little french villages

6 September 2017
Archiane, south Vercors mountains, France
Archiane, south Vercors mountains, France

Two months in France have just flown by and I have finished my first large sketchbook - the Fabriano one shown above. I've also added scores of little landscapes sketches to my little pocket Moleskine I take hiking with me.

We didn't travel around all that much this time, just staying in a few of our favourite places and catching up with as many friends as we could.

Here are a selection of completed sketches from some of the little villages we visited.

Treminis, Devoluy mountains, France
Treminis, Devoluy mountains, France
The super, super old 'La Mere Eglise', Devoluy, France.
The super, super old 'La Mere Eglise', Devoluy, France.
Getting caught up in the details. Old door, Le Seuil.
Getting caught up in the details. Old door, Le Seuil.
Little postcard, Fouillouse, France.
Little postcard, Fouillouse, France.
L'Abbaye du Laverq, Barcelonnette, France
L'Abbaye du Laverq, Barcelonnette, France
The window on Chapelle Saint-Antoine, near Saint Paul sur Ubaye, France
The window on Chapelle Saint-Antoine, near Saint Paul sur Ubaye, France

Postcard love!

This summer, as we travel around Europe, I am sending original watercolour postcards to people all over the world. You can see one I sent from Fouillouse a couple of pictures above.
To enter to receive a postcard you should follow me on Instagram or Facebook.

Au revoir! Until next time which will probably be from Spain.

urban sketching francein my sketchbookout and about2017 paintings
Paint a free watercolour online lesson

A free lesson for you!

One of my all-time favourite paintings of a stormy day in a ruined Roman town in Spain.

You can do this! Let me show you how. Join my community to receive this free video tutorial.

Join here
how versatile is potters pink?

how versatile is potters pink?

1 July 2026

Potters pink is very pretty, dusty pink with an old world feel. It granulates beautifully and is very lightfast. While pretty on its own, it’s a super versatile colour to use in all sorts of ways. J...

Read more →

a vase with white flowers

a vase with white flowers

24 June 2026

Here's a deceptively simple painting delivers maximum impact for minimal effort — a wet-in-wet background and a limited palette do most of the work, while the result glows with light and looks far m...

Read more →

summer flowers & an old fence post

summer flowers & an old fence post

16 June 2026

There's something irresistibly paintable about a weathered fence post half-swallowed by summer wildflowers. It's the contrast that does it — rough, sun-bleached wood against the soft, fleeting delic...

Read more →