Always a favourite, the hummingbird makes his appearance today in a new coat of many colours! An imagination of a hummingbird, enjoying his favourite treat, the nectar from the hibiscus flower! Many of you will be living in parts of the world where these lovely flowers grow in abundance, and when I lived in the…
Month: April 2021
Forget-me-nots
Another pretty blue flower which blooms in profusion here all around our house and along the roadsides is the Forget-me-not. Although the flowers are tiny and unassuming, I thought they would make a pretty painting, using watercolour pencils for the flowers, and paint for the leaves. This is the first time I’ve tried a technique…
Shakespeare’s Flowers
“I’ll sweeten thy sad grave: thou shalt not lack the flower that’s like thy face, pale primrose, nor the azured hare-bell, like thy veins.”– Cymbeline, Act IV, Scene 2 I decided on a whim today to paint a sprig of bluebells. They must be flowering in England, I thought. One of the things I miss…
Mixing Greens and Painting Leaves
It’s often recommended these days to use Sap Green and Olive Green to paint leaves and trees, which is very different from the way I was taught a hundred years ago. The tradition in watercolour in the second half of the 20th century was to never use green straight from a tube, and my paintings…
Line and Wash
I often use line in my watercolour paintings, in the form of calligraphic marks towards the end, which I feel help bring the work to life. But recently I’ve rediscovered an interest in the actual process of line and wash, using either pen and ink or watercolour pencil and wash. In the effort to get…
Excitement in the Studio!
Yesterday I tried out something completely new and I realised how easy it is to become stuck in a rut when it comes to painting! I came across by chance on Facebook a group which was set up for people who paint in watercolour on CANVAS! I was amazed to think that you could do…
Close up with a Chaffinch
I was working on a YouTube video yesterday when suddenly there was a thud on the French door window next to my desk. I looked up, and to my dismay and despite the bird cutouts on the window to help prevent this, I realised that a small bird had mistakenly flown into the glass and…
One Swallow doesn’t make a Spring…
But it’s a good start! I thought we spotted one solitary swallow last week, but today there is definitely a newly arrived pair in the barn where they nest every year, above the chickens in their old converted stable. where the farm horses used to live in days gone by. Imagine how it must feel…
Who’s a Cockney Sparrow then?
Sparrows are an underrated bird! Cheeky, brave, vocal and everywhere, they deserve to be painted more often! We must have a hundred visiting our bird table each day and they nest in the holly and the ivy all around our place. If you want to have a go at painting these cute birds, here’s the…
Monet Inspired Poppy Field Watercolour with Spatter!
Some days you just don’t know what to paint! Here’s a tip – think of your favourite artist and use one of their paintings as inspiration! Monet’s poppy fields are a constant source of delight! The other day I did a couple of practice skies before recording a video on painting skies You can see…