meldrum kroki
Meldrum kroki
Meldrum kroki
Meldrum kroki
Meldrum kroki
Meldrum kroki
Meldrum kroki

 

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Sketch Uncategorized Watercolour

The Tea House

Tehuset, Stockholm
Tehuset, Stockholm

The Tea House, The king’s Garden – central Stockholm. I love the composition, so this is the second time I sketched this scene.
Saunders Waterford 300g 28x19cm fine grain.

Click image below for larger view.’

Tehuset, Stockholm
Tehuset, Stockholm

 

 

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Sketch Uncategorized Watercolour

Fotografiska museet

Fotografiska
Fotografiska

It was such a beautiful day yesterday, I just had to go out and sketch. I will paint this in a large format sometime this autumn.
Saunders Waterford 300g 19×20 fine grain

 

Click the image below for enlarged view

Fotografiska
Fotografiska
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Padjelanta

Padjelanta
Padjelanta

I just got back from trekking in Padjelanta National Park in the north of Sweden. Snow on the ground, a zillion mosquitoes in the air and many kilometers over rough terrain. Perfect, one of my most enjoyable holidays.
I hope to write and post more watercolours soon.

Saunders Waterford 300g 19×28 cm fine grain

Click image below for full size watercolour.

Padjelanta
Padjelanta

 

 

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Sketch Uncategorized Watercolour

A sketch a day …

Horse in long grass
Horse in long grass

A watercolour sketch I painted in my Moleskin journal 29 x 21 cm. I really want to do a sketch a day, but it is so hard when work and life get in the way. I had a tooth removed yesterday, a good example of life’s little distractions that slow my progress in becoming a master of watercolour!

Click image below for large picture.

Horse in long grass
Horse in long grass
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Sketch Uncategorized Watercolour

Stockholm Urban Sketchers

Sven Harrys Konstmuseet
Sven Harrys Konstmuseet

I met up with my fellow Urban Sketchers yesterday, we meet on the last Sunday of every month. It was a beautiful warm summer’s day, 25 degrees in the shade – a rare event at this time of the year here in Stockholm. We met outside Sven Harry’s Art Museum in Vasaparken, close to St Eriksplan in Stockholm. I first did a watercolour sketch of the people sunbathing in the park, this was on Arches rough and later I painted Sven Harry’s Art Museum. If you are in Stockholm I can totally recommend to visit the museum right now as they have a great Anders Zorn exhibition on.

I am happy with my sketches, I was able to simplify the compositions to make them interesting to the eye. This is such a hard skill to master, do not try to draw everything and don’t be afraid to move objects around on the page to improve the composition. I have not mastered this skill yet, one has to practice it over and over again until it becomes instinctive. Each sketch took about an hour to paint. Sunbathers was painted on Arches rough and the museum was painted on Saunders fine.

Sunbathers in Vasaparken
Sven Harrys Konstmuseet

 

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akvarell Uncategorized Watercolour

My first exhibition with professionals

I am very pleased to be part of the annual summer show at Nordic Art Gallery here in Stockholm. The exhibition starts this Saturday at 12.00 and runs until the 1st of July.