Make like a ‘real’ landscape artist

As if it wasn’t enough to go on one expedition, there we were, planning a second; on the same day!  I told you it was a lovely day, didn’t I? 

Break time saw a flurry of teacherly activity; a hustle and bustle of preparation; two sizes of paintbrush, fine-tipped and fat (check).  Clipboards (check).  Special (expensive) watercolour paper (check).  Freshly-cleaned tins of watercolour paints.  Paper towels.  Bottles of water and colourful plastic cups (check, check and check).

And shortly after the cowbells (bells not unlike this one) rang…..

to signal the end of break and the return of the hordes, off we set again, incidentally in the same northerly direction as we had an hour or so earlier.  However, we ignored the next turning to the left and instead walked right past the fortified building (also on our left) and on towards the beautiful grounds of Chateau de Penthes, for this was to be where we would search for a landscape worthy of our closer attention.

The perfect spot (and pose!) having been chosen…..

water was poured into cups…..

and this and other equipment distributed.

 

Fat brushes were used to wash the special (expensive) watercolour paper with water.  Fine-tipped paintbrushes were swirled in water and then dipped into chosen colours.  Paper towels were put to use to dab off excess wet (and to mop the odd spill).

Before our eyes…..

landscapes took shape.

Colours were scrutinised…..

and carefully copied.  Those mountains do indeed look blue!

 

Frequent comparisons were made to make sure we had got the shape of the trees right.

And whoever it was that said trees were merely green…..

was surely…..

mistaken!

 

And after all that creativity, there was even time at the end for a bit of a lie-down on the warm grass…..

before tidying everything up and trudging back to school.

The finished works of art will soon be proudly (deservedly so) displayed in the classroom.  Why not take the time to pay our gallery a visit?