Here’s a great offer this month for members of either Patreon or YouTube at the mid tier or above! We are producing beautiful collections of our Christmas themed sketches for you to download and print out to help with your Christmas projects. So far there are two colouring books – Whimsical Christmas and Traditional Christmas, …
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 …
Adding a bit of whimsical fun to your animal paintings is a great way to make them truly special. If you’re looking for a creative card or gift idea, try adding a few whimsical animals to your work. A delightful creature can really bring a painting to life and give it a unique feel. Whether …
Here’s a traditional version of a contented partridge nestling in a pear tree just in time for Christmas! The sketch for this painting is available free to download here and full instructions are on the video which you can watch by clicking below: Materials Here are the materials I used to create this painting. Paints …
Everyone loves the Red Cardinal, the brightest spot in the winter in many cold climes. Nothing says Christmas louder than a flock of cardinals feeding in the garden. So for the Christmas seasonal change in decor, I painted a single cardinal on a branch of holly. Materials Paper The paper I chose was a 140lb …
Today I decided to start the morning session in the studio with a loose warm-up exploring my Kuretake Gansai Tambi paints, before going on to the main painting of the day. So using my medium sized Isabey quill brush I simply picked up color at random from the set and made circles on a piece …
Loose watercolor for recovery and relaxation I was sitting listening to the birds singing in our garden yesterday and realised for the millionth time how beautiful their voices are! So here’s a hommage to the birds as we go into the hard season for them, to thank them for the joy they bring us every …
Today I’m using my Kuretake Gansai Tambi paints to create a richly detailed and stylishly colorful whimsical leaf design to help you practice your watercolor skills. Using a relaxed and enjoyable method to embellish the rich tones of the Kuretake paint with gold accents, you’ll be thrilled with your results and want to do 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 …
How to paint this simple loose Magnolia branch with a tiny Chickadee sitting in the blossoms. After a recent short holiday in Canterbury, England, I just had to paint a branch of magnolia blossoms, as they were so beautiful this spring. The Chickadee is also on holiday from the States, and asked if he could …
Here’s a quick and easy relaxation exercise to warm you up to painting again after an exhausting Christmas break! Two adorable little birds waiting to adorn someone’s birthday card! My Materials I decided to paint these little cuties on a piece of Bockingford 140lb watercolor paper. Because I don’t use a lot of water for …
As they often say, less is more. This pared-down, Scandinavian style watercolor Christmas card of a Robin, and a second quick one of a Christmas tree, are ideal for those who like a neutral, linear and simple decor in their life. I painted the Robin in only four colors, Burnt Sienna, Sepia Brown, Vermillion Red …
On trend at the moment, Bokeh is a fascinating technique for making effective backgrounds for all sorts of subjects. Once you’ve given it a try chances are you’ll be addicted to it, and will find yourself adding Bokeh to just about everything you paint! “Bokeh” is a Japanese word which means “out of focus” or …
Bokeh Made Easy – Create Stunning Backgrounds for Birds Read More »
Looking out the studio window at my bird table gave me the idea to paint this tutorial. You can put any birds on the painting, blue tits and robins would be great for a European setting, and chickadees or cardinals suit the North American natural world very well. If you need help painting those other …
Easy Whimsical Watercolor Birds and Hedgehog Tutorial Read More »
Here’s a a little landscape that will delight you if you are a fan of snowy winter landscapes! I decided to paint a barn owl floating over the snow in the half light, with a log cabin snug and warm among the snow covered fir trees. It would make a nice Christmas card or gift. …
Our YouTube channel is approaching its first birthday and we are hoping that this November we will attain the lofty heights of 20,000 subscribers – a marathon effort when you consider that this time last year we had just achieved 200 subs and thought we had hit the big-time! A few months later we were …
A Candle in the Window Watercolor for Christmas 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 …
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 …
