Ink and Watercolour Urban Sketch using Colour Triad of Indian Red, Buff Titanium, Manganese Blue Hue
Posted in Art Room Europe France Toulouse

Exploring the Colour Triad of Indian Red, Manganese Blue Hue, and Buff Titanium

Exploring an interesting colour triad for Toulouse buildings and street scenes. The Manganese Blue Hue provides a bright and vivid contrast to the opaque mixes created by the Indian Red and Buff Titanium.

Colour triad colour wheel of Quin Gold, manganese blue hue, and burnt sienna light
Posted in Art Room

Colour Triad of Burnt Sienna Light, Manganese Blue Hue, and Quin Gold

Experimenting with a new Colour Triad of Burnt Sienna Light, Manganese Blue Hue, and Quin Gold, to see if this will work for the Urban Sketcher’s Symposium in Toulouse in July.

Golfer on the driving range swinging a club, Ink and Watercolour Urban Sketch.
Posted in 365 Days of Sketching People #3 Art Room

Sketch on the Driving Range using a Colour Triad (Day 138)

Day 138 of sketching people in ink and watercolour, painted using a colour triad I’ve been exploring. As i watched MOH on the driving range, I took a photo, and then sketched the figure from the photo. But sketched the landscape from reality.

swatches of colours for Toulouse urban sketchers symposium based on the colours suggested by Daniel Smith
Posted in Art Room France Toulouse

For the Urban Sketching Symposium in Toulouse – how to create colours you don’t have

Daniel Smith published their suggestions for painting Toulouse street scenes during the Urban Sketches Symposium. So I experimented with how to mix these from the colours I already have in my watercolour palette.

Header image showing different colour wheels using colour triads
Posted in Art Room Triad Reference

Quick Reference Page for Watercolour Triads Organised by Different Yellows

A quick reference page of different colour wheel combinations organised by shade of yellow, to asses the colours created when choosing a colour triad for your watercolour sketches.

urban sketch of a person on the phone with a small poem to convey the story of this Ink and Watercolour Urban Sketch.
Posted in 365 Days of Sketching People #3 Art Room

Urban Sketch Portrait with Analogous Colour Palette and Poetry (Day 136)

Day 136 of sketching people. Urban sketch of a woman on the phone, using a bright colour triad and an analogous colour combination. Also added some poetic reportage, and sketched oversized hands to help to create a strong focal point in this composition.

urban sketching in cabanas. Ink and Watercolour Urban Sketch of a street scene.
Posted in Art Room Cabanas de Tavira Europe Portugal

Urban Sketching with the Algarve Plein Air Collective in Cabanas

Sunday morning sketch in Cabanas capturing a street scene with bougainvillea in ink and watercolour, using a colour triad to ensure colour harmony, which is especially useful when you’re sketching lots of foliage.

Ink and Watercolour Urban Sketch at the cafe using an analogous colour palette and spot complimentary colour. And a poem about the scene in handwritten text.
Posted in 365 Days of Sketching People #3 Art Room

Cafe Urban Sketch using Analogous Colour Palette and Speed Sketching Portraits with Pencils4Tea (Day 134)

Day 134 of sketching people. Speed sketching with Pencils4tea onto collaged paper with Portuguese text, and an urban sketch at a cafe using analogous colour palette from a bright colour triad, and a complimentary colour for balance.

colour wheel using hansa yellow light, quin rose, and cobalt turquoise light. for experimentation in using analogous colours.
Posted in Art Room

Using a Colour Triad to Pick an Analogous Colour Palette and Complimentary Accent Colour for your Urban Sketches

We look at creating a colour wheel using a bright colour triad with cool primary colours, and see the impact analogous colours have on the mood of your sketches. Discover the power of a complimentary colour to create a focal point.

Header image showing different colour wheels using colour triads
Posted in Art Room Triad Reference

Quick Reference Page for Watercolour Triads Organised by Different Reds and Pink

A quick reference page of different colour wheel combinations organised by shade of pink and red, to asses the colours created when choosing a colour triad for your watercolour sketches.

Header image showing different colour wheels using colour triads
Posted in Art Room Triad Reference

Quick Reference Page for Watercolour Triads Organised by Different Earth Tones

A quick reference page of different colour wheel combinations organised by Earth Tone colours, to asses the combinations created when choosing a colour triad for your watercolour sketches.

Header image showing different colour wheels using colour triads
Posted in Art Room Triad Reference

Quick Reference Page for Watercolour Triads Organised by Different Blues

A quick reference page of different colour wheel combinations organised by shade of blue, to asses the colours created when choosing a colour triad for your watercolour sketches.

Urban Sketches of two people in Tavira. Man sitting and watching his phone, and a portrait of a woman.
Posted in 365 Days of Sketching People #3 Art Room

Urban Sketching People and Experimenting with Backgrounds and Collage (Day 52)

Day 52 of 365 Days of Sketching People. A couple of urban sketches of people in Tavira, and the sketches I did while attending two tutorials about sketching people with distorted proportions and perspectives.

Urban Sketch at Tavira Plaza Clinic. One person standing at reception and the rest in the waiting room. pencil and ink sketches with watercolour
Posted in 365 Days of Sketching People #3 Art Room

Urban Sketching People at the Tavira Plaza and Experimenting with a Vivid Colour Triad (Day 51)

Day 51 of sketching people and portraits at a local clinic. Using gesture sketches, and added ink lines and watercolour. Created colour harmony with a vivid colour triad opera pink, hansa yellow light, and phthalo blue. Used the colour to create a visual hierarchy within the page layout.

My watercolour palette 20 colours
Posted in Art Room

Refining my Urban Sketching Watercolour Palette for 2026 (Dec 2025)

Refining my urban sketchers watercolour palette for 2026, by replacing Indigo Blue with Cobalt Blue. Exploring the way to mix replacements for my premixed greens. Discovering if I really have a use for my Phthalo Green.

Drawing Earthworlds Challenge portrait of a woman in ink and watercolour
Posted in 365 Days of Sketching People #3 Art Room

Day 9 of 365 Days of Sketching People in Ink and Watercolour Challenge

On Day Nine of the #Kick365 sketching challenge, I focused on a portrait from the Drawing Earthsworld Challenge. I used a triad of Opera Rose, Indian Red, and Cobalt Turquoise Light for skin tones. The outcome was a range of subtle colours with pleasing granulation

Beach Scene Zambujeira do Mar
Posted in Art Room

Simplifying a Beach Scene for an Urban Sketch using a Colour Triad

Here’s how to use a Colour Triad to create colour harmony in a complex beach scene.