Bar Base in Watercolor at Jardim das Oliveiras
2022-08-24
This is Bar Base in Watercolor, over at Jardim das Oliveiras, in Porto. While everyone looks up at Clérigos Tower, I look the other way. Right there is Bar Base, a really busy spot, always packed with tourists enjoying the afternoon, trendy drinks, and whatever the DJ is playing. Behind me stands the famous Livraria Lello. It always has that endless line of tourists willing to spend a few minutes inside. Everyone trying to get the perfect photo of the staircase. They say it inspired the Harry Potter author’s description of the stairs at the young wizards’ boarding school.
On this page of the sketchbook, one side shows the building facades tucked behind the square. They’re half hidden among the trees, with people walking by and chatting nearby. On the other side, the lit-up Bar Base sign, surrounded by umbrellas and the buzz of everyone sitting around, soaking up the afternoon.
Painting Bar Base in Watercolor
I used the same sketchbook with aged kraft paper pages that I bought in Braga, at the Bracara Romana festival. So by the end of the afternoon, this watercolor came out of a quick parachute brush pen sketch. I really like how the paper’s aged tone helps set the mood of the drawing. The ink splatters end up adding an interesting bit of visual noise.