Fish correspondence at 1, Rue Marechal Ornano. drawing.

Fish correspondence at 1, Rue Marechal Ornano

Black ink and white pencil drawing on toned paper.

This drawing was inspired by the very first picture I took on our Corsica holiday.

Daria was sitting in the kitchen doing her emails.

The old white kitchen was probably my favorite part of the whole apartment, so bright and luminous in the morning light!

Check out the other drawing I did with the black pen on white paper of the same image :)
http://lauradallagata.blogspot.com/2014/08/typing-away-at-1-rue-marechal-ornano.html

Planning to play around with this image with different techniques in the next few days.

      

Happy Sunday everyone!

Another beautiful day here in San Francisco.

Saturday morning, gardening time. Sketch.

Sabato mattina in giardino.

watercolor and pen Sketch.

I did this sketch two Saturdays's ago while at my parents place, in Faenza (Italy).

At my parents we have a beautiful garden, I think is one of the things I miss most together with them, my brothers and my nephew :)

My mom has natural skills for gardening, give her an almost dead flower and she will make it blossom again.

Does she has a green thumb? Nope! her full hand is green :)

My Dad is cutting the grass man instead ! A perfect helper.

I love them so much, and miss them even more! Hopefully i ll see them soon enough :)

Beautiful, sunny and warm here today, happy Saturday everyone!

Waiting on the deck. Quick sketch on the ferry From Bastia to Livorno.

On the deck. Ferry Bastia-Livorno Wed 27 August.

Watercolor and black pen 

Sketch

We got back to SF late last night.

The most wonderful part of coming back is always seeing in Mona. We missed her so much!!!

The worst one is the cleaning, laundry and drying part. 

I drew today' s sketch on the ferry Bastia- Livorno on Wednesday, few peoples were reading and suntanning on the deck.
Then I draw the Corsica glad and attached it on top.

Leaving Bastia:

And arriving in  Livorno:

It was a beautiful day. Missing the European summer heat already! But most of all I missing our family and friends. It always take me some time to adjust once I get back.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Assomption de Ajaccio. Sketch

Last day of holidays for us here in Corsica, I look around and I see plenty of things I could and probably SHOULD paint or draw.
Everything is so "picturesque", old and unique. Not enough time to put it all on paper.
I feel so frustrated at times, I wish I had longer days so that i could do more beach, more social gathering and more drawings of course.
This European get away with Germany, Poland, Italy and France made me realize once more that I am totally European at heart.
Give me a town square with tables outside, surrounded by old buildings and I am a happy girl :)
I sketched this church yesterday afternoon.
Hubby and I were getting coffe just in front.  Please note the coffee cup bottom on the top right! It looks like the sun :)

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Assomption de Ajaccio.

 Early wake up for us today, drive from Ajaccio to Bastia, then ferry to Italy then drive to my family in Faenza for one last good bye!
Off to San Francisco tomorrow....with mixed feeling.
Looking forward to see our doggy for sure though!

French Decadence. Sketch.

A detail from our place here in Ajaccio.

We are staying in a old building downtown, every building around us looks exactly old as our. Apparently (according to wikipedia!) French people describe this style a " triste" or "melanconique".

 From an old chair to a broken curtain in our home, or to and old house with incredibly old shutters that are almost falling apart. (!) Everything looks so full of past and history. I like it :) 

This broken curtain is hanging on a corridor window in our apartment. 

Decadence.

black pen, white gouache and watercolor.

Sketch

Then I sit down on the floor next to our door and I draw our flight of stair. We are at the 3rd floor, a very good daily exercise!

Black pen and watercolor sketch.

Last day in Ajaccio for us today!

Afternoon at Capo di Feno. Big Waves.Corsica. Sketch.

Big waves at Capo di Feno.

Watercolor and pen.

Sketch. 

Today after lunch we drove to beach 40 minutes away from Ajaccio. Capo di Feno  it is described  on our Lonely Planet guide as a very beautiful wild beach. It was beautiful but unfortunately not that wild. Plenty of people every where. (Probably every tourist is reading the same guide :) !)

The waves were huge and crazy, we all had a lot of fun in the water.

I managed to do also a quick drawing, Witek and Daria reading on the left side .

me at work ;)

Off to a natural park today!

2 more days of holiday ....not enough!!!

Some new sketches from Cinque terre.

During the 6 hours ferry from Savona, Italy to Bastia, Corsica, I had PLENTY of time to finish up few sketches started in the previous days.

me at work :)

Quick sketch done at Manarola st. while waiting for the train for Corniglia.

From Corniglia we walked our way back to Vernazza.

A beautiful tiring walk :)

Random polish guys :) waiting for the train!

During our first night in Vernazza, while wandering around the town, we found a couple of children playing "calcio" in a small square. They created such a cute image...I took a picture planning to sketch the next day. This is my first attempt at a night-sketch. I like the mood created by the pitch black sky.

Bimbi in piazzetta, giocare a calcio di notte.

Black ink sketch.

This is was a quick sketch done on the spot on our last day in Vernazza. While everyone elsewas relaxing or working in our apartment, I decided to take off for a solitary walk, looking for a cool spot to sketch.

Via S. Giovanni Battista was my first sketch.

black pen and watercolors.

sketch

Then I went down to the small marina and I sketched one of the older building in town.

 After ten minute or so it started raining....check out the sky! End of my "solo" walking and sketching expedition :(

Back home after an afternoon at the beach, at 1 Rue Marechal Ornano, Ajaccio.

I sketched this in the afternoon, once we got back from the beach. Daria was reading outside and made quite a great composition.
I ll be using more of this toned paper for the next sketches, I love the way it creates a mood on its own.  (The white sketchbook is almost full! Only a couple of pages left.)

Back from the beach, at 1 Rue Marechal Ornano, Ajaccio.

black pen and white pencil on toned paper.

sketch

Us on the beach :)

 And a little bit of drawing exercise. Enjoying seeing how people love to soak in the sun.

The beach downtown in Ajaccio, not bad!

Typing away at 1 Rue Marechal Ornano, Ajaccio. Sketch;

Typing away at 1 Rue Marechal Ornano, Ajaccio.

Good morning from Ajaccio, Corsica.
We arrived here late last night ant today we are enjoying a slow day, at a french relaxing pace.
When I got up this morning I found my friend Daria, working in the kitchen, I love the white-everywhere surrounding her in her black dress.
It probably will do a good painting too... :) on my list to do things once back in SF.

We just had brioches, baguette, french cheeses and some more french tasty stuff!....ready to go to the beach to digest! :)

Au  revoir mon amis!!

work in progress.

Vernazza, view from the window, sketch!

Every time I came here I fall in love with this magic place. Not a difficult thing :)
Le Cinque Terre are just amazing.

We arrived yesterday and we are staying in Vernazza for 2 days. Not a vey long stayI know,  but I ll try to take as many pictures as possible for future paintings and sketches.

This was a quick sketch I did yesterday as soon as I entered our tiny room, beautiful view.

Vernazza, View. Sketch.

watercolor and pen.

work in progress.

Walking, sightseeing and eating pizza :) that's the plan for today!!

CIAOOO!!! :)

Cats walking around at La Topaia, Sketch.

Walking around, at La Topaia.

Sketch, pen and watercolor.

Another colorful drawing from our Ferragosto day trip in Tuscany.

At the country house where we had lunch there were two sweet kittens, always going around...maybe looking for mice...?

The name of the house is La Topaia, which literally means "rat house". 

No rats around anyway!! :) Just cats and dogs :)

Leaving Faenza today and off to Cinque Terre for a couple of days.

CIAO!!

Chiacchere al bar, Faenza. Sketch.

This morning hubby and I spent few hour in a coffee place near the main square in Faenza.
Michal was working, I was drawing. Perfect combination :)

The original idea was for me to draw some building but in the end I ended up drawing some of people around us, while listening to them chatting.


There was a group of ladies talking about everything and everyone, people, fruit picking, weather, life and death.

  

Italian Ladies, morning at the bar.

Pen sketch.

I wrote pieces and bit of conversation all around, funny stuff!

And here they were :)

On the other side a couple of men where sitting, reading the local newspaper and having a quick chat. VERY quick chat :)

 Dante e Pio. 

Sketch with pen,

Finally a quick drawing of the wall next to the bar, I love the old red bricks

 Ciao a tutti!!

Toscana, sketching and playing with lines.

Toscana

watercolor and black pen, sketch.

A couple of days ago I drove down to Tuscany with some friends. A beautiful picturesque drive, roughy an hour long.

I played around with one of the pictures, using a lot of line to create the landscape.

Here is the original photo.

We had an awesome time! Eating, talking sun tanning and relaxing... I wish I could have more of this!

Driving to pick up hubby from Bologna airport today, HAPPY ME!

Have a great day everyone!

Riolo Terme, la Rocca. Sketch

Riolo Terme, La Rocca Sforzesca

Sketch with pen and white pencil on toned paper.

Last week I drove with mom to Riolo Terme to visit some family of ours.

We had a lovely evening there, eating pizza (!) and catching up on everything.

Before leaving I took few pictures....is amazing how I am rediscovering things nowadays....

Living so far away make me look at places and landscape I grew up with, with totally different eyes...I would say with tourist eyes :)

Here is a quick sketch of the Rocca, originally from 1388.

Cloudy and chilly today, the perfect weather to stay in and draw, happy me!

Another day sketching at the beach!

 Another beautiful, hot and sunny day here in Romagna, perfect beach day :)

 Boca Barranca-Marina Romea-

Sketch

Mom and I drove to our usual place. Marina Romea, Boca Barranca beach club.
While at the bar having lunch I decided to do a quick, simplified sketch of my view.

 

After lunch, while sitting on our sun chair, I started drawing some of the people around us.

Selfie of me at work!

work in progress

People at the beach! Marina Romea.

Sketch.

Torre dell' orologio e piazza con il mercato, sketch.

Every Tuesday we have a big market in the main square, yesterday morning I went for a walk there. then I sit down on the stair of the cathedral and draw the view from there.
It was VERY hot, I didn't last too long!
Did the the work in pencil on the spot and went on it today with my Micropen.
Loving my days over here...

A day at the beach. Marina Romea. Sketching time!!

Hello hello!
back home after a fine day at the beach...
(not my usual beautiful but coldish and not very populated beach!!) but from a proper hot and busy, Italian beach.
I totally enjoyed  the day, the heat and my mom's and nephew company.  :)


We drove to Marina Romea, one of the beaches along the Riviera Romagnola.

Here is my first sketch, the small house is fishing place.

Me and mom !

and the umbrella next to us...behind the beach there is a huge pine forest, really beautiful.

The busy beach...is very popular to take long walks on the sand .

The water is very shallow. and there are no big waves ( or rather NO waves at all, compared to Ocean beach in SF)  ... perfect for taking long tanning walks and the ideal place for children to play.

I love it here!

I have been missing this so much!