Bleak Peaks by Lynne Matheson

You're very brave just trying to paint outside Lynne! Lovely sky and vegetation, and the road can be finished now you're in the warm...

Admirable effort Lynne, puts my painting from photo's in the warmth to shame. It's a good effort too, the partly snow covered rocks are really good. As Jane says, it will not ake a lot to finish off the road at your leisure.

Thanks. I painted on cartridge paper, which was much too thin, as I forgot to take a heavier paper. Do you have any preference for a particular paper which is equally good for detail and shows texture in washes? I need to re stock at Patchings.

May I just express my view that anyone working in the open air in this weather needs their bumps felt.....Dedication is one thing, double pneumonia something else again. Like it, and provided you don't go mad with the water, cartridge paper can work reasonably well with watercolour - I don't know if Daler Rowney still make their heavyweight cartridge - it's wonderful for certain effects, and again, provided you work fast and are sparing with the water, it won't buckle. I would think, if you're looking for a paper that's good on detail and shows wash texture, you might be after a NOT surface; I used to use Saunders Waterford NOT for detail, I think - mostly for cartoons, cards, that sort of thing. And there's a good Schoellershammer hard-sized torchon paper - if you can find it.

Robert is right, you can still get hold of the heavyweight cartridge paper, W&N do an A4 pad, 220gm, which I sometimes use for pen and wash. Cartridge paper is not sized of course, so the paint sinks into the paper. Bockingford not surface is good too and you can get that in blocks which makes things easier outdoors. I think a camera is best in winter!

Thanks for the suggestions. I always stretch my paper when I work at home, with varying degrees of sucess. I will try something a little heavier. It is so cold here that we are surrounded by sheet ice, and I am painting in the kitchen!

This is really beautiful, Lynne. It is very spontaneous, lively and a lovely scene. Pitty it is on cartridge paper. I made the same mistake with my "Coffee sketch" (...id=54244). You are very brave to go outside to paint!!!

This is absolutely beautiful, Lynne! You have my respect for going outdoors in the current weather!