Last drawing class before the Long Holidays

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Today, for the last class of the year, I brought my two best girls to draw in situ. I'd been telling them we'd go for a long time, during winter, when spring comes and afternoons are longer, during spring, when it is a bit less cold, when it doesn't rain, when, when... and like this we got to the last day! And yes, it was sunny, we found a quiet spot proposed by one of them, we could sit in the shadow, and we had a wonderful time.

Lastly, and most important of all, girls were very happy with their sketches :) And hopefully also motivated to bring their notebook on holidays with them!

... and I also got to sketch a bit ;)

Girls in action!!

Sketch 1, by Sarah

Sketch 2, by Maitane

And my sketch below:

They are good these girls, aren't they? 

Sketching houses

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Life is full of unexpected things. I started going out to sketch, just to have fun, to pass some nice time, to have a break in between projects... for many reasons, but definitely not to sell my drawings, or to make sketches on command. It wasn't the goal, but it came with it, and I welcome it! And I can't avoid thinking this came up because I was just enjoying what I was doing, without getting stressed out with it. Because yes, when we don't think too much, sometimes things get done by themselves, in their own nice way.

This Spring I didn't go out very often, at least not as often as I've been thinking I'd do during the cold winter months and I used to imagine how much I would sketch when my feet would not be freezing after 10 minutes. But in the end again things turned out to be different: I had work I had to do indoors, it was raining for two months with almost no pause, and then I had some houses to draw on commission for which I profited every break the rain would give us. 

Below I share two of these sketches which I did during this last month. 

The first one is another typical old farm. This little house is part of a row of houses in Thoiry, the full row is beautiful, and one day I'll draw it all together, house by house. In the same property there are other nice corners too. I am lucky I got to meet the owner, a retired man who is now taking care of the property, and he welcomed me to come back and draw whenever I want to! :D

Old farm now a house in Chemin de Baizenas, in Thoiry.
For an family from the EEUU who lived there over the last year, and who are soon coming back to their house in the US.

The second sketch is of another quite typical kind of house in the region I live, a wooden chalet. And yes, in the end I live in France, but very close to Switzerland, where houses like this one, in the mountains, are often seen. This drawing forms part of a series that I'll do over this year's four seasons. Next one will be coming in August. 

Typical mountain wooden chalet, in Crozet. For a couple that has lived there over many many years, and who will have a series of their house during this year's four seasons, starting with Spring 2016.

Rain, you won't beat me

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Still raining here. After what it feels it's been forever. And apparently Summer is around the corner, but it really feels like it must be so far away, like we are still stuck in March. I went from being angry to being desperate to being depressed. Then I went out, I ran a bit with my dog, and I felt determined: rain, you won't beat me!

Day #2 

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This morning we had some sun, and rains are announced again for this afternoon, so I decided to put work aside for a couple of hours and took Ludo to a sketching walk. Oh, he definitely does not like it! After 10 minutes he was whining, huffing, and making all sort of noises to see if I would get it. I went again to the Rue du Jura, in Crozet. Rue du Jura is the most ancient and main road in the little village where I live, and it has so many nice corners. I attached him to my waist, and drew for a bit, I didn't put all color because I was feeling guilty for my dog, but the important things, the blue sky, the blue door, the blue fence and the blue shutters are there, and that's all that matters :)

After sketching I took him to run a bit, I made a mess inside my watercolor box, but dog was happy again!

Out with my dog

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Today, for the first time, I went out to sketch with Ludo, my wonderful dog. I hadn't been out since before he joined our family, because really, it is so rainy lately! But this afternoon it hold, so we came back to where we'd been yesterday during our evening walk. I've been sketching here before, back in September. It is a very little road that goes over the river l'Allondon, maybe the road is only 100m, not much more, but it is one of the most beautiful places around. So many nice angles concentrated in such a tiny place!

I had to sketch very fast, because after a while Ludo was whining because he wanted to continue with our walk :)

Click on the image to view it larger

June rain...

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We have started June as we ended May... raining 24/7. And well, I think the image says it all!!!