Archway, Prague

A second sketch from Prague. Rather ran out of room at the edge of the board on this drawing as I would have preferred more width to fully include the right-hand gatehouse, and more height to better enclose the head of the arch. I also couldn't contrive any greenery in the foreground to balance the ivy-clad wall visible in the distance, which would also have helped.

I find working on the Daler Rowney Mounting Boards very easy - they support themselves to lean on when cut into A4-A5 peices and they are light to carry and don't need stretching. They also come coloured in various cream and stone colours, and have a surface on them not dissimilar to a Hot-Pressed finish on a watercolour paper. The only disadvantage is that the paper surface is not resilient to any rubbing.

NH www.nickhirst.co.uk

Main Square & Cathedral, Prague

This watercolour sketch was drawn in an uncomfortably prominent position within one of the main squares in Prague. A very hot day, the paint was drying very quickly, and I therefore was able to paint on site without having to wait the 30 minutes for the washes to dry.

It was painted over a fast pencil sketch on Daler Rowney Cream COloured Mounting Board.

NH  www.nickhirst.co.uk