This page shows how a painting is worked up from my initial sketches made on site to the finished painting completed back home in England.  This particular work in progress (WIP) shows my bedroom window in the 18th century Perigordian farmhouse near Bergerac in the Dordogne, S.W. France where I stayed last summer. It's a painting retreat for art holidays and courses.    Two particular sketches were used to develop the painting as well as a number of photos. The first is in pen and ink (Rotring Art Pen in a Daler Rowney A4 size black hard back sketchbook - double page spread - a scan of two pages stitched together is reproduced below). It took between one and two hours on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning last August. It was the very first thing I did, very much a first impressions / "get my eye in" piece - but of the view which had immediately caught my eye that morning.  I like the discipline of drawing in pen and ink - it makes you look more carefully!  The second colour sketch was completed in coloured pencils on a terracotta shade of Canson Mi Teinte paper (smooth side) a couple of days later and shows this part of the farmhouse in afternoon light.  The painting proper - which is then shown in four stages - was completed in coloured pencil on Arches Hot Press 140lb Watercolour Paper. It's 60cm x 42cm (c.23.5" x 16.5").  Click on a thumbnail to see the larger images and/or a slideshow of all the images.