Chillie may I ask if you have a background in architecture?
You pen and ink drawings are so technically correct .
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That’s beautiful artwork Muddy.
I’ll start a thread about sharing tips and techniques a bit later then. I’m excited to lean how you do that.
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That’s a great idea Brattis but please feel free put them on here if you like we can all share it will be good 
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Hey Chillie, your artwork turned out so much better than mine. You should be teaching us some tips.
How did you get such accuracy in your work?
Did you need any special tools or equipment?
Are you an architect as well as impeccable drawer? Did you take any special classes to learn such a skill? It truly is amazing work?
Is that pen & ink that you use? And if you use water colour paints, do you add the colour before adding the pen and ink so it doesn’t smear?
And how do you do Sfumato?
Can you give us a step by step instruction on how to do this?
I’m learning so much already. 
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Actually I could learn so much more from you both so look forward to learning some awesome painting techniques right here.
Thanks. That’s a wonderful offer.
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This is so much fun. 
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Sfumato
Please bear in mind I only learned this myself two days ago !
It’s creating a soft edge where the colours meet .
It’s easier to do when the paint is wet hence with oil paints it is easier .
So - I am using very small brush strokes to ease the paints into each other rather than a hard edge ,
Here is a video that vaguely explains it ,
Tutorial : Sfumato, How to fuse a color into another - YouTube ( sansador is a none smelling alternative to turpentine )
But the best examples are on the old masters whose soft edges just merge into each other .
Here is the face of the Mona Lisa shows it best
Not a hard edge to be seen
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That’s definitely a great technique Muddy and every little bit helps.
I’m not a great free hand drawer so often use either a photograph or I use carbon paper, tracing or graph paper to make some type of basic stencil to start my artwork from. From there I start my painting.
For those wishing to get some help with painting boats and harbours, this book has some great projects. It’s called Ready to Paint Boats & Harbours by Charles Evans.
And here are two paintings I did from this resource book. One was for my mother and father in law ( it’s a bit out of focus ) and one I did for my husband. My husband wanted his painting done darker.
It offers its own basic stencils which can be used over and over again and they are completely waterproof.
Here are what the stencils look like.
Here’s is a finished picture in the book
Even with these resources, no picture ever turns out the same. This book is one of the best painting books I’ve ever owned.
Here are two pictures I did for my in-laws.
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Hi @Muddy no I have no background in architecture. I did technical drawing at school which I liked. Learnt a bit about perspective there.
Then I did 6 months in Portsmouth Dockyard Drawing Office as part of my apprenticeship so probably picked up some of my draughting skills there.
I’ve studied quite a few books on buildings, the various materials used and the textures. It’s been a case of a lot of practice and a lot of failures. None of this came naturally to me.
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Thanks @d00d . Bath (which is where that row of houses is) has lots of streets like that. And a lot hidden down side roads.
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Hi @Bratti thanks for those kind words. Your water colours are excellent. I struggle with that medium. It seems to have a mind of its own 
The accuracy I get in my work I think is through being a Mr P (p for pedantic) in that I will restart a piece over and over until I get it absolutely right.
The trick is also to study as many buildings as possible the materials used and how the textures of those materials look.
Sometimes I think I have too much detail in my drawings. If you take the house by the arch bridge that I did, I’m not happy with depicting all the brick work as I have. Sometimes it is better to suggest detail.
No I don’t use any special tools or equipment. I have a clutch pencil that I use which I can swap out the leads for different hardnesses.
I use these pens for my ink drawings. As you can see they are like a cartridge pen and come in different line thicknesses.
No I haven’t been to any special classes, I’ve basically taught my self. But I have got a lot of books showing different techniques which I have practiced and employed where necessary.
All my drawings start off as light pencil sketches. I then apply colour over the top be that watercolour or coloured pencils. Then finally out line and highlight in ink. Mind you each step is open to disaster, either through smudging the ink or the paint not going how you want it.
I have done something similar to sufato with coloured pencils where I have used my finger tips to blend colours
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I dug out all my art stuff because this has got my juices flowing and found a couple more drawings from way back,
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@Chillie6 your artwork is superb, you really should do more - and frame it! It really is worth being on display, it’s that good.
I used to do such a lot of drawing and pen and ink stuff when I was younger, but I haven’t picked up a pencil and pad for decades now. I’d love to try again, but I’m not sure I’d want it to take time away from other things, like sewing, embroidery, crafting and so on. There are only so many arty/crafty things you can give your time to!
That last one you posted Chillie, of cowboys on horses, is just brilliant! Please don’t leave these all hidden away.
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These are lovely Bratti
Like Chillie I struggle with water colours I think it’s a really hard medium you can’t make a mistake !
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Thanks @Bathsheba for you kind comments. I think I have been poked now into picking up my pencil again.
Seem to have lost my favourite pencil, a clutch pencil that you can swap out the leads. Have ordered a new one.
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don’t want neck strain…Chillie6.
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Thanks for that Di. Photo manipulation is not my thing
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Fantastic artwork from everyone 
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Couple of clicks that is all Chillie6… 
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