Travel Days Series - Paris, France

Our next stop in our Travel Days Series is to Paris France! I have been dreaming of a simple day in Paris. One spent absorbing my scenery from an outdoor cafe. Spending the entire day people watching and sketching as I nurse coffee cup after coffee cup and enjoy some French eats. No tourist trips, no attractions, no running around, just a day to sit, observe and be inspired. So grab your journal and supplies, order a cup of coffee and sweet from your local coffee shop, maybe even bring some fresh flowers into your space and head to your favorite nook in your home or to a new local coffee shop and lets get inspired by the cafes of Paris!

For this lesson, we will be using colored pencil as our base drawing in a warm hue. I selected a burnt Sienna color to give warmth to the underdrawing of the piece. Next, we will be combining acryla gouache and acrylics to create an illustrative painting over top of our drawing. When creating illustrations, you want to use bold lines and create shapes to mimic the idea of a feature rather than defining each element.

For the color palette, I wanted something very romantic and feminine. My focus is on the woman at the cafe who is either writing her next novel or playwright or jotting down ideas for her next painting. She evokes a very feminine feel and is absorbing the present moment and all the beauty that Paris has to offer. I have very subtle contrasts and used only warm hues to embody this charming and feeling.