The Old Curiosity Tea Shop

The shop

Located at Markham Road, Main Street, an English-style restaurant is one of my favourite places to visit. Their signature house tea is worth to try! The restaurant is decorated with different kinds of tea pots. The plates and tea cups are very pretty. You would think you are already in England. Sorry! I couldn't sketch the food this time. Booking in advance is a must because there is almost impossible to get any seat by walk-in.

The entrance

The tea set (only half of the set), it's for 2.

在Markham Road的Main Street，有家吃英式茶點的店。店內所用的東西，包括杯碟都很有英國特式，牆上也掛滿林林種種的舊相片和碟，整個店的每一角落都有不同種類的茶壼。今次我不可能畫食物了，因為沒法等到畫完才吃！如要光顧這店，必須預約，否則幾乎是沒可能有位的。

Goddess Project #2- Ancient Egyptian God : Bastet

1st Session: Watercolour painting (WIP)

2nd Session: Watercolour painting 

This was my second project of the Goddess in DVAC. She is an Egyptian God named Bast who was the protector of Lower Egypt in ancient time. She was presented as a woman with a head of cat. Meredith, the model, wears the black dress with wearing the cat's ears. The make-up with the Egyptian style strong eyelines really created the feel of the Goddess.

One of my favourite artists is Charles Reed (http://www.charlesreidart.com). Love the colours he uses and the way he paints. I tried to apply some of his techniques on this painting and it turns out quite nice.

In another session, I am going to give her a kitten, a black one. Still play around warm and cold colours.

Chinatown Festival

Festivals fill up this summer! Here comes the Chinatown Festival. People enjoy the food and shopping. There are also performances on the stages. My "cats" here enjoy the city life and the sunshine!

Dim Sum Day

Almost every Chinese loves dim sum, especially in weekends. Families and friends get together, ordering different kinds of dim sums and sharing them. It is very mysterious that you cannot hear what other people said at other tables even you found they talk very loud. The tables are pretty close to each other too. This one has western style in the hall. Large traditional western-style paintings are hanging on the walls. It's a bit weird to me, the styles don't match simply. However, the dim sums taste good, love the pu-er tea which is good for digestion. Going to a Chinese restaurant for dim sums is called "Yum Cha" in Chinese.

Ferris Provincial Park and Peterborough Lift Lock

1st stop: Ferris Provincial Park

Ferris Provincial Park is in Campbellford, about 180km from the east of Toronto. If you park at the entrance and walk into the park, it's free. If you drive your car in the park, it charges at different rates depends on if you camp there. We went to Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge and walked across. I felt a bit scary when looked down to the river. I did this painting at the end of the bridge quickly as it was a pretty warm day.

Ranney George Suspension Bridge

From Ferris Provincial Park to Peterborough Lift Lock is about an hour ride. Here is a very tranquil river. Few people sat beside the river and chatted.

It is a boat lift located on the Trent Canal in the city of Peterborough and is Lock 21 on theTrent-Severn Waterway. The lock has two identical ship caissons (like bathtubs) in which vessels ascend and descend. Both caissons are enclosed at each end by pivoting gates, and there are pivoting gates at the upper and lower reaches of the canal at the junctions with the caissons. The gates on the caissons fit into slots on the gates on the reaches so that they open in unison.

We didn't see the either boat going up or down. Maybe it's not weekends.

Peterborough Lift Lock

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Winter Tree

Winter Tree
Please click here for video

Tool:

• Escoda Perla - no. 12
• Escoda Perla - no. 8
• Princeton - no. 0
• Masking Fluid
• Plastic Palette Knife

Colour:

• Cobalt Blue
• Yellow Ochre
• Burnt Sienna
• Deep Green 
• Prussian Blue
• Violet

Size: 6" x 8"
Paper: 140lb cold press

• Draft with a pencil lightly.
• Use the masking fluid to mask the snow on the tree and the falling snow.
• Wet the paper and paint the background with the grey (Cobalt Blue + Burnt Sienna), add some more Cobalt Blue on the ground area.
• When the paper is still damp, mix the grey (Cobalt Blue + Burnt Sienna) to paint the tree at the far side. 
• When it's getting drier, use the plastic palette knife to scratch the tree lines.
• Mix the Dark Green with some Cobalt Blue to paint the tree.
• For the darker area, all the Prussian Blue in the Dark Green and paint it.
• Add some Violet in the paint and paint the darker area.
• When it's still damp, use the plastic palette know to scratch the lines.
• When everything is dried, remove the masking fluid.
• Paint the shadow on the snow in Cobalt Blue.
• Paint Yellow Ochre at the bottom of the snow.
• Refine the snow shadow with some Prussian Blue and Violet.

工具：

• Escoda Perla - no. 12
• Escoda Perla - no. 8
• Princeton - no. 0
• 遮蓋液
• 膠畫刀

顏色:

• Cobalt Blue
• Yellow Ochre
• Burnt Sienna
• Deep Green 
• Prussian Blue
• Violet

尺寸: 6" x 8"
紙: 140lb cold press

• 用鉛筆輕輕起稿。
• 以遮蓋液把樹上和下著的雪畫在畫紙上待乾。
• 把紙弄濕再畫上灰色 (Cobalt Blue + Burnt Sienna), 然後加多一點Cobalt Blue畫地下。
• 當紙還未全乾時，用灰色(Cobalt Blue + Burnt Sienna)畫遠處的樹。
• 再用膠畫刀括出樹枝。
• 用Dark Green混一些 Cobalt Blue畫樹。
• 加入Prussian Blue在Dark Green 畫較深色的地方，雪的下方。
• 可加一些 Violet 在深色的地方。
• 當顏色還未全乾時，用膠畫刀把樹的邊緣顏色向外括修整樹形。
• 當顏色完全乾透時，擦去遮蓋液。
• 用Cobalt Blue畫在雪上的陰影。
• 可在雪底加一些Yellow Ochre。
• 如有需要，可用一些Prussian Blue和Violet修改一下雪的形狀。