May sketch outing

This Saturday, nine of the Swindon Sketch Group met at the town's Queen's Park with most of us working around the pond area in front of the cafe. After completing my quick sketch of the bridge and surrounds I wandered off to find another subject.

The Secret Garden (originally the Rose Garden), is now a community run garden with raised beds for both vegetables and flowering plants. It was sheltered and warm and I found a clump of creamy white aquilegia* to sketch. I was approached by a lady who was gardening in one of the areas and she commented - “I saw you with a notebook and thought you were from Britain in Bloom”!

*According to Wikipedia, the genus name Aquilegia is derived from the Latin word for eagle (aquila), the flower petals resembling an eagle's claw; the common name “columbine” (Latin for “dove”) is due to the resemblance of the inverted flower to five doves clustered together.

Both these sketches were done in the Hahnemuhle Grey Book, hence the need to use white gouache to highlight lighter areas.

The Bridge over the Pond - pen and wash plus white gouache

Aquilegia studies - pencil and watercolour plus white gouache