Penzance

This week, I have been in Penzance as part of a college trip, which involved looking at galleries and sketching the scenery. I decided to collect as many photos as possible in order to use it as a reference for other sketches. This week was set as a one week project, which focused on the main characteristics of Cornwall, and I decided to pay my attention to the color; I admired the strong vibrant colors of the countryside and I wanted to take advantage of it. 

As I started going through this project, I began to get more attracted to the Cornish waters because of the natural movements, the color and the way the surroundings naturally blend with it.

At the end of the week, after collecting all my primary resources, I was set a task to paint on three tiles. I decided to use the drawings as a reference for my paintings mainly because the hostel had no computers to show my photos and my camera was low on battery.

My first tile was a painting of St. Michael's Mount, which was produced using acrylic paint and a paint brush; I would have preferred to use oil [paint because it has a richer pigment, however, the college wouldn't of had enough room to put them, and they are expensive for the college to provide.
My second tile was mixed medium because all the palette plates were put in the bin and I spent most of my time on my first tile. I used pencils in order to draw a rough outline of the boat, and to create a clear transparent reflection in the water.
And the third tile was an accident. I was doing the under coatings of the tiles because I didn't want the wood to soak in all the paint, and I wanted my paintings to be clear. As I was painting these undercoats, the paints got mixed up and now it looks like a shore in Cornwall; I wanted to keep this third tile as it was because it Cornish colors were present and it reminded me of the fog covering the shore that same day.

I enjoyed this trip to Penzance because I was able to get to know the people on my course as well as being able to make new friends, and I think this has enabled me to be more confident with socializing and interacting with people; before this trip, I always felt that I needed to be invited into a conversation and relied on others to make me apart of a group. I have enjoyed looking at Cornwall's beautiful scenery and walking through the villages.

On another note, I disliked the trip because some people on the course decided to get drunk every night and gather everyone into the room next door from mine, which was inconvenient, however, it gave me a chance to get to know the people that weren't as social as other students of the course.

Next, I am going to continue with my previous project and attempt to illustrate my designs. I will also keep my sketchbook from Penzance and consider using the resources and artists that I have collected. One thing I think I could have improved on was making all my tiles vibrant in color rather than focusing all my time onto one tile; part of this project was to focus on color and I don't feel that I have taken full advantage of Cornwall's natural beauty. In order to improve, I should have balanced my time more effectively and use the painting that was in my sketchbook, which was an image of St.Ives' shore.