TUTORIAL – Considering Composition with Astrig Akseralian
For this exercise I have set up a small still life on a turn table using some of my hand painted collage paper and a remnant of patterned fabric. It’s important to be inspired by what you have set up so it’s worth spending some…
TUTORIAL – Jackie Devereux’s wonky pink pot
I have developed a passion for pots over the years and can never resist an evocative shape in a charity shop window, and in particular those that are hand built or hand thrown and showing signs of pressure marks. I turn them into my own…
TUTORIAL – Alan Noyes: Don’t be afraid of the dark, part I
I am assuming that those of you reading this Newsletter have some experience of the gentle art of watercolour – some more than others, some of you may even be starting afresh with a new medium. Those of us who have some experience of the…
TUTORIAL – Alan Noyes: Don’t be afraid of the dark, part II
Mixing interesting darks This is a difficult one. In theory we only need six pigments on our palette – A warm Red, Yellow and Blue and a cool Red, Yellow and Blue and with those six you should be able to mix any colour your…
TUTORIAL – Botanical style by Sarah McGonigle
I do not profess to be a botanist, merely an enthusiastic flower painter! Botanical painting can sometimes be seen as laborious. Some complex flower paintings, especially dark flowers, can take many hours to complete. I have been painting for over 20 years, and am lucky…
RESOURCE – 5 tips for great watercolours from Penny Newman
1. Great paper Experiment with different paper surfaces, HP, Not and Rough. Each one has a different feel on its surface and will be great for different styles of watercolour (see above) 2. Great textures Expensive sable brushes are wonderful, but don’t discard that beaten…
TUTORIAL – Venice Sunset Tonal Study
Denise Schoenberg shared this tutorial with us – have fun trying it out Materials Watercolour paint – any dark colour with a good tonal range, for example: indigo, black or mix a dark grey from burnt sienna and ultramarine blue. Watercolour paper – 140lb/300gsm Cold…
TUTORIAL – Winter Landscape by Caroline Furlong
Painting snow can be a challenging subject in watercolour. We must use the white of the paper to represent it. We have to remember that snow is not just white. Basically, snow is water, and when we look at water it is transparent, and so…
TUTORIAL – Leaves, Berries and Seed Heads with Helen Clarke
Helen Clarke takes us through the process of creating autumnal cards. The wonderful vibrant colours and shapes we find scattered in the hedges in Autumn and Winter are irresistible to paint and provide a wonderful source of inspiration for watercolour and ink paintings. They are…
TUTORIAL – Painting summer trees with Anthony Mashman
Anthony Mashman takes us through his method of painting summer trees Materials Watercolour Indian Yellow Lemon Yellow Raw Sienna Cobalt Blue Ultramarine Burnt Sienna Other Soft 4B pencil Putty eraser Watercolour pad or paper Number 8 round brush It is good to have reference for…