The Water of Leith, near Balerno – (Great) Pencil(s) in a Moleskine Sketchbook

With a bit of luck this will be my 200th post on Skineart and I would like take this opportunity to offer some thanks to you as well as letting you know how I found these great pencils. Special thanks to Leo for keeping this website running.

I never thought that I would have the remotest amount of perseverance to paint and sketch on such a regular basis and one of the good things about this site is the fantastic feedback from everyone. This has encouraged me to continue over the past months. I am delighted that you folks take the time to comment on the stuff I send in and feel that I have made many new friends. People seem to go out of their way to be positive, in their feedback and no one ever seems to be damning or offers harsh criticism – I am fond of helping new members understand this. Its so encouraging. I am in regular contact with some of you and we discuss a plethora of things apart from art. I email groups in The States and Europe regularly and have just started using my web cam to have conversations with “John” in America’s mid west, using Skype. John also contributes to Face book where some of you participate. He, in fact, told me about “Palamino” pencils recently and I sent to California for a few which I used for this sketch. He had described using these as, “A very sensual experience”. I think they are great! They have a very “silky” feel and they just glide over the page. They can be found at:

http://www.pencilrevolution.com/2005/09/review-of-california-republic-palomino/

I would never have found out about these pencils if Skineart had passed me by. Incidentally, this also goes for water brushes, different types of watercolour pencils, gel pens, carbon pens, painting with different inks et all. Thank you all for many great suggestions.
As you all know I am fond of describing places in my country but have learned much, in return, from my contact with others across the globe and just thought you might like to know how grateful I am.

Now, today’s lesson! The Water of Leith runs from the Pentland Hills through Edinburgh to the Leith district lying on the Firth of Forth. A few years ago a pathway was constructed so that walkers and cyclists could follow the river with ease. Margaret and I walked about a third of the distance, about seven miles, last week and this sketch is from the village of Balerno just next to the start. Its a great place to enjoy a wee stroll without too much effort. All the best – Bob.