Welcome to Polly's Blog

Welcome to Polly's Blog
Watercolour, humour, this and that

Friday 6 December 2013

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

I'd had this painting in mind for a long time.  I wanted to know what Southport (a Victorian seaside resort on the north west coat of England) looked like in Edwardian days. (early 1900's).  So I did some research, which I promptly didn't really follow!! Typical of me.  Here is the progress

Already I didn't think it was going well, wobbly window syndrome! But persisted in a 'gung ho' fashion! And the attitude, it's only a piece of paper

Hubby didn't like the woman in the foreground and I agreed.  I put the pic out on my facebook page for instant advice.  Wasn't as bad as I thought. But the woman certainly was not right, facing in the wrong direction, too prominent and the wheelie bin in front of her not a good idea (was in fact a pram in case you were wondering)

Well here is the revised version.  Lady now leading you into the picture. I  tried to wash her out but wouldn't work completely, so went over her with an opaque colour, cobalt. Used some white guache to try and straighten some of the windows, and added some more cobalt in the sky to balance the picture, also to the lady linking arms. Can't do anything about the wobbly red writing, but hey it's only a piece of paper.

Hope you get a flavour of what this lovely main street looked like years ago.  To finish here is a pic of what it looks like now.

It's a wide tree lined street, with these distinctive verandahs, it's about a mile long with outside cafes, very contintental and looks lovely on a warm sunny day.  On the right is the Town Hall and Art Centre, a bandstand, small green areas an outdoor cafe and fountains.  Very pleasant place to sit awhile or stroll along.

Have a wonderful weekend. Keep snug and warm

25 comments:

  1. il est toujours interessant de voir le cheminement du peintre

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  2. Really lovely watercolour Polly, would love to visit your tearoom!

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  3. Polly - I think this is really gorgeous. I love the cobalt blue - it really did rescue the painting and the echo of it in the lady in the background does take your eye full circle. Hope you have a beautiful day.

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    1. Thanks Debbie. I didn't used to use opaque colours but now I see the sense of having them in my palette. Had a wonderful day

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  4. Nice save. Both were fine but the second one does work better with her leading us into the pix. Nice job. Love the area too. I don't mind the wonky..you say..lettering..it's not a photograph after all. :)

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    1. Thanks for your comments and making feel better about the wonky letters.

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  5. I'm glad you did not discard this Polly, your fixing is great and one would not know it was not always like this. It is a superb scene and I like it very much? I would certainly stop by for tea

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    1. Do pop by. We do lovely scones and clotted cream.

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  6. Dear Polly, it seems to have always been like I see it,now!
    I really like that the woman in foreground is seen from behind and walking into the painting instead of going out
    And finally, the palette results bright and perfect! YOU are absolutely BRILLIANT. Well done and well managed !!! Have nice weekend!

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    1. Thank you Rita. Help from friends was very useful. Sometimes you can't see what is wrong yourself. Have a lovely Sunday.

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  7. great talent...loved visiting your blog

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  8. Really beautiful Polly , you did an amazing job . And I love how you 'corrected' the woman , she is perfect now , and you couldn't tell she wasn't 'right' from the very start .

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  9. Your painting is great, I like it alot, and you are right about the woman in the foreground; the blue fits better to the painting. The blue makes a better balance. About the letters; could you maybe erase some small parts of the letters instead of trying to making the letters straight? It´s just an idea, as you mentioned it. If you do; you could concentrate on erasing the parts that you think is too "crocked" or what you called it. And just paint in the backgroundcolour afterwards. Thank you for sharing such a lovely painting and referencephoto. Take care!

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    1. Thank you for your suggestion, may try that carefully. The red is not easy to remove. Thank you for visiting my blog. Have a lovely Sunday

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  10. great post....you did a wonderful job!

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  11. Hi Polly:) My, what a lot of work, with a very critical and honest hubby! Like mine is too:) I also had that feeling about that lady but in the newest version she is just good! I love the buildings and you achieved a cozy feeling with your painting. It's beautiful Polly! Have a nice week:)xx

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    1. Thank you Renate. It's nice to know my alterations improved the painting. Hope you are feeling much better. Take care xx

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  12. I think you did a great job as you persevered with your challenging Victorian street scene. I love how you regrouped and painted a 2nd painting based on what you didn't like about your first attempt. I really like the 2nd painting and think the woman in the foreground is very welcoming.

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    1. Thank you Barbara, for taking the time to comment and for your positive words. Have a great week

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  13. Love how you wanted to see it as a Victorian street instead of how it looks now. Nice job on this. I did see it on Facebook and watched as you improved it. Good for you!

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    1. Thanks Joan. And thank you for your second viewing!

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