Á Votre Santé

A Step-by-Step Watercolor Demonstration

Rousillon is a sleepy village in the Luberon region of Provence, well-known for its ochre mines which provided the pigments for the manufacture of paints, including the ones we artists use. On our last workshop painting trip we purchased some ochre pigments from a shop. They can be mixed with oil or gum arabic to make artist-quality oil, watercolor or gouache paints. Those same colors are reflected in the paint colors of the houses and buildings in the village, which glow intensely in the light of dawn or sunset. A Votre Sante was inspired by one of those glorious late afternoons in Rousillon, when the light is just right and the people settle back to enjoy “la belle vie” with a glass of wine and a toast, “To Your Health”.

This is my 8.5 x 11” sketch in pen made on location, after my thumbnail sketches gave me the best composition to work from. It is so important to do those thumbnails first! I don’t always have time to do a larger sketch like this, but if I do, it can really pay off …