Impressions from the Stockholm archipelago

I just spent two weeks sailing here in Stockholm. The weather was not the best, I had to use mittens at one point while painting. There was a storm, lots of wind and rain but I still enjoyed myself anyway. It's hard to beat the beauty of the archipelago. I plan to spend more time painting there next year, I am looking forward to it already.

The outer archipelago 39 x 29 cm Arches Rough

The Stockholm Archipelago 39 x 29 cm Arches Rough

The Stockholm Archipelago 39 x 29 cm Arches Rough

Weekend sketch

We are not having the best of summers here in Sweden this year. Last week was great though and I took full advantage of it at the weekend. I set up a hammock by the water's edge and lay there looking at all the boats going by. I live quite close to the city centre so the traffic on the water is intense at this time of year. I later did this watercolour in my sketchbook, I'm happy with it although I wish I had access to better watercolour sketchbooks than Moleskin, I like Arches Rough and so I always find it disappointing when I use the Moleskin. Still, it's a sketchbook and it will do fine until it's finished, I will use small Arches blocks in future. If anyone knows of good watercolour sketchbook, please let me know.

Sketchbook painting of Waldermarsudde, Stockholm.

Waldermarsudde

First wash

Sketching in the archipelago ( 20140717 - 18 )

Sketching in the archipelago  ( 20140717 )

Sketching in the archipelago  ( 20140717 )

Sketching in the archipelago  ( 20140718 )

Watercolours in the Stockholm archipelago ( 20140714 )

Stockholm archipelago ( 20140714 )

Stockholm archipelago ( 20140714 )

Kayaking in the Stockholm archipelago ( 20140712 )

I spent ten wonderful days kayaking in the archipelago. No hot water to wash but plenty of opportunities to sketch and paint. It was a great holiday.

Stockholm archipelago 20140712

Stockholm archipelago 20140712

Stockholm archipelago 20140712

Sketching classic cars

Today I travelled from Söder in Stockholm on a 1938 Scania - Vabis nicknamed the "Bulldog". Our destination was the "Gärdesloppet", a large gathering of old vehicles held once a year. I had a fun day, I'm not mad about cars but I enjoyed seeing grown men's faces light up with joy at the sight of an over-powdered American Cadillac. I spent a lot of time on the "Bulldog" touring around town on a beautiful sunny day.

A4 pencil sketch

A5 pencil sketch

A5 pencil sketch

Karl Mårtens - A Quest For The Unexpected

I bought this wonderful book by Karl Mårtens at, Konst & Folk Gallery. I really like karl's approach to watercolouring, a mixture of Zen Buddhism, Scandinavian simplicity, Japanese calligraphy and natural artistic talent. I had a look around on the internet and have not found it so you'll need to visit the gallery if you want to buy it.

Visit Karl Mårtens website here.

The Gallery address is:
Konst och Folk
Hornsgatan 32-34,
11820 Stockholm
Tel: +46 8 644 60 60
Email: galleriet@konstochfolk.se
http://www.konstochfolk.se/

Social sketching

Normally, for the last few weeks at any rate, I have been alone sketching each day at the Central Station here in Stockholm. Last Sunday was a different story though, because seven other urban-sketchers joined me for an afternoon of sketching at the station. We are all members of a group called "Skissa i Stockholm" which translated means - Sketching in Stockholm. Anyway, fun that so many turned up. It was a lovely afternoon. The coffee break taking up a large chunk of the available time, but that's normal. We artists love to talk about our pencils! If anyone in Stockholm would like to join our group, please do let me know, "the more the merrier", as they say.

Albert & Jack's, Central Station, Stockholm

Central Station Watercolour Sketch

I keep reminding myself it's a sketch and not a painting. So as a sketch, I'm happy with it. Setting the tonal values for a scene was more difficult than I thought it would be, something for me to practice - definitely.

A4 Moleskin watercolour notebook, 200g.

One interesting week at Central Station

The homeless, hopeful immigrants, tired commuters and friendly train station employees, all these interesting people I encountered during my first week at the Central Train Station. It was truly a wonderful experience and so I plan to continue getting up an hour earlier even next week and spend 60 minutes achieving something that I would normally only contemplate. Crazy stuff!
Today I spent time working out how to paint a watercolour which I will complete on Monday. I plan to paint the foreground figures quite dark and the background fairly light. The person walking through the arch being the focal point. It usually goes to hell after a brush stroke or two, but that is why watercolouring is so entertaining. The other sketch was a winding up exercise, I had 15 minutes before the train came, so I sketched, what else is there to do in a train station!

Pencil sketch at Central Station, Stockholm

Uncompleted watercolour of Central Station

Going soft at Central Station

If one cares to look at my drawings from a few years back one can see I used outlines as a rule. I think when one is unsure one uses an outline as a form of familiar security, like filling in the dots, a, b and c. I've been trying to break away from this for ages, it's not easy when one has used it for a life time. That's why I like watercolour so much, it does not like to stay within the any lines I put down. This morning I focused on tone and not line, I realize that if I'm ever going to be a good painter I'll have to master tone and composition, both of which I'm studying at the moment.

Central Station

Reading the sign

Watercolouring at Central Station

After a couple of days sketching at the Central Train Station here in Stockholm I felt ready to do my first watercolour sketch for 2014. I'm happy enough with the result, I spent two hours on it over a two day period. I used too much gouache for highlighting but as it's just a sketch I really don't mind, I'd prefer to use less of course.
I am getting up one hour earlier this week so that I have an hour to sketch before going to work. It is not as hard as I thought it would be. Now, I've found an extra hour each day to sketch and paint which makes me happy.

Under the Departure Sign at Central Station Stockholm. Moleskin A4 watercolour notebook.

The first day, 20140113

Waiting for a watercolour

I've been drawing everyday at the Train Station since rediscovering it as an indoor sketching utopia. I had planed to watercolour today but I'm not confident enough with the environment. I am getting there though, it's a mind-game. One has to believe that one can can do it.

A4, HB pencil sketch, Central Station, Stockholm

A4, HB pencil sketch, Central Station, Stockholm

Fitting art into my everyday life

Like most people I have a day job, it pays the bills and helps keep a roof over my head. I dream of being an artist but the reality is that I work 9-5 and spend hours each day commuting back and forth to the office. After discovering, The Great Indoors of Stockholm (see last post), I stopped on my way to work today at Central Station and did this quick sketch. So it's possible for me to sketch on the way to work, at lunch time and then again on the way home. Suddenly, I have so much time for my art!



On the way to work. A4, HB pencil on Fabrino paper

Urban sketching in a cold climate

As far as Urban Sketching is concerned I've always felt sorry for myself living this far north. In Stockholm your fingers go numb after 30 minutes for at least half the year. I have dreamt often of holidays in the sun sketching for weeks on end in sun-drenched villages with happy tourists and buildings to draw.

My solution is to go indoors. The Central Station of Stockholm is a wonderful place to sketch, there is also the bus station and the underground. They are all warm places and there are lots people waiting there to be drawn, watercoloured even. Wintertime also brings darkness but not in the Stations of Stockholm, I look forward to many hours of urban sketching throughout the winter months in the great indoors of Stockholm.

A4, HB pencil sketch, Central Station, Stockholm

A4, HB pencil sketch, Central Station, Stockholm

Sketching in Stockholm

Once a month a small group of sketchers and I meet and have great fun doing what we enjoy most - having coffee!

Långholmen, Stockholm, 20130825

Långholmen, Stockholm, 20130825

Urban Sketching at Central Station, Stockholm

I met Nina Johansson and Maria Flood from my local sketching group today at Central Station. The station was a great place to sketch, lots of people just hanging around waiting for a train, they looked bored and didn't move too much which was perfect. On the second sketch I masked the page with some tape which enhanced the picture a lot I think. Sketched in my A5 watercolour Moleskin, with Hero calligraphy pen and W&N watercolours.

Stockholm, Central Station 20130106

Stockholm, Central Station 20130106

SketchCrawl 35

I had a great time on my first SketchCrawl today, the weather was a bit on the cold side so we headed for the warmth of a café after an hour freezing in a park at Medborgplatsen, Stockholm. It was real nice to meet some new nice people who share a common interest. Click the picture below to see my other sketch and fellow sketchers. Click here to see the the Stockholm results.

Att teckna kroki i Stockholm

Kolla mina länkar till höger under rubriken, Kroki i Stockholm, om ni undra var man kan teckna kroki här i Stockholm.

[English]

If you are wondering where to go Life Drawing here in Stockholm, check out my list of links to the right of this article under the Heading: Kroki I Stockholm (Life Drawing in Stockholm).

Kroki i Stockholm - 5 minuters teckning av David Meldrum

SketchCrawl.com

I just joined SketchCrawl.com, a forum for people who want to be both sketcher and socialite. For one day, every few months there is a world-wide sketching day, local groups from all around the globe go out and draw and then post the results on the forum. I think this is a wonderful idea and I plan, for the first time, to join the next Stockholm SketchCrawl. Enrico Casarosa founded the forum, SketchCrawl back in 2006 (not 100% sure of that date) and has been growing in popularity ever since.


Enrico Casarosa as the founder