Shopping in Ludlow

It is clearly one of yours Thea, knew it straightaway, lovely colours and lines, and just the right amount of sky, it has the same neat composition of all your paintings and works perfectly

I think this has worked out well Thea, good drawing skills evident here. The figures give a bit of life too. If you can get hold of it, John Hoar's dvd 'Line and Wash in Watercolour' from Town House Films has lots of good tips and demos. He sharpens the end of the match stick into a wedge shape so he can get a thin or thick line, depending on how he holds it. To make it easier to use, he jams the match into a short length of cane, holding it in with a panel pin. Which seems to work ok.

Thank you very much Ros and Stephen for such positive comments. Stephen, I got the John Hoar DVD a couple of weeks ago and it was his use of a matchstick that inspired me to have a go. I did what he did and sharpened the matchstick to a wedge and then stuck it in a cut off garden cane. Sadly, my expertise with it lags about 30 years behind his!! Still, I can just practice and practice and by the time I am about 110, I might just get as good as him!! In all honesty, I prefer the pen but that won't conclude me having another go with a tool other than a pen.

I'm amazed you managed such detail with a matchstick! Like Ros I knew it was one of yours, and I'm pleased to be able to leave a comment as the site has been playing up all day, this is the first time I've been able to get on it - still no go with the blogs and haven't had a reply from Dawn yet, so no idea what the problem is!

Thank you so much, Debs, for your nice comment. I didn't find it easy I have to say and I do find the lines a bit heavy and thick, but then in a way it suited the subject with all those heavy beams, etc. By the way, try logging into the blog area. You don't have to start your own blog, but it might give you a way in.

I know this sounds flippant but why go through all the fuss of sharpening a matchstick when you can use a nib! Having said that,this is a nice painting.Well done.

Doesn't sound flippant at all, Fred. I asked myself the same question half way through doing the painting! I think it is all in pursuit of a more expressive drawing. I am not sure it worked for me as I am more comfortable with a pen as I like quite detailed work on buildings and the matchstick, as this one proves, is a bit too clunky for that. I couldn't have used it for the ones I have done of Venice for example as all the fine detail of the buildings would have been lost. I will probably stick to the pen but the matchstick was a useful experience and I might give it another go at some time. Thank you for your nice feedback as well.

A lovely line and wash. Matchstick or not I thing the result is great.

Great drawing skills, love the detail and well done for trying something new :)

Wow, I love it Thea, it is a technique I havent come across before but everything works beautifully

Thea, that journey you are one is certainly coming up with some trumps, nice one.

Thank you very much Pat, Lesley, Jenny and Peter for such really lovely comments. It is hard to judge your own work so it is very valuable to get this feedback from fellow artists - much appreciated.

Good immediate drawing here Thea and I like the addition of more colour (raw sienna?) to the sky. Also, the composition is good in that the sky slopes towards the building. Heavier at the top with the slope of the sky leading down to the gray sloping footpath line in the foreground. Trust me to see the design element, I just hope that I'm making sense LOL. With regard to the blog page, I just click on 'blogs' at the top of this page and hey presto, there they are. I log in and I can leave a comment without having a blog of my own.

I'm just in awe of your drawing skills on such a complicated building, and with a matchstick too! Great work Thea.

As someone who loves drawing buildings with pen and ink (and then wash) I really appreciate the amount of work which has gone into this. I think it is lovely, but you could try using a bamboo pen for a very fine line. I find it a t easier to predict than a matchstick.

Thank you very much Val and Rosalind for your lovely comments. Val, I am flattered that you think the drawing is ok because I thought that I had botched it up a bit with the heavy lines, etc. - really pleased that you like it. Rosaline, I have had a few people recommend a bamboo pen - must investigate it as I really am getting hooked on ink and wash so want to push the boundaries now and then.

This is absolutely stunning, Thea! I am really enjoying your line and wash. I love the simplicity and spontaneity of the lines. Beautifully done!

Thea, however, you arrived at it it, it's great! Carry on your journey. It's looks good from here.

I agree with all the others Thea, this is a lovely pen and wash painting and I personally like the matchstick effect a lot. I have tried same sort of thing with a bamboo stick and ink. It gives nice, impressionistic results but I understand very well that you prefer the nib because of the details. It was good to try though, wasn't it?

Thank you so much for such generous praise, Seok, Gudrun and Satu. It means a lot to me and helps me carry on trying to master this medium.

Thea I really do admire your determination and the lovely results being produced. 2013 will be very productive I'm sure.