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…
RESOURCE – 5 tips for a great watercolour from Surinder Beerh
Sketching I am a great believer in sketching. Without a proper drawing /sketch it is difficult to produce a good painting. If you do not get the drawing right in the initial stage then it will be difficult to make changes whilst you are painting….
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…
5 tips for great watercolours with Annie Rice
Know your paints Which colours are transparent and which ones opaque? A transparent is clear, beautiful, and will bleed into other colours for wet in wet. Opaques are solid but are useful for detail, overlaying other colours and making a bold statement. An opaque mixed…
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 – Six top tips from Tony Osler
Love what you do Paint what you know and paint what you love. Your knowledge and love will shine through………..hopefully! Let go Try this: Study a photograph for a few minutes. Put the photo away and from memory (no cheating!) paint the scene you…
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…
RESOURCE – 5 tips for great watercolours from Caroline Furlong
SEAW Member, Caroline Furlong share her favourite tips and tricks with us 1. Great colours Keep to a limited palette of four/ five colours only. This makes the painting more unified. 2. Great sketchbooks Have a few sketchbooks on the go which are the same…