'Cley Mill'

I Like the composition of this one Fiona and the greens look great .

I like it too, Fiona. In fact I like both of them, the sketch and this and the greens are great.

I really like this and can see the straight line horizon point being pointed out to me :-) this is a really nice scene you have captured.

Nice bit of work Fiona, sails and cap looks fine. When I used to do watercolours, I always had a white pastel pencil or piece of hard, white pastel for any pure, local colour white I wanted. John Blockley would draw with the edge of a candle to preserve the white of the paper. Best Mick

Lovely landscape, great greens

Thank you so much Michael, Jane, Rebecca, Mick and Glennis for your kind comments. Mick, I had not thought of using pastel, I think I may have a piece of hard white pastel knocking about somewhere. I did try and add a little white gouache to the sails but it looked too false, so rubbed it off. I used gouache for the white rail around the bottom of the mill, but I think it was a mistake.....personally. Thanks again everyone.

Very nice Fiona. Your skies are always atmospheric :)

I bite my tongue and flagellate myself for saying it, but I did prefer the sketch... there's nothing wrong with this, and I'd uncompromisingly praise it: if I hadn't seen the sketch first.... I think it would help you to do without the preliminaries, and get stuck in straight away; your sky in the sketch had more life and colour, for instance. The white pastel suggestion is a good one.

Thank you Sarah, you are very kind. Thank you for taking the time to look and comment.

Robert I appreciate your honesty, and, I quite agree with you I always prefer the sketch. Trouble is, I really enjoy the sketch part then I get all serious when I attempt the proper job!! I will have to give your suggestion a go......that's all there is to it. Thank you.

Lovely painting. Though maybe Robert is right in saying that if you make do without the preliminaries you would be feeling better about it. You will probably enjoy it as much as the sketch unless the sketch is done on location with not enough time for a fully fledged painting.

I like it Fiona. Lovely loose interpretation of the trees and bushes.

Pat, Paul your comments are gratefully received. Pat, I've decided for my next watercolour I'm not gong to bother with the sketch, I'm just going to go for it!!

Fiona in my opinion the sketch is better because; it is fresher and cleaner (no muddy colours), it is better compositionally with the mill offset from centre and the foreground is simpler and brighter. The only reason you class it as a sketch is because it's in your sketch book and as such you wouldn't frame it or sell it as a finish piece. But it is really. I suggest you don't try to alter your finished attempt from the original sketch if you are happy with it. Remember less is more.

This is ab fab, Fiona! Really, really love the atmosphere you created, and as for the greens, you more than did justice.

Well I like them both Fiona and can't decide between them. If they were up for sale I'd have to buy both LOL

I'm with Val on this one I like them both!

I also think both versions work well. Regarding white details, have you tried scratching out with a sharp craft knife?

Robert, thank you very much for your constructive advise. You're right, I don't class my sketches as stand alone paintings in their own right. I AM going to try NOT to use my sketch book unless I'm out and about. Thanks again.

Seok, Val, Debs and Stephen......thank you all very much for your support, I really appreciate it. Stephen I have scratched out in previous paintings for runs in water etc but didn't think to try it on this one.....may have a look at that. Thank you.

I haven't been around for a while so I am a bit late in commenting on this piece and the sketch. You really are making things quite difficult! This is a lovely painting but I, too, prefer the so called sketch. Robert Furniss above has put into words what I instinctively feel about the sketch. Having said that, there are one or two elements of this painting which I think you could usefully employ in future work, e.g. the dark grasses in the foreground - provided they are no over done. Looking forward to more!

You're never too late Lionel. I'm very grateful that you take the time to have a look at what I've been up to, and bestow your word of wisdom to keep me on the right track to one day produce a proper painting. Thanks Lionel.

Thanks for your kind comments on my paintings, Fiona. I have had a good browse through your gallery and I am very impressed. You have some great landscapes and I especially like this one. I am off to Norfolk next week and Cley Mill may well be on the agenda!

Thank you Gary for your kind comment, have a great time in Norfolk!! Look forward to seeing your adaptation of Cley Mill.