Musée des Augustins, Toulouse
The other day I had my first go at sketching the Musée des Augustins in Toulouse. I’m having another attempt today, as I didn’t identify a focal point in that sketch, so I wanted to correct that oversight, and I also wanted to push the perspective of the buildings a lot more.
My Pencil Sketch
In my first attempt I drew lines, but today I wanted to sketch in the big shapes first, and not get distracted by any of the detail.
(I started inking before I remembered to take a photo).
I do wonder whether I should be a bit more careful or thoughtful about the placement of these shapes, but one thing I want to avoid is inking lines directly over precise pencil lines. I want the pencil lines to be there simply for composition.
If I’m going to be more thoughtful with my initial lines, then I think it’d be best to go straight in with ink. But for now I’m going to persevere with the loose pencil sketches and see how that works for me.
My Ink Lines over my Loose Pencil Sketch
I started with the tower as I decided this was going to be my focal point. I was a bit more thoughtful with the detail, but not too much. I also made the tower a little bigger – but I think I could have gone even bigger.
There’s a definite benefit to sketching the same scene for the second time. I paid more attention to some of the smaller details.
The challenge with sketching a complex scene in an A6 sized sketchbook, is that the page is really too small to include too much detail, so you have to be accepting about the level of detail that is feasible.
In this version I accentuated the perspective a little bit. But again, I think I could have pushed it more for more dramatic results.
USk Day 2 Watercolour
The Tower is definitely more of a focal point. It’s the one area with the most white space, and is helped by the dark building beneath it. But the overall scene isn’t very dynamic or exciting.
Painting the Shadows
I’m starting to feel like this technique of using diluted ink for the shadow areas really flattens those parts out. Maybe I need to switch to adding the complimentary colours to the watercolours I’m using. This will desaturate them and create more cohesive and interesting shadow areas.
I feel a version three in the works! 😉
Watercolour Palette
I used a reduce palette for this version. Quin Gold, Phthalo Blue (gs), FUM, Potter’s Pink, Indian Read, and Lemon Yellow. I also added shade with my Grey Kangaroo diluted Octopus waterproof ink.
Materials for Sketch 2
- Landscape A6 Hahnemühle Cold Pressed 200gsm watercolour book
- Hongdian m2 Fountain Pen
- Grey Meerkat Octopus waterproof ink – fountain pen
- Grey Kangaroo Octopus waterproof ink – diluted in a water-brush
- W&N Professional and DS Watercolours
I need another attempt at this scene ….
