Fun! Creative and Imaginative. A great way to explore texture, line, colour and tonal values as well as using your imagination! This was done with burnt sienna, french ultramarine and a micron of permanent rose with a plastic wrap technique applied in vertical bands. Just make sure your watercolour paints are quite sloppy wet, […]
One of my favourite vases caught my eye today. Its deep indigo, ultramarine, cobalt teal, yellow green seemed to call out to me to look, to pay attention. The vase had been tucked away behind many of my art supplies for a number of months, but today I saw it with new eyes. As I […]
I want powerful, dynamic brushstrokes! I want them lively, not boring. And, I want 1 brushstroke to do the job of 20……. Its not that I’m slacking off, I tell myself I’m ‘efficient.’ I’d like my time, effort and energy to be optimised to the maximum possible. You too? I thought so! Let me tell you […]
Zen of Art. How to tame the Dragon called Perfectionism? In search of perfection. A tantalising empty promise. An Illusion. “How Good” does my art have to be, before I’m satisfied? When will I be content and not frustrated? What does it actually take? And hey! why should I bother thinking about this anyway?! […]
Loose, free, colourful, impressionistic – thats how I love to paint landscapes. Using the Impressionistic approach I’ll use my hand, my brush, a colour to put my own personal interpretation of the subject into the paintings. I enjoy bold colour applied with confidence, something that looks like I was having fun! I really don’t […]
Limiting my watercolour palette to cerulean, indigo and a hint of cobalt violet helps to keep the colours clean. The watercolour landscape with trees and foliage reflecting into the water combined with the cool colours creates serenity and calm. I wanted to maintain a good balanced ratio of light tone, mid tone, dark tone throughout […]
Who couldn’t do with a little bit of fresh, new artistic vision to invigorate their creative side? Sometimes its risky. Going out into an unfamiliar area and not feeling in control is not always the most beckoning of ideas. But that is exactly what I need to do to bring out more of my own […]
Daniel Smith watercolors… they make it so difficult not to play! And I’ve been playing and discovering new things with D.S. paints for over 25 years now. Whilst teaching my experimental Daniel Smith watercolor demos and workshops at their Seattle and Bellevue stores, a friend who was on staff there, chuckled abit at my out […]
Watercolours are said to be the hardest medium to use, but I’ve found them the easiest of all. Making ‘mud’ is often one of the first problems that beginners mention especially when colour mixing browns, greys and greens. My tips in preventing mud are fairly simple and easy to remember and do. They have evolved […]
I find on occasion, myself in a quandary of what to do once I’m finally in the studio with time to paint. I might have to then look around the studio for some ideas, inspiration, anything that sparks an interest. It could be ‘just playing’ with paint in a glass vase. It could be a full sheet […]