COLTISHALL, Norwich. UK - Norfolk Broads

Saturday 25th August was the official date for the 15th Worldwide sketchcrawl and I spent it sketching through Coltishall with my dear friend Joan Sandford-Cook. Joan has recently moved to Coltishall in the Norfolk Broads and it was my first visit to see her and her new home.
I started the day with a sketch of her new lounge, open planned, looking through to her dining room, with it's raised fireplace and neutral palette.


We then headed left out of her road to Coltishall Common along the river Bure where we indulged in a latte at The Rising Sun before seating ourselves under the oak tree on the common to sketch the thatched boathouses.



Still under the oak tree I created a quick watercolour sketch of the landscape along the river, a most beautiful backdrop. I went straight in with paint in this landscape, no pencil sketch, and while it is very basic in skill I feel it captures the memory well. I shall practice this technique more.


From the same position under the oak I turned to my left to see this beautiful, historical house through the trees.



Back at The Rising Sun, we made full use of the many customers to create a few quick figure studies.

Back at Joan's we threw some cushions onto her garden furniture and 'Mmmmmmm'd' our way through a delicious bowl of local strawberries with cream. Before packing up to head home after my stay I captured a corner of the garden that has a small rockery waterfall dividing the lawn from a seated area entered through a trellis archway.

A wonderful place and a memorable trip spent in fantastic company made this my most favourite sketch crawl to date. A huge thanks to both Joan and her husband Clive for their hospitality and friendship!

NORFOLK COAST, 4 April 2007

DAY 5

Spent the morning packing up our things into the trucks and then visited South beach for the last time this trip.



Finally managed to get one of the ducks Harry had been feeding all week to stay still long enough for me to capture some kind of likeness...I think the sitting lasted approx. 59 seconds!
The duck had such beautiful head colourings...Obviously, I coloured it after the event.




A most enjoyable pre-season stay at the coast, I am so pleased I decided to go ahead and book it at such short notice, the break did everyone the power of good!

NORFOLK COAST, 1 April 2007

DAY 2

On Sunday we drove to the North beach and sketched there for a while before Joan and Diane had to prepare for their journey home.

NORFOLK COAST, 31 March 2007

I'm Back!

I had a very relaxing 5 days, 4 nights at Park Resorts holiday park and am happy to report that my friends Joan and Diane were able to join me on Saturday and Sunday, even with the short notice I gave them. We shared a great girlie weekend together and Diane's Son, Aiden, was just the company my youngest, Harry needed while waiting for his Brother's arrival on Sunday evening.

After much agonising, I finally decided to use an A5 Winsor & Newton, heavyweight, casebound sketchbook. I love this paper and have used it many times in the wire-o format, I enjoyed having the ability to spread the two pages with the casebound.

...More to follow...

OLD HUNSTANTON, Norfolk. UK

Old Hunstanton-28 March '07 - large watercolour moleskin

...By afternoon the sun was dancing over the beach at Old Hunstanton, creating small clouds of mist as it dried the sand. Diane, Joan and Myself finished up our chips and, once again, grabbed our sketchbooks.

I love Old Hunstanton beach, the sand is plentiful and so soft, the atmosphere quieter and more peaceful than the Town beach. I wrote of a BBQ my family had at Old Hunstanton beach in my blog last year entitled "Bangers on the Beach".

The beach hut in my sketch was displaying a 'For Sale' sign and all three of us spent a while discussing how fabulous it would be to own it and spend our days sketching along the Norfolk coastline...Ah dreams!

I managed another quick sketch in my new watercolour moleskin before leaving, happy in the knowledge I would return many times again throughout the summer!

Old Hunstanton-28 March '07 - large moleskin

HEACHAM BEACH, Norfolk. UK

Heacham Beach Huts - 28 March '07 - large watercolour moleskin

On Wednesday, our good friend Diane was able to join Joan and I for our weekly sketch day and, with the promise of good weather, I knew just where to take them...The seaside!

We drove towards the Norfolk coast through dense fog, mist and eventually sunshine, arriving at Heacham just before 11am.

Our first stop, Heacham beach, was spent sipping on the contents of our flasks and shivering from the chilly sea breeze while trying to sketch. The fog hung over the sea and turned the beach into a curtain of grey, so I turned to sketch a few of the many beach huts.
This was my first time using the watercolour moleskin, I used pen and watercolour pencils.

Around midday we headed off to pick up some much needed fish and chips from Hunstanton Town before moving on to Old Hunstanton to sketch some more...