Illustration Friday - Quiet

This week's topic is Quiet. There are several sketches in my sketchbook which I think are related to this topic.

The first one has origin in Turkey, namely in Alanya, last year. This is old cemetery , right in the middle of the town. Next behind this wall is busy, really crowded beach, but here was divine silence. It was something I was suprised by - this quiet. You can feel it there and I feel it each time I see this picture. There was nothing, only tombs, sun-dried grass, me and quiet.
What is interesting, too, you can see different tombstones used for gender , man and woman. Done in watercolors and watercolors pencils.

Next picture depicted a small pond, somewhere in Slovakia, Tomky, Záhorie. I was on the way to my client when suddenly before my eyes was opened this view .That week, I remember, was very quick and busy, so when I see this view I was overhelmed by peace and quiet of this place. I stopped the car, take out my watercolor kit and made this quick sketch. I am sure I could not find this place today again, but this quiet stay for me in this sketch forever.

The third picture is from Thailand. It was so : When you are on the beach you are target of beach dwellers sellings various things. If you think that if you buy something and it is over - you are wrong! Like flies have some right direction to the pot of honey, these unsuccesfull (until yet) dwellers find way directly to you. I know they are poor and I don´t want be rude, but I know ,too, I cannot save the whole world. So there was some moment I found some thai newspapers you cannot read any word there and found this picture, start drawing it and there was curious thing - they sit around in semicircle and waiting in quiet until I finished . There was something strange, I am no artist who easy draw between unrelated people, but here ... there was no problem, I was concentrated on this picture. By the way, from this moment they don´t disturb me with selling (they want to see my drawings :-) )

Prague again

Last week including weekend was so busy , so I am back in Prague. There are pictures depicted several "house signs" on Nerudova street.It is for this moment my excuse for EDM challenge "store", because these signs were often signs of shops located in this house , or family names, or something similar.

Prague weekend

The summer is quite over , so where can I spent last summer weekend ? I am sure I told you sometimes somewhere in this blog : I love Prague. If you will have this possibility , please don´t miss it. Prague is lovely town, especially Old town- but not only there. Your eyes can see this (view to a Prague Castle over the river Vltava) :
Or something like this ( view from Carl´s bridge) :

Or this , in better quality , of course . This is sketch of Carl´s Bridge from opposite site , from Malá Strana , done in watercolor and inkpen.
Buildings on Malá Strana are interesting , too. You can feel history from each and every corner.


From my sketchblock :
This sketch is memory of visiting Dan Landa muzical "Tajemstvi" (Mystery) , which is dark story about curse of family, about love and hate,about paralell quests from past and present, muzical full of knights and werevolves, about mystery game, with dynamic muzic and good artists. And with surprising end.
For afternoon tea (but not only tea) I recommend visit to a probably the best Prague tearoom "U zeleného čaje" ( "At Green Tea") on Nerudova street. Here, in haze of fragrant tea you forget tourist crowded streets outside. As you can see on my jasmin tea picture, you can draw , too.

Last but not least.EDMC #84- Draw a bread. This is a quick sketch from old Czech pub "U provaznice" done with inkpen and PITT pen.

Illustration Friday - farm

My contribution to Illustration Friday´s topic of this week "farm". Here is depicted salaš , place where in Slovakia on hill´s meadows was sheeps and cattle for long period of the year, in english probably sheep-cote. Shepherd´s hut , this small wooden house, has name koliba. Shepherds (valasi) and boss (bača) not only take care for sheeps (favourite meal of bears and wolves) but in next door sheep´s chees diary make a various products from sheep´s milk, mostly bryndza , which is a special type of soft sheep cheese, absolutly necessary for slovak national meal Bryndzové halušky (some type of potato gnocchi) ! Fabulous is oštiepok, hard sheep cheese, dry smoked .
It was hard work,but adventure & romantic in one. When I was 5 years old, I run away from home because I want to be a bača :-)

The picture is pen&ink, watercolor pencils and watercolors.

Theatrical masks from Myra

In this post I return to Myra, ancient town of Lycia (now in Turkey). As you know from previous post, the facade of the Roman amphitheatre in Myra was richly decorated with theatrical masks and mythological scenes.Now it is in ruins and everywhere around are lying stones with faces, most of them not damaged, very artistic and nice.

Back from the Land of Half-Moon

The last two summer weeks we usually spent in Turkey, on so called Turkish Riviera on the coast of Mediterranean Sea .This year in Kemer , which was formerly small town, now seaside resort .One of the major attractions of Kemer is it´s natural beauty.
The clean sea, forests and the Taurus mountains combine here in harmony.But more, the area around is full of ancient cities and archeologicals points of interests. So, you can imagine, there was no time for boring on my holiday.


As a very favourite part of my holiday is a tasting of turkish cuisine. I must admit, there is no meal you could not give thumbs up . Gözleme is a savory Turkish pastry made by rolling dough with a thin roller and repeatedly folding it. It is filled, and browned in a pan.

Next pictures are from sunken city of Kekova, an ancient town, which was destroyed by an earthquake during the second century A.D. You can see see parts of houses through glass bottoms of boats . Very impressive !

Next town I visited, Myra, was one of the six most important cities of ancient Lycia and eventually was made the capital of the Roman province of Lycia. As a result of Arab raids, earthquakes, and the flooding of the Myrros stream, the city became largely abandoned.The ruins of Myra consist of an impressive necropolis and adjacent well preserved Roman theatre and are located at about 1.5 km north of present day Kale - Demre. The Roman theatre is large with 35 consecutive rows of seats. The facade of the amphitheatre was richly decorated with theatrical masks and mythological scenes. To the west of the theatre the steep cliff is honeycombed with closely packed tombs, most of them of the Lycian house-type.
In early Christian times, Myra was the metropolis of Lycia. The town is traditionally associated with Saint Paul, who changed ships in its harbor. Saint Nicholas of Myra was a bishop of Myra in the 4th century, he had a reputation for secret gift-giving, but is now commonly known as Santa Claus. The earliest church of St. Nicholas at Myra was built in the 6th century.

In 1863 Czar Alexander II of Russia bought the building and started to have it restored, but the work was never finished. In 1963 the eastern and southern sides of the church was excavated, in 1968 the former burial of St. Nicholas was roofed over. The floor of the church is made of opus sectile, a mosaic of coloured marble, and there are some remains of wall-paintings. A Greek marble sarcophagus had been reused to bury the Saint, but his bones were stolen in 1087 by merchants from Bari, and now held in the cathedral of that city.

Karpuzkaldiran Waterfall , is approx. 40 meters high and the water gushes down onto the massive rocks with great force.This waterfall is located in Antalya, near Lara.Don´t worry, there was still plenty of time for sea and sun, and for some drawings, too. Despite of bomb attacks in near Antalya and annoying Russian tourists in hotel, it was fun-tastic time again.

EDM#76 : Fresh flowers

Today we spent a day at parents of my friend and right there , on the sunny backyard of their house I found a plant-pot with blooming pomegranate (Punica granatum ). I was suprised how many blossoms was on this small tree. Did you know that pomegranate is native to southwest Asia (mostly Iran) and alongside the grape and the fig has a position of importance ? It is mentioned in Bible, by the Prophet Muhammad and in Greek mythology. Pomegranates are a symbol of fertility because of their many seeds, yet of death because of the vivid blood red of the pulp.In the development of European iconography, the pomegranate developed into the Orb that a monarch holds at coronation.
One pomegranate delivers 40% of an adult's daily vitamin C requirement. It is also a rich source of folic acid and of antioxidants.In several human clinical trials, the juice of the pomegranate has been found effective in reducing several heart risk factors, to reduce systolic blood pressure and juice has also been shown to be effective against certain cancers such as prostate cancer.The juice can also be used as an antiseptic when applied to cuts. Be aware , pomegranate juice stains clothing permanently unless washed with bleach ,therefore is used for natural dyeing of non-synthetic fabrics. The pomegranate also gave its name to the hand grenade from its shape and size (and the resemblance of a pomegranate's seeds to a grenade's fragments).More interesting you can read here or here.

So , my first picture is done with watercolor pencils and waterbrush pen only, the second one is done with markers.


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This orchid is example that you don´t need a special conditions for culture orchids. You only need "the green fingers " of my friend´s mother :-)

On this plant is 21 flowers , no greenhouse , common window in common bedroom.

Holiday in Telč

Last weekend I spent in lovely town Telč , in Czech republic.This town in the South of the Českomoravská Vrchovina (Bohemian-Moravian Highlands) contains a castle and a long urban triangular plaza with well-conserved Renaissance houses with gables and arcades. The town’s origins date back to 1099, since 1992 has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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The plaza has so distinctive atmosphere (as you can see) for painting and drawing , unfortunately most of the time was bad weather , was raining cats and dogs.





Holidays in Telč is a summer 14-day music festival and presentation of music groups supplemented with theater and movie performances. Strong evidence of growing popularity is the fact that the festival enters its 22th year of existence and is attended by approximately 20.000 visitors every year. And despite falling water from the sky there was plenty of people willing to see theater performance and (fortunately in shielded space of cellar ) concert of folk group KOA - that was a highlight of the evening for me !
















How I said , most of the time was rainy , so I made only quick sketches in my daily sketchblock. Sketching in concert was opposite , more- less (more more than less ) blind contour :-) No, not really , but imagine...drawing in full crowded semi dark room .