Here is a quick cornucopia or horn of plenty painting tutorial, which would be useful for invitations, gift tags or cards. I did it in a pen and wash style. I also demonstrate in this video a technique for drawing the horn in which might be helpful when you draw yours.
How to Paint a Thanksgiving Cornucopia or Horn of Plenty Read More »
Happy Halloween Jack o’Lantern Painting! Here is a last minute quick and easy painting for halloween using Arches paper and bright watercolor paints. We grew a wonderful crop of bright orange pumpkins this year, from seeds we had saved from last year’s harvest. We had them stacked up outside the studio for a while, but
Happy Halloween Jack o’Lantern Painting! Read More »
When we ask ourselves why butterflies are so loved by everyone, the answer is easy. According to my nature encyclopaedia, butterflies are some of the least destructive and most beautiful of insects. For the artist, they are a limitless source of inspiration and fascination, as we explore their infinite shapes and mixtures of colors. As
Watercolor Butterflies in Loose Style Read More »
In many areas of the US, northern red cardinals stay around throughout the winter, adding a nice burst of color and the sweet sound of music to your back yard all year long. When it comes to finding shelter and making their nests, northern red cardinals are very private birds. They look for areas that
How to paint a pair of Red Cardinals in Watercolor Read More »
If you’re wondering how to paint something cheerful this autumn why not give my method of painting Black Eyed Susans a go? You can paint sunflowers or chrysanthemums or daisies like this too – any flower, in fact. And watch as I find out whether the Arches watercolor paper I just received is as good
Black-Eyed Susans on Arches Paper Read More »
Here’s a wonderful idea for a Christmas card or even a little gift for a nature lover – especially those hard to buy for people in our lives, otherwise known as men! – who have absolutely everything they could need. Reminiscent of the mood written by Thoreau in On Walden Pond, this nature image is
How to Paint a Moose in Watercolor in a Fall setting Read More »
Started getting ready for Christmas yet? If you plan to paint your own Christmas cards this year, you can’t start too soon, as all the other jobs quickly pile up and push painting into the background. So here’s my first card of the season for you to make! I did a video of a similar
The First Snowman to the Party – Snowman Christmas Card Read More »
Today I’m exploring painting Free-Form Watercolor Autumn Flowers, Seeds and Berries in a loose, semi-abstract way to capture the atmosphere of fall. Autumn is the season which brings not only mists and mellow fruitfulness, but also a lot of mixed feelings for many of us. By October, summer has faded and is turning into winter
Free-Form Watercolor Autumn Flowers, Seeds and Berries Read More »
I learnt to paint with the renowned and now late Ron Ranson many years ago. He was a watercolour iconoclast, meaning he had no time for rules and myths about how watercolor should be painted. To achieve his loose style, he advocated using a big flat goat hair brush from Japan, which you’d think at
Autumn Woodland Scene in Big Brush Watercolour Read More »
In this painting I’ve tried to capture the autumnal color of maple leaves coupled with a hint of holiday seasons to come by means of a dark pine green background. Watch the video here: Shop my Supplies Here Clairefontaine Etival Watercolor Paper Schmincke Horadam Watercolor Tubes – Olive Green, Burnt Sienna, Quinacridone Gold, Burnt Umber
Autumn Maple Leaves with Water Droplets Read More »
This beautiful mushroom painting is beginner-friendly, and easy to make bigger or smaller depending on whether you want a painting or a greetings card! It might look a little complicated but I show you how to draw a mushroom and then we will work through the painting step by step to make the whole thing
How to Paint Watercolor Mushrooms in a Woodland Setting Read More »
Capturing the dramatic colors of fall in watercolor is a challenge and often watercolor paintings become cluttered and lose focus because we try to incorporate too much color, too many trees, just too much. So this is a way of depicting a single tree beside a lake, conveying the atmosphere of autumn without too much
Autumn Lakeside Landscape for Fall Read More »
As the chilly days start to bring a fall feeling to our paintings, I thought it would be nice to paint some warm-toned little birds to give us a cheery glow this October! This little painting is really a warm up as much as anything and is ideal for trying out a new palette of
Cute Autumn Birds on a Wire in Watercolor Read More »
Chickadees and Pumpkins – in the mood for fall! Today we are going to paint birds, leaves, seeds and pumpkins! Let’s choose a subtle palette and get started! If you would like the sketch for this painting you can download it free of charge here: I decided I wanted a slightly more muted palette for
Chickadees and Pumpkins – in the mood for fall Read More »
To celebrate one of the best holidays of the year, I decided to make a tutorial on how to paint a Halloween in the Forest jack o’lantern landscape! Ideal to do with the kids or grandkids and to bring a touch of seasonal cheer into your house this Halloween. It could be adapted to make
Halloween in the Forest with Jack o’Lantern Read More »
Watercolor Autumn Leaves, Seedheads and Berries are a popular theme this time of year, and always fun to paint. Sometimes spontaneity takes a bit of forward planning! For this painting, which I wanted to be as free and easy as possible, I created a background beforehand.
Watercolor Autumn Leaves, Seedheads and Berries – paint your own Fall home decor Read More »
A quick walk around the meadow this afternoon brought forth a small haul of mushrooms, nuts and berries, enough to turn my thoughts to squirrelly ones. So as well as squirrelling away blackberries and hazelnuts, we thought a couple of hungry little Squirrel Nutkin characters would be just right for Whimsical Watercolor Wednesday! These little
Paint Whimsical Red Squirrels with me Read More »
Late summer and the sunflowers are at their best – at least for the birds! Finches galore are feasting on the seeds to fatten themselves up for the winter! Let’s celebrate the fall season of riches with a beautiful sunny painting of a ripe sunflower, greenfinch and bumble bee! You can download the sketch for
Paint a Loose Sunflower, Bird and Bee Read More »
