Gondolas, Venice (Pencil Sketch)

Description

I sketched this iconic view in preparation for a watercolour demonstration to be included on the Painting Venice DVD.

I always enjoy finding my way around dark values with a pencil, making sure the necessary highlights are in place to prevent those intense tones from looking too flat and lifeless. Gondolas are surprisingly tricky to render, not least because of the way they become foreshortened in the viewport, hiding just how long and slim many of them are.

The buildings in the background belong to San Giorgio Maggiore, a 16th Century Benedictine church, built on a small island of the same name, providing the perfect backdrop to the line of gondolas all parked up for the evening, ready for the hordes of returning tourists due the next morning.

This painting is supplied unframed, and will be dispatched in protective packaging with rigid backing panel, ready to take to a framer.