Artist’s Diary – A colorful market near Cafe Anna Blume
Prenzlauer Berg was a section of Berlin entirely in the East before the Berlin Wall came down, immediately adjacent to “Mitte” (middle) – the center of Berlin that was also in the East. One of our favorite areas in Prenzlauer Berg is indeed along Kollwitzstrasse and around the Kollwitzplatz (appropriately named after artist Kathe Kollwitz who lived nearby).
The subject: An apparent hub of the Kollwitzplatz scene is the popular Café Anna Blume. It has a casual, comfortable outside patio — a perfect place to kickback any time of day. From there, you can enjoy the tree-lined streets and strolling passers-by. Any direction you look, you see other enticing places to enjoy a chilled glass of Müller Thurgau wine or a hot coffee und homemade “Kuchen” (cake) while taking in the street scene.
The inspiration: As we sat at dinner at Cafe Anna Blume sipping wine on the patio on a warm summer evening, I became entranced by the colors of a small market across the street. I just had to “paint and draw” the scene using my iPad for this watercolor view from Cafe Anna Blume.
Artist’s tools: I used the program Paper53 on my iPad combined with a Bamboo basic stylus for this watercolor. It is a quick sketch, using an ink pen for the outlines of the building, tree branch and fruit carts, and then a watercolor brush with a light wash for the bright splashes of color.
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