Some days it’s hard to raise a smile, let alone a chuckle! But if you can manage to find a paintbrush and stir your stumps as they say in the navy, then you can get your mood to lift and you might even laugh out loud! These pretty butterflies with their simple embroidery-styled embellishments are […]
A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies! Read More »
This month we are running a series of tutorials to help you beat the blues and create. What better to lift your spirits than a little bird – or two, or three … So today I’m going to feature the Imperfectly Perfect Circle Birds. You’ve heard the expression “I can’t draw a straight line” and
#Paint a Bird a Day Series Read More »
If a quick floral is what you are looking for then look no further than these flowers, made simply and without stress to create a stylish image ideal for a greetings card, bookmark and more. The great thing about these flowers is they are totally undemanding and unthreatening. All you need to do is pick
Turning Circles into Roses Read More »
Sometimes we just don’t want to paint anything particular. For example, we have kids to entertain and couldn’t possibly concentrate on a proper painting. Or we have a headache, or it’s just one of those days. This is when a Galaxy of Abstraction comes to the rescue! This painting can be as much or as
A Galaxy of Abstraction Read More »
Along with flowers, birds are top of most watercolorists lists of favorite subjects to paint. And the way to paint them ranges all the way from literally painting every feather on a bird (not my style!) to loose impressionistic renditions of the “essence of bird!” I prefer the essence of bird approach and I also
Three More Wet-in-Wet Birds Read More »
Feel like painting something truly messy and scruffy today? Here is my Ronald Searle inspired cat painting tutorial to help you explore the real essence of cat with watercolor, ink and dip pen! Today’s painting emerged from a week of exploring cats and their characters with paint, pencil, pen and paper. Come along and see
Paint Scruffy Cats in Watercolor and Ink Read More »
Today we went for a walk along the road outside our property and saw that June had arrived in the shape of a little cloud of poppies! Couldn’t resist taking a photo or two, and my iPhone 13 did an amazing job of making them look like a work of art! Of course I couldn’t
How to Paint Loose Watercolor and Ink Poppies Read More »
Most of us used to doodle when we were on the phone – perhaps that is less common now that you can speak literally for hours on end whilst doing something else at the same time. But all of us know the pleasure of just playing with a pen or pencil and seeing what happens!
How to Paint Cute Whimsical Love Birds in Watercolor Read More »
Simple Circles for a Creative Afternoon! Would you like to paint something, but you don’t know what? Are you brand new to painting and don’t know where to start? Or would you like your picture to be simple, easy and full of joy? Then why not simply rely on simple basic shapes – for example
Blast the Creative Blues with Circles! Read More »
The eyes have it! Start your whimsical animals with the big googly eyes all the best cute animals have and let your imagination run riot! Get started in whimsy with this easy beginner-friendly tutorial showing you some of the tricks you need to know to get a light and airy feel in your paintings. The
How to Paint Cute Whimsical Birds in Watercolor Read More »
Pretty Sweet Peas are everyone’s favorite, whether you’re a gardener, flower arranger or artist, and as well as being beautiful they have a lovely scent. In fact, in French they are called Pois de Senteur or “scented peas”. So today I’ve picked three colors – Cobalt Blue, Permanent Rose and Sap Green, along with my
How to Paint and Draw Sweet Peas Read More »
If you’ve always hesitated over painting chickens, why not give these super-easy hens a whirl? Starting with nothing more than a watermelon slice shape, you can add the details that make the chicken a hen. When you read a book or watch a video on beginning watercolor the advice given is often “do NOT use
Three Whimsical Hens and a Surprise Read More »
Today I’m painting a little flock of butterflies with a romantic mood, using my set of six granulating Primatek colors, and the set of six QOR Introductory Colors as well. I am painting wet in wet on a 100% cellulose paper, Etival by Clairefontaine, and I am using Sennelier Walnut ink with a dip pen
Embellished Butterflies – Never Give Up! Read More »
Today I’m painting three whimsical birds with a vintage feel, using a few colors selected from two sets of Daniel Smith watercolor tubes – the set of six granulating Primatek colors, and the set of six Jean Haines All That Shimmers iridescent colors. I am painting wet in wet on a 100% cellulose paper, Etival
Whimsical Watercolor Birds Read More »
This is the perfect painting project for a sleepless night – a quick, easy and stress-free way of painting a sheep! You only need three colors for this painting, plus some iridescent paint or a gold pen to add a bit of embellishment if you’d like to. It’s a simple design of a stylised sheep,
Can’t Sleep? Paint my Sheep!!! Read More »
Today we are going to try to use granulating colors in a limited palette along with a little bit of ink and iridescence to capture the essentials of some pretty dragonflies. This is a very simplified way to paint these complex creatures. For the purposes of this exercise, I have deconstructed the insects into segments
Capturing Movement and Light with Watercolor Read More »
Today’s project is a two-in-one. We’re going to practice our wet-in-wet technique, and at the same time create a cute greetings card we can use for anyone and for any occasion. It’s a simple design of three stylised cats, and I’m using the lovely A. Gallo paints to create this, on a piece of Arches
Three Cute Cats for a Cool Card Read More »
Today we are off to Italy to enjoy the scenery and do some landscape painting of an easy watercolor poppy field! We all want to succeed with our landscapes and to do so you really do need a good quality paper, and there is nothing better than Arches 140lb cold press fine grain paper from
Embrace the colors of Italy with this easy watercolor poppy field Read More »
