Kretzulescu Church, Bucharest (August 2019)

Muse watercolor paper (A5, 300 gsm), Royal Talens watercolors, Winsor and Newton India ink, Gelly Roll white pen

Kretzulescu Church, Bucharest (August 2019)

This  urban sketch was done on location in Bucharest in August 2019. The observation point chosen was from the stairs behind the Kretzulescu Church. Being very close to the sketched subject it offered a point of view with a steep perspective. During that time I was looking for locations to urban sketch in the central Bucharest and found this Eastern Orthodox church. The initial outline of the drawing was done with a 3B pencil. Then the line work was done with a sharp stick dipped in India ink (Winsor and Newton). There were many decorative architectural elements that were fun to draw. You can see places where drops of ink fell by mistake off the stick. I tried to incorporate them into a pattern that was suggesting the texture of the cobblestones. I drew this sketch three days in a row every evening for one or two hours after leaving work. At one point a couple of tourists approached me and asked me if the sketch was for sale. But at that moment it was not finished and I told them it was not for sale. Also every evening a girl passed by walking her dog there and looked at the sketch. She asked me how it was progressing. After the line work was done, I applied the watercolor washes in two or three layers. The watercolor set I was using at that time was Royal Talens, an economical choice and with fairly good quality. The paper that was sketched on was  Muse watercolor paper, 300 gsm, made of cellulose which stands for good amounts of water. It doesn not buckle and makes it suitable for wet on wet technique. After completing the watercolor painting, I added other details and depths with ink. For the final highlights and white lines I used a Gelly Roll white pen.

Urban sketching is a relaxing activity, a way of observing the things that surround us daily and a way of learning the fundamentals of drawing.

 

Motorbike and rock festival – Ruda, Magureni, Prahova, Romania

Taking a stroll through the woods, spoting the wildflowers growing beneath the shade of the trees and puffy clouds. Colored pencils on recycled paper.
Outdoor stage lined with motorbikes of every make and models. People wearing black and leather. Motorbike and rock festival, “Rock la Foc” (“Rock at campfire”)
View on the camping side. Motorbike and rock festival, “Rock la Foc” (“Rock at campfire”)

On a journey to Covasna. June 2019

Discovering architectural jewelries through my journey to Covasna County. I like very much this region of Romania as it is not as comercial and mass touristic as others. Every time I pass these authentic villages two things catch my attention, the prominent buildings of Catholic Churchs and many stork nests on the poles, trees or rooftops with storks in them. This time I stopped to sketch at Sf. Ilie Tezviteanul Ortodox Church in Zabola village. This is quite rare in this region of Romania because most churches are Catholic.
When I saw this colorful breakfast I wanted to draw it. Usually I don’t eat fruits in the morning, most often when on holiday. This Hahnemuhle sketchbook I started recently is designed for drawing with pencils and ink. The paper is a bit rough and retain pencil color well when crosshatching. India ink also goes well on this paper, yet permanent markers bleed through it. So, I will stick to pencils and fineliners for this book. What I like also at this book is that pages fold to enable easy sketching across a double page spread.
Breakfast. Hotel TTS Covasna. Jun2019
Trying wax crayons on kraft paper. I noticed that after one layer it is hard to cover it with another one or blend more colors, as the surface gets waxy. So far, I used them in mixed media. When used with watercolors, wax crayons are resistant as they repel water.
View from the window. Hotel TTS Covasna. Jun2019
Lunch time. Another opportunity to study one point perspective and draw food.
Restaurant. Hotel TTS Covasna. Jun2019
Drawing in the woods of Covasna, in the Valley of Fairies. On the way to Dacian Fortress of Covasna (Fortresses of Fairies) decided to return back because of the bears, which are in high population in these woods and had attacked other tourists a few days before.
Valea Zanelor. Covasna
Breakfast. Hotel TTS Covasna. Jun2019
Halosaltspa. Hotel TTS Covasna. Jun2019
By The pool. Hotel TTS Covasna. Jun2019
Lacul Sfanta Ana. Harghita
Already second time in Targu Secuiesc and also second time at Jazz Bistro. Very cosy place, with pleasant and relaxed atmosphere. The food is well presented and tastes very good, the menu contains a pretty good variety of dishes and among them also authentic transylvanian food.
Jazz Bictro. Targu Secuiesc. Jun 2019
Another interior sketch with brickwork of old medievals walls and tiles of an open kitchen. Drawing in Trattorian Artisan Food located in a medieval courtyard in the historical downtown of Brasov.
Trattorian Artisan Food. Brasov. Jun 2019