East Block
Posted: May 29, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized 16 CommentsI spent a little time in Ottawa today, sketching East Block, one of the three main buildings on Parliament Hill. As I came to discover, it’s a challenging building to paint. The exterior is Nepean Sandstone, and although there are lots of intricate details on the copper roof that were fun to draw, the stone itself is quite heavy and dark. I tried to suggest it with a combo of line and wash, but it required several layers of paint to convey the solidity of the structure. Many moons ago, on a school trip to the nation’s capital, I visited the Parliament buildings, but I don’t remember much about their history. It took a little searching on Wikipedia to discover that East Block has remained relatively intact since its original construction in 1866. It’s open for tours in July and August, if you are interested.
What color paints did you use for the roofs….so pretty. It’s a very nice sketch!
Hi Laura,
For the copper roofs I used a combination of Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Teal and Quin Gold.
Lovely painting, enjoy seeing how the rooftops and windows are gems of color next to the solid walls. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much!
Beautifully done. You have done a superb job in capturing this historical building. congrats.
Thanks so much Martha. Hard to believe but this is the first time I sketched the Parliament buildings.
Nice details, the roof tops are very nice, and the color of the windows,
thanks Louise!
Good job from an Ottawa resident who saw the building in an artistic expression that’s very excellent.
Thanks Janice. This must look very familiar to you.
Merveilleux!
What a beautiful interpretation. Thanks for sharing.
Good work! And it brings back memories of a visit there (huh, thats decades ago now … time really flies).
Thanks so much for writing! I have been to Ottawa so many times but never sketched the buildings. Glad you like it.
I could eat your paintings, your watercolor sketches and drawings. They are so lovely, so exquisitely done. You have mastered a difficult medium and made it appear… easy. Thank you for sharing your beautiful gift. I appreciate it so very much.
bernadette
I really appreciate you taking the time to write Bernadette. You are very kind.