When I came across this house in Quebec City, I had to sketch it. I wonder if the Russian Czar who must be living there had a pool table under that dome or a ballistic missle. It didn’t matter; it was just plain KEWL!
I set up across the street and went to work, sketching the bones in pencil and then doing the ink sketch. I’m pretty slow as a sketcher and so this took me more than an hour but the time passed without notice. When it came time for color, the waterbrush came out and… I realized that my watercolors were sitting on my desk at home. So I shot this photo, packed up, and headed home.
Once at home I vowed to make up a second palette of watercolors so that I could keep it in my sketching satchel. I had a W&N Cotman Sketcher palette that I picked up on sale and so I popped out the Cotman watercolors and filled the pans with Winsor & Newton artist-quality watercolors. I’m still experimenting with color palettes and mostly working with little knowledge. This is what I’m using right now, though.
I decided to go light on the color for this sketch; it just seemed to call for that approach, with all the emphasis on the building. I hope you like it.
It was done in my Stillman & Birn 10×7 Alpha sketchbook, using a Hero 578 Calligraphy pen and Platinum Carbon Black ink.
Like it I do, Larry! What a cool looking place. Your shadowing is good, especially under the curvy roofline bit. I also really like how there’s just a touch of blue sky behind the house. It really sends the focus there, but in a very natural way.
Thanks Ruca. I was hoping my sky treatment would drag the eye to the roofline, which is the really interesting thing about this building. I have so much to learn about such things.
Cheers — Larry
I will miss seeing your sketches on the forum. your work is one of my favorites.
Hope you will update us frequently on your blog though.