Rannoch Moor, Glencoe, and Kinlochleven are some of my favourite places. I posted earlier in the year about a trip to that area of Scotland as a break from my studies (only a 1 day trip but a break nonetheless). I realise I never actually followed with any more photos yet I did more watercolour sketches while there so here are some of them now. It's crazy to think that these were done when there was snow and summer was still to come yet now summer is past and it will be snow season again soon! Where does time even go?! 









The light changed so much while painting this, with every movement of the clouds, the shadows cast over the mountains darkened parts while other parts were illuminated by the rays of the sun. At one point it started pouring with heavy rain as well and this was all in a not very long length of time. The great thing about sun and rain, however, is the formation of rainbows as you can see below. 




Social media: @HCRart on Twitter and Instagram 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hcr.art 

I also administrate an Instagram account where I share pretty pics from around the Scottish countryside: @ScottishScenes 


On Sunday I took a trip to St Cyrus beach for a walk and, naturally, ended up sketching too. This beach is one of the hidden delights of Scotland. It's entirely hidden from the main road and is gotten to by a single track road winding through farms. Once you arrive at the car park the beach is still hidden from view and is reached by a foot trail over protected natural environment and up over sand dunes where you are greeted with the stretch of sand and sea. 

When I arrived I was surprised that the place was so busy; the car park was full and there were cars parked at the side of the narrow country road too. This was unusual for a beach in this part of Scotland especially on a breezy, Sunday evening. While walking towards the beach there was a continual stream of people coming back from the coast. Some had large, cameras with professional-looking telephoto lenses. Puzzled, I asked one if there was a reason it was so busy and they replied that there was a humpback whale which had been swimming near the coast. Ooh, I thought, that would be great to see! 

Once I reached the beach, I noticed some people had brought camping chairs to it on while using binoculars to keep an eye on happenings in the sea. 
Unfortunately I did not have binoculars nor a decent camera so I didn't spot anything. 

Instead I sketched some other subjects in the area. A beach is not somewhere I would have chosen to sketch much in the past as I'd have considered the main thing to sketch to have been sand and water, the 'ebb and flow' of the tide. This is not something the would be easy to sketch in pen! Recently I have been making myself look deeper at what I see around me, however, and see shapes and textures to sketch I would have, in the past, thought not to be of much interest. Having this view of my surroundings means I can find things to sketch everywhere and never have an excuse to not pause, embrace what is around me, and try to capture a snapshot of it with my pen on paper. 

The first sketch I started was this one of the cliffs which are significantly set back from the coast due to changing tides over hundreds of years. It fascinates me how the landscape has changed so much with time. I thinks that's one reason I like coastlines so much and am appreciative of the fact I don't live in a landlocked country. 



Climbing over the sand dunes and approaching the beach. 

I may not have seen the humpback whale, but I did see the most seagulls I've ever seen at once. Not really something I wanted to see...! The noise they make in unison - wow - what a noise. 


Sketching odd 3D patterns in driftwood. This looked like multiple eyes to me! 



How I like reflections. So calming. 

The finished sketches. Cliff study, sand dune grasses, driftwood, pebbles, shells, and little seascape studies.

Maybe the next time I go to that beach I'll see a whale! There had also been sightings of dolphins and buzzards there that week so I'm keen to go back wildlife spotting. It's the best place to see marine life - where they should be, in the wild, roaming free. 

For more of my art, you can follow me on Instagram: @HCRart
Facebook: HCR.art
Twitter: @HCRart 
Website: www.hcart.com 

Much as I enjoy the city life that comes with the MSc I'm currently undertaking, I sure do miss the countryside. Over the past few weeks of university I was really craving a trip where I could be immersed in nature once again so after finishing my final assignments, I had a great day in Glen Clova at weekend. A lovely way to spend part of Easter Weekend. I had hoped to hike up to Loch Brandy while there but I hadn't envisaged the temperatures would be so low for April so didn't have my warm jacket up from Edinburgh. The 'feels like' temperature was below 0C and it felt like that at ground level, let alone at the summit! (Even after having lived in this country most of my life, I still fail to understand it's weather.) In absence of the hike, I had more time to paint which suited me fine. I hadn't painted for around two weeks and was feeling art withdrawal symptoms! 

Here are some of my photos and sketches from the trip. Since it was so cold, and raining at some points, all sketching and painting was done from the comfort of inside the car but I eagerly await warmer summer days when I can go again and paint outside. 

This was done by a lay by en route to Glen Clova, with the Glen seen in the distance. Just while parked here, the light on the hills changed so dramatically a number of times. The changing light in landscapes is always a challenge to capture and adds to the enjoyment of painting. Nothing ever stays the same, it's always changing. 

I tried to capture the hills while the sun was illuminating the heather growing on them. 
Met this wee fella while I was painting. It's a pheasant which is quite a popular bird in these areas. I don't think I've seen as many in one day as I did at the weekend, there was a lot. Maybe they were all out looking for Easter eggs early?! Here's a closer up picture but I only had my phone on me so you'll have to put up with a low-res digital zoom. 
They're quite stately birds. It's sad they're hunted for game. 


It's ironic that I took two paint sets with me thinking it'd mean I'd have a cerulean blue somewhere but my plan was to no avail as there was practically every shade but the one I wanted! This is why most of my paintings are lacking in sky...

Here's some evidence of the changeability of the weather... Heavy rain then sun, then thick fog, then sun again, then clouds, then rain... Aah Scotland, the country that just won't make up it's mind!




Taking a little wander...


I love the silhouettes made by sun shining through trees. 


Daffodils are such great symbols of Spring, new life, and Easter. Just look at how vibrantly yellow they are. 

This burger was definitely called for, I usually have it after working up an appetite from the hike up to Loch Brandy but this time I found I could polish it off just as well. It's all made with local produce and is delicious every time. 


After refueling, my stomach(!), I did one final painting before the sun disappeared behind the mountains.  




End of the day and the end of my sketchbook as no blank pages remained. 

Here's one final photo

Oh, and I should say that I still have four exams and a dissertation to go, so by no means am I free from academic stress yet! The trip to Glen Clova and Easter Sunday with family was a welcome break but revising and dissertation-ing will fill a lot of my time from now on so I'll post when I can but can't promise it'll be very regular.

If you'd like to see what I'm up to in the interim, you can follow me on Twitter: @HCRart, Instagram: @HCRart, and on Facebook, at, you've guessed it, @HCRart! 
                      Midterm trip 


In the midst of semester 2 of my MSc, I had a one week break from lectures the other week (though with an assignment due Friday of said week, it didn't feel like much of a break(!) Still, I managed a trip to one of my favourite parts of Scotland after turning in the assignment - yay! 

I had been missing sketching from real life as it's been so cold in Edinburgh lately so not really practical to sketch outdoors. But the great thing about road trips is they involve lovely warm 'moving studios' (haha) so I can retreat to the warmth of the car to paint what's in front of me when it gets too chilly. 

The weather truly was Scottish weather on the day I was there as there was sun, clear blue skies, dark clouds, sleet, sun again, and rain all in one day. Got to love the variety... 

Anyway, here are some snaps from the Glencoe part of the day. This part of Scotland would usually have more snow in it at this time of year but it's not been a good winter snow-wise. Nothing can take away from the beauty and magnificence of the area though, snow or no-snow, the scale is something that you can only experience if you are actually there. Photos can never do it justice, so I definitely encourage you to visit if you get the opportunity! More photos to follow when I get a chance. 





    "Office" for the afternoon // Artist's paradise  


A rare photo from the other side of the of the camera... 



P.S Feel free to follow my artistic pursuits on social media (don't worry, it's all art / nature - no food pics or selfies, I have another account for that, well food, not, selfies, selfies aren't my thing. Food, however, mmmm, I love it!) Intrigued? Get in touch and I'll give you the account info. 

Have a great day 

Instagram: @HCRart
Twitter: @HCRart
Facebook: @HCR.art 




Apologies for neglecting the blog, I relocated to Edinburgh to start a MSc in Psychology of Mental Health in Autumn last year and it's been a very fast-paced, jam-packed course so far so I've not been blogging. I have, nonetheless, still been keeping up my artistic practice as I don't think I'd be coping with university otherwise! Art is my calm-zone. 

The city is wonderful for sketching in as it's got a whole load of Georgian buildings in New Town, sprinklings of modern architecture, and, my favourite part, the Old Town. The sketch I'm showing in this post is from a super cool part of the Old Town. It's this curved, colourful, split-level street off the Grassmarket. This street was actually, I believe, to have been the inspiration for J.K. Rowling's Diagon Alley in her Harry Potter books. I did the sketch at the weekend from a photo I took during the week on a better day. The weather at the weekend was heavy rain, just like today's weather actually. It's wind and rain - the joys of being inside on a day like this! 

Anyway, this is one of my Saturday sketches. I'll try to post more regularly from now on but can't promise anything as the days, weeks, and months just got by here. And as clichéd as that sounds, they really do. 



Here's a photo I took of my painting on location once the rain had gone off! 

You can follow my artistic pursuits more regularly by looking for @HCRart on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook 

💜
HCR 


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