by theartist | Jan 14, 2019 | Tutorials
I’ve had quite a few enquiries about running lessons, so I thought I’d bite the bullet and start planning some group sessions. I’m thinking of running a very small group class in my home (4-5 people) in drawing and watercolour, on either a Wednesday...
by theartist | Jan 2, 2019 | Inspiration, Tutorials
Happy New Year everyone! I’m looking forward to another year of blogging about my work and how I do it, but I thought I’d start off with a summary of some of my most popular blog posts so far, just in case you missed them: 1. How to choose and mix colours...
by theartist | Aug 26, 2018 | Tutorials, Watercolour paintings, Watercolour tutorials
When you’re planning a painting in watercolour (rather than a study or a practice piece), it’s really important to work out how you will tackle it. You need to think about highlights, light and dark, texture and detail and what order you’re going to...
by theartist | May 24, 2018 | Reviews and recommendations, Watercolour paintings, Watercolour tutorials
Finding the right watercolour paper to use can be tricky. They vary widely, and the paper you use affects the marks that you make far more than the type of canvas you use affects oil or acrylic paint. How to use watercolour paper In general, water will make your paper...
by theartist | Apr 12, 2018 | Tutorials, Watercolour paintings, Watercolour tutorials
I thought I’d take some photos of a recent watercolour I painted of two lovely dogs. I used St. Petersburg White Nights watercolour paints on Arches cold pressed paper. I had several different photos to work from so I played around with various thumbnail (mini)...
by theartist | Mar 13, 2018 | Advice, Tutorials
When I first started painting I was very definite that I wanted to learn all by myself without going to learn from a tutor. The reason I gave myself was that I didn’t want to pick up the style of that particular tutor and use it in place of developing my own....
by theartist | Jan 23, 2018 | Oil paintings, Oil tutorials, Still life
One of the hardest challenges for a painter (I think) is painting in oils from life, but as with any challenge it’s something you’ll learn a lot from. Here is how I painted some lemons from life in one sitting (alla prima). I set up my lemons on a very...
by theartist | Jan 12, 2018 | Drawing tutorials, Pencil drawings, Reviews and recommendations
I often get asked what art materials to buy, particularly by people starting out drawing and painting. The answer to a certain extent is that you get what you pay for, and although this doesn’t mean you have to pay for the best of everything there are some cheap...
by theartist | Oct 5, 2017 | Tutorials, Watercolour paintings, Watercolour tutorials
I think pet portraits look beautiful in watercolour. They take a bit of planning and a careful approach though. Here’s how I painted a cat in watercolour recently. It’s on Arches cold press paper 300gsm, 100% cotton, beautiful to paint on but hard to lift...
