Cley Mill sketch

Superb sketch - if the painting is half as good it'll be great

Really nice

I really like the loose wahses here, the scene is lovely :-)

A sketch full of life and vitality, I can see why you might prefer it as a sketch, it's difficult to keep the sense of spontaneity and vivacity when we move from inital sketch into the main work; I olve the sense of air in this.

Lovely sketch Fiona, looking forward to the demo

Nice lively sky Fiona, just enough pen work also to indicate the mill and houses. 'Go for it' with a big brush for the painting, good luck.

Lovely colour in the sky and sense of light.

Really good, lively sketch here Fiona.

Just great:). The sky is brill! The only problem here is that it is in your sketckbook (I wish my sketchbook was full of this standard of watercolour) and not on a nice crisp piece of watercolour paper.

Thank you so much everyone for your kind and thoughtful comments. I hope you don't mind me posting my 'before' scuffy sketches. I find it simplifies the scene even more, for me to then work on the main painting. Sometimes it works.....more often than not.....it doesn't! But if there are any issues with it, or ways I can improve it, I know you will, hopefully, let me know. Thanks once again.

Your sketch is lovely, Fiona, lively and spontaneous. I think that's the thing about sketches - because it's not a 'final' work the pressure seems to be off and it is so much easier to be looser and often the results are what we hoped to achieve in a final painting. Look forward to seeing the next version, all the same and am sure it will be lovely too.

You are so right Jane; sketch book pictures are fun, but as soon as I get that lovely piece of expensive watercolour paper out........that's it, I go to pieces!! Thank you for your comment Jane, very much appreciate it.

This sketch is great as a water colour I would have been very happy if this was one of my finished paintings... I know its not Holland but I have recently returned from there and your picture is very reminiscent of the peacefulness of that country and the lovely memories I have of it... Cant wait to see your actual painting when you have done it...

Thank you Keith, you are very kind. The painting isn't looking very promising I'm afraid, but I always do this; much prefer the sketch I think.

Beautifully done Fiona.

Great little sketch Fiona;0)

Many thanks Paul and Carole for your continued support.

Much more than "just a sketch" Fiona, it's lovely. I suspect your sketchbook is quite something to look at, unlike mine LOL.

The sketch is great as it is immediate, full of energy and a really good rendition of this iconic windmill. Your clouds in the sky seem to be scudding along in the wind and there is a great feeling of the atmosphere of the North Norfolk coast.

Thank you Val, I don't believe for one minute that your sketch book is anything but full of interest and colour Val. Actually there some awful sketches in mine, some I would love to cut out, but I think we need the bad ones to remind ourselves how NOT to do it the next time!! Thanks again.

Many thanks Thea for your comment, I hope I managed to get just a hint of the atmosphere of North Norfolk. Thank you for saying so.

If you're having trouble translating your sketches into "proper" paintings, has it anything to do with the paper you're using? If it behaves differently to the paper in your sketchbook, maybe try something that works similarly - eg, if there's rough paper in your sketchbook, use rough paper for the final work.... Might not be that at all, of course .... could also be that you've actually said all you needed or wanted to say in the sketch; and you won't recapture that in a more studied, probably too careful, version. So - could be part of the answer would be to just take a sheet of your best paper, forget how much it cost you (easy for me: I forget everything!), and without any preparatory sketches at all just go in and do what you've done here. Got to be worth a try - I suspect you've lost the excitement when you come to do your finished painting, but are left with the fear of mucking it up .... if you've nothing TO muck up, no sketch you're trying to live up to, you might find it liberating.

Hi Robert, I think my problem lies in the area between my ears!!Lol. Actually you've hit upon a good point regarding the pre-sketch part, maybe, as you say, I've said it all in the sketch and the freshness and excitement is all used up. Thank you for taking the time to point it out to me Robert.

Love this, Fiona! Different from your finished painting, but equally appealing. Love the immediacy of the sky and the gorgeous palette.

Many thanks Seok.

congratulations on making it into the top ten of august :-)

Well done on your Top Ten successes this month. I know Cley windmill well and you have done a great job in painting it.