Inspired by the fascinating designs found on pots made in Kashmir I have branched out into negative painting today! If you’re not keen on trying to draw a symmetrical pot you can find a sketch here which will help, with a few different shapes to choose from. I’ll leave the surrounding leaves up to your […]
Do you ever wonder where all the ideas for designs which surround us come from? I do, often. Recently I found myself looking for ideas for a new video, which I wanted to have based around a floral decorated pot or vase, and I came across some beautiful examples of handpainted pots made out of
Inspired by Kashmir Read More »
One of the sometimes frustrating things about watercolor which we all come up against is the difficulty in making alterations to your painting if you don’t like what you have painted. Yes, you probably can lift out some of the colour you’ve applied, you can keep going, and add pen or other features. But one
Dive into Colour Mixing with Gouache Read More »
Let’s break with tradition and paint some flowers starting with circles! The essence of a flower is a circle, gradually expanding outwards to create the infinite number of different flowers which cover the planet. So let’s start with some circles and see where that takes us! Let’s embark on another creative journey together and explore
Turning Circles into Flowers Read More »
So why shouldn’t you fall in love with your art? Well, that’s not what I mean! Someone said to me once – or maybe I read it – I suspect it might have been Ron Ranson or Roland Hilder – that it is risky to become attached to a small section of your painting while
Pretty Vintage Birdcage with Flowers Read More »
Here are our special prompts for World Watercolor Month 2023 #worldwatercolormonth2023 The prompts can be painted in as simple or as detailed a way as you wish. Just take one element from the prompt and keep it really easy and quick, or go all out, depending on your mood and the time available. You can
World Watercolor Month Prompts for July 2023 Read More »
The lavender in our garden is in full flower at the moment and looking lovely. So here is a very quick idea for a couple of lavender themed bookmarks that you might like to add to your repertoire. It’s easy to give them your own personal twist by varying the colors and the supporting cast
Lavender Blue, Dilly Dilly Read More »
Painting without a plan has something in common with bungee jumping. Although you know it probably won’t hurt and could be exciting, you’re still pretty nervous about stepping off the edge and letting gravity do its work. There are days when I know exactly what I’m going to paint. Tomorrow for example I know I’m
If I jump, will I fly? Read More »
Don’t watch this video if you are looking for slick polished content with not a second of breathing space between words! Don’t watch if you want to see a performance of dazzling skill, impressive mastery of a demanding medium over a tricky subject, or a humbling demonstration of nineteen different tricks you should have known
Don’t watch this video! Read More »
Most of us say these days that we paint for relaxation, don’t we. We used to talk about our hobbies, but nowadays you rarely hear that term used, as young people love to consider their mental health, their need to relax, the pressure of life and social media, and much much more. Long gone are
Why do we love to paint? Read More »
Our garden is full of bees at the moment, bumble bees, honey bees and various other types of bee, all buzzing around merrily pollinating the flowers which are merrily giving me hay fever! So today I thought I would paint three quick bumble bees in my loose style, accompanied by some equally loose floral elements.
Easy-Peasy Bumble Bee-Zee Read More »
Watch this video if you have either of these questions going round in your head: Both these problems are answered in this video which gives you a glimpse inside my studio where the paint gets stuck in its tube, the brush gives up the ghost and I get covered in blue!
This tiny bird is very hardy and manages to survive in the far north of America even in the bitterest of cold winters. They are clever birds who store food in cracks in tree bark or in holes, and they manage to remember – unlike squirrels – where they have left the food and can
Tufted Titmouse and Friends Read More »
Painting a Mandala Today I thought it would be nice to do a mandala in watercolor and to talk a bit about what they are and why they bring so much into our lives, if we let them. Mandalas are traditional designs based on religious motifs which originate from the Buddhist and Hindu traditions and
Modern Mandala Painting Read More »
I have only recently discovered Gelli plates, and even more recently started to experiment with using them for creating backgrounds and images. The whole idea of gelli plates is widely covered on YouTube almost exclusively by artists using acrylic paints, maybe various acrylic inks and similar, but I soon discovered that doesn’t mean you can’t
Gelli Printing with Watercolor Paint Read More »
It’s been a minute or two since I last painted dragonflies, so today’s video is a treat for me and you. Scroll down to the bottom of this post if you want to see links to some of the dragonfly videos I’ve published before. You can find others if you simply search on google for
Delicate Dragonflies Read More »
If you want to create a quick and easy yet friendly and fun little message card or gift for a nature lover, you can’t do much better than to paint a page of Black-Eyed Susans! Who doesn’t love these cheerful blooms which liven up so very many gardens? More than a daisy, less than a
Black-Eyed Susans Simple Style Read More »
Sometimes it’s just fun to play around with everything you can lay your hands on! In my “art drawer” beside my painting desk I have an assortment of pencils, pens, brush pens, paints and all sorts of things that can contribute to the look of a painting which might have started out as a watercolor.
Mixed Media Rocks! Read More »
