View at Metra Station,IL

Sorry for my long hiatus..was floating & bloating between islands of laziness and lands of opportunity!

Cars run America will be an understatement, I guess :)
Here, I wanted to capture the train station in full, but somehow felt that the car parked near the station captured my mind and is more beautiful than that ugly-looking-squarish-steely-box on wheels! I have done this using Strathmore watercolor 140lb - journal book. I've also added a new Niji water brush to my kit.

Bourton on the water, Cotswold

Longing to go to this place in Cotswold - Bourton on the water. So, couldn't resist  myself to do this painting from photo in a tourist mag. I could get that dark brownish color thick foliage effect using the Dr.Ph Martin's ink [Sepia ] on the pre-washed sunset skies. Love these concentrated water color inks!

The other side of beauty..

This is a view near Swindon library in town center. I actually wanted to capture the side view of thelarge library building, but when i crossed to the other end of the building, wow!..this view inspired me most, and yes this is the other side of beauty. Well, i discovered a dance school attached to the library building which i could not notice till now. Blame it on my shelf-sightedness on books :) And as a tribute to my ignoring this nice place so far, i wanted to do this side of the building which houses Swindon dance center. The red door with its energy and the swirly, squiggly styled bars emerging from the floor at the entrance captured the spirit of dance! So, here is my tango with the two - my pen and watercolor in my fav. moleskine book!

The White Crowns

The white crowns a..k.a tented market place of Swindon town center! These tents reminded me of the famed thatched hut hotels -  'Dhabas' / Village Hotels that dot most of indian highways. Well, this one  captured my imagination and i first did it in my moleskine long notepad in pen and watercolor [ below]. I tried another view of the same place on a brwon pastel paper using white sketching soft pencil and added the dark shades using my Faber Castell [ 6 shades]of gray pens - my another collection in my tool kit !

my mini global footprint ! :)

I love these shoes..Dr.Martens. I still remember when i eagerly bought them in 2007 in a sale in Reading! 5 years and still good to go! Come rain, shine, cloud, sun, snow...they see me through the day without gasping or cursing! They walked with me through the bylanes, highroads, bridges, cobbled streets, muddy meadows, of ...hmm..Brussels, Brugge, Antwerp.. Cologne, Amsterdam, Luxemborg, Edinburg, Lakeland, London, Ooty, Mysore, Bangalore, Paris, Toulouse,..and.... and ofcourse throughout Hyderabad! I've done this in my fav. moleskine notebook.

The Riflemans' Bar

I keep coming across this nice building..on my way to towncenter - An old bar named 'The Rifleman's Bar!'. This building somehow captured my imagination and i took a rough sketch & notes..later re-created this using color & wash in my moleskine watercolor pad.

The not-so-hot fireplace!

This is a fire place in my home..that we never use! The freezing cold & a dash of laziness made me to stay at home one full day. A bit of inspiration made me sit right infront of this and capture it..somehow this fireplace wears a sober look but the golden frills of the surround makes it little lively. Tried to add a bit of imagination to the otherwise pale color of the wall :)

Biggest stone arch-bridge in the world...

Well, it used to be a biggest stone arch bridge at the time of its construction. But later a new bridge was constructed and what we see today is that famous landmark of Luxemborg's  - the Adolphe bridge! Me and my colleague [Senthil- a great travel freak] walked over this bridge, wandered thru those streets, and tried to capture whatever we could with our cameras.

I did it in my new moleskine watercolor album with Pentel brush pen!! The width of the moleskine notebook helps bring out panaromic style drawings. I think it is made to capture those bridges perfectly!

I did this using an old photograph in line, ink and wash as usually.

[The paper in Moleskine album is quite different. I actually like to do on winsor & newton's 300gsm. cold pressed[not] where the absorption quality is high and the way colors mix especially wet on wet is too good compared to moleskine one. But moleskine brings out a unique look and feel. Will keep experimenting though:) ]

The River, The Mountains, The Boat - PaapiKondalu

This must be one my best journeys on a river boat. 'Paapikondalu' - the range of hills and the holy river Godavari nestles its way through them, and the way the river boat cuts through the currents, the sounds, the breeze, and occasional spotting of wild birds..such a refereshing and mesmerizing experience.

This particular view..the temple stands on the edge of a high hill, and the boats make a pit stop there...to re-fuel their energies and also for tourists! This is a nice view i could capture and render this in my new moleskine notebooks using pentel brush, watercolor, pen and ink.

Boat named 'Hope'

Saw this boat floating at the edge of a lake...it has strangely, with its stillness, stirred my ambition of adventure to places of wonder. I did this in flat 30 mins in pen, ink and wash

Enchanting Canals...Beautiful wooden buildings..

I saw these two beautiful wooden buildings on the side of a canal in Brugge...recaptured using an old photo. Did this in pen & wash

An experiment with blunt pencil, ink & wash

An experiment with black ink using a blunt pencil. I've done the washes first and then scribbled those lines to get the composition. Happy with the result :)

I'm inspired by Kiah Kiean [http://kiahkiean.com/artblog/ ]. I've recently brought his book ' line-line journey' and absolutely amazed by his mastery over line & perspective.

The Royal Mile

Royal Mile, Scotland -  every inch so royal!
The whole length of the street is filled with some nice old & magnificient buildings. It has some wonderful places like Royal Mile Whiskies, Writers Museum, and that grand & tall festival hub [ castle hill] at the end. Tried to quickly capture in a minimalist style using pen and watercolor.

The Majestic Mysore Palace

I've done this in Pen & Wash. The dark sky color effect is a great effect with a splash of ink [ Dr.Ph.Martin's Ultra Blue, Radiant Concentrated watercolor]

Mysore Maharaja Palace, India. The guide told us that this enormous structure was built in 1912 with just 50Lakh Rupees - which means 100K USD approx!! It is said that this structure is a blend of architectural styles from India, Middle East, and West. 

A Nice Tearoom in Pitlochry

This is one of the loveliest views i've come across - Hetties in Pitlochry, Scotland.
...the dark blue doorway with a large window was so welcoming that anyone can hardly miss this! More beautiful is the background that it is cast against - the wall is made up of mix and match of rocks, bricks, and cement. The long shaft of corrugated-rusty-iron-look-alike roof on the top of the wall melds nicely into the wall. This is one of my favorite pictures..in pen & watercolor.

The Ooty Hut

A unique hut built with thatching, bent coconut tree trunks, and locally sourced wooden planks..this is in Botanical Gardens, Ooty, India. A local tribe called Todas live and sell wares, shawls and other food stuff. Wonderfully nostalgic! Done in Pen & watercolor.

The haunting ruins of Warangal Fort, India

As a kid, i was always captivated by the grandeur of those rock pillars. And i grew up listening to those stories from those pillars of power that ruled the time. The beauty which still haunts...i've tried to capture the long view of the famous archway of the fort. The craftsmanship, artwork and engravings are very intricate and melodious. What remains now is just ruins..Sketched it in pen & watercolor using an an old photograph.

Bit of history: Warangal - a historical town, 150 km away from the Hyderabad. Warangal Fort epitomizes the beauty and wonder of the bygone era of Kakatiya Kingdom. This city was also mentioned by Marco Polo in his travel diaries. I come from this city and have a special place in my heart. Have a look at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WarangalFort.png