Venetian Skyline by Thea Cable

I love the soft colourful washes cant see anything wrong at all.

To me Thea those lovely colours are your signature so we have the best of both worlds in this painting, super pen work and glorious colour. Nothing iffy about it at all.

My favourite of your pen and washes Thea, but I am missing your lovely paintings where you leave white paper showing through , but , no matter, whatever you post are little gems :) Ps. This is from someone who cannot stay in one particular style to save her life (lol)

Thank you so much Pauline, Val and Sarah - all your wonderful encouragement is so much appreciated (and goodness knows I need it with this style of painting!). The thing is that I know what I want the painting to look like in my mind's eye, but I just can't achieve it, but it is early days yet. Pauline, I will still be painting in my normal style but you know how it is when you start something new, you just want to keep at it until you get a bit more of a handle on what you are doing. You have actually given me an idea though and that is that I should leave a lot more white in the pen and washes as I do in my normal paintings and this may where I am going wrong. That's why feedback is so valuable - so thank you for that!

Lovely glowing colour in this one Thea. I'm surprised that you weren't sure about posting it as I'd say it's your best pen and wash so far. The coloured wash is what I like about it. This particular one might not work as well with more white areas. You're not going wrong as you say, these are going extremely well! I also like the pen work on those domes, picked out nicely with the darker, rusty coloured areas of sky. Overall? Excellent.

I agree with Sarah, defiantly better than your last one, I think your brave at trying different media. Wouldn't know were to start, probably the beginnings the best place. Any way enough about me. Still love the light delicate touch that comes through with all your work, perspective is spot on. Looking forward to see how you progress with this issue.

Yes Thea, I think that idea is the way to go as you usual style is unique to you and never seems penned in (pardon the pun) by the paper.

Well, you could knock me down with a feather! I certainly didn't expect such positive comments and am extremely grateful for your kindness. Thank you so much Louise, Peter, and Sarah for all your feedback. I am off to Aldebrugh in Suffolk on Monday for a few days. It is such a pretty place with nearby Southwold as well offering lots of opportunities for a few more pen and washes. We'll see how I get on!

Lovely ink drawing and sensitive washes add to the work.

I've managed to miss all of your pen and ink studies, I think, because I've been busy elsewhere: wasting huge amounts of time while trying to decide what to do first...... As per...... What could be easier, you'd think, than doing a drawing and then adding a few washes? T'isn't though, is it? Especially when you're using a full colour palette - tonal washes in, say, sepia tend to be a bit more straightforward: I've always found it so, anyway. I don't have the patience for this sort of detail anymore - or the eyesight, come to that. But I admire your perseverance, and agree - while I've never been to Venice, it's not the sort of place to lend itself to masterly understatement. Venice without the fiddly bits wouldn't be Venice ... I look forward to where you end up going with this technique - so many options; vignettes, ink pens with flexible nibs that allow for quite expressive drawings, then washed over with pale or strong washes; the careful drawing enlivened by the transparent wash; washes of colour with a few bold ink lines added afterwards ..... you have turned a page here which could lead you almost anywhere.. Which isn't meant to sound like a warning, more a promise of exciting times to come!

I think it's lovely, Thea. The colors are gorgeous and the lines are super. I am no expert in pen and wash (about to embark on learning that soon, though I keep putting it off out of cowardice) but the only slight comment I have is that perhaps the tones of the shadows and the light are a little close. Not a big point, on the whole, I would hardly call it iffy!

Thank you very much Stephen, Robert and Seok for looking and leaving such interesting comments. Robert, I can see you are going to have me hard at it developing this style - I need the push, so well done you for giving it to me. Seok, I think you have pin-pointed the bit I was iffy about. The photo (obviously and sadly was not in Venice doing it plein air!) showed an odd light on the buildings - almost degrees of shadows rather than one clear shadow with bits in bright sunshine. I probably should have used a bit of artistic licence and manipulated the light to my advantage and the fact that I didn't is my inexperience showing. Will use this information to take forward to the next one.

A lovely pen and wash watercolour treatment of this magical city. I think it works well despite your apparent misgivings , Thea. When I visited Venice a few years ago , for a truly memorable week, (October so not so many visitors clogging up the sites) where building work was going on the scaffolding was camouflaged with amazing full height painted canvasses depicting accurately the scene behind , and in one case the scene behind the actual building, as if it had been removed. Profoundly surreal ! Everyone must go at least once.

Thea you mentioned in your comment on my last ink sketch, that you were "battling with pen & wash yourself", well you've won the battle and I think with your perserverance, you will also win the war! It's delightful by the way.

I think it's lovely Thea, I would have thought you'd been doing pen and wash for ever, if you hadn't said otherwise. I usually work in pen and wash myself and would have been very happy with this had it been mine.

I wish you would stop being so hard on yourself and just enjoy being on a learning curve! As this is only your fourth attempt in pen and wash I think it's excellent, you've certainly got off to a flying start with this medium. ps Hope you have a nice break.

This is great Thea. Excellent soft washes. I especially like the orange/yellow/gold skline. really highlights the main point of interest below. I suppose Souk may be right about the darker shadows, but if it hadn't been mentioned, I certainly wouldnt have noticed. What i like about your pen and wash is it's still very much in your style, still recognisably a "Thea". Hope you don't lose that.

I think this is beautiful charming picture, full of life and colour. The sort that I would love to be able to paint myself. We visited Venice years ago and your picture of the S. Maria della Salute brings back many memories. Congratulations on a lovely picture

Thea...Hi. ( Nice to be in touch again,,,Julia will have filled you in on our holiday cruise....) .Your pen and ink work is admirable, I feel you are trying to do two things here...Marry your lovely loose watercolour style with the pen and ink, which demands a more detailed treatment....Difficult to do, but you will get there successfully ..........

I like it too

Getting better all the time........ Your style is so original and the drawing's excellent . So delightful to look at. I'm very impressed !

Thank you all so very much. I honestly nearly shoved this painting into a drawer on the basis that I felt it hadn't really worked, so I am very touched by the lovely feedback. Can't tell you how much it means to me and it ensures that I keep pushing myself to improve and diversify.

I think its lovely, Thea, and don't believe in rules, take a medium, play with it, see what it can do for you and you with it. Penwork can also be nice added after painting to give a bit more form and interest. Have fun and see where it goes

Thank you Jenny for your lovely comment. I haven't discovered as yet what all the possibilities of pen and wash are, but I will be trying your suggestion as it sounds interesting.

Looks very accomplished to me too. Excellent drawing and lovely washes.

You are way too critical, this is really lovely Thea !

That's a tough subject to draw Thea but you've done very well. I think the amount of paint on it is just about right and not overdone at all.

Thank you very much Pat, Denise, Kirstie and Paul for such great comments. Denise, I am too critical but then aren't we all - the insecurity about our painting seems to go with the territory don't you think. I feel that this is where the feedback on the gallery comes into it's own because I certainly find that without it, I would probably find it hard to keep pushing on to try to get better.

Washes are fine and add tp the perspective and place

Many congratulations Thea for making this painting one of the top ten this month. Love it! Sorry I've missed a lot of posts but I've been busy at home and at work.

Thank you very much, Petra. I also haven't been on the site much for the past few weeks due to pressure of things going on at home, but am trying to catch up and get back on track now.

Thea...Congratulations to you also....It's a nice feeling, isn't it!! Off to Chesterfield to Sheila Gill very shortly...Quite .looking forward to it.

Thank you so much Ruth. Enjoy your trip and learn loads to pass on to me!