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My watercolour portraits blog
What's New...
Here you will find my latest paintings as I take the masking tape off. Often as not, with photographs of each major step and my thoughts/decison-making along the way.
And new articles with tips and techniques to set you off flying on your watercolour portrait painting journey with the results that you want to see. You're going to have so much fun!
The new additions
Watercolour tips for beginners - including the ugly duckling!
Watercolour tips for beginners. The do's and don'ts and lightening bolt moments I've learnt along my watercolour journey that will give you the watercolour painting results you want. Faster.
Some will be easier to follow or stick to than others!
Continue reading "Watercolour tips for beginners - including the ugly duckling!"
Should beginners paint watercolour portraits?
Should beginners paint watercolour portraits? Yes! Absolutely! Find out why.
Continue reading "Should beginners paint watercolour portraits?"
Mixed media watercolour portrait
A mixed media watercolour portrait, "If I only could". The ideas and techniques I used whilst listening to Kate Bush's "Running up that hill".
Tips for watercolour portraits
These beginner tips for watercolour portraits will give you a head start in achieving the results you want to see, quickly.
Colourful watercolour dog portrait
How to paint a colourful watercolour dog portrait in a loose watercolour style.
Watercolour dog portraits gallery
Watercolour dog portraits: colourful creations and paintings that hold a special memory for me during my watercolour journey.
"I know how I feel."
"It's a new day. It's a new dawn. I know how I feel."
I already had a title in mind for this portrait before I finished her today, but when I took her outside into my garden this afternoon with my camera, this magically happened...
Now I can't wait to paint her again with the base grey shadows from my olive tree in place first.
Painted with two pigments: Royal Talens Van Gogh Cerulean Blue and Schmincke Madder Brown on Fabriano watercolour paper with a Da Vinci Spin Synthetic size 1 brush.
Watercolour hares
My rogues gallery of watercolour hares: hares with moons, bees, steely looks and huge grins.
A watercolour fox: the perfect gentleman for a super granulating pigment
Sometimes when you see an image you just know you have to paint it, don't you. And, sometimes you know just which colour you want to use. Well, that was exactly the case with a stunning photo of a red fox and a super granulating black pigment.
Continue reading "A watercolour fox: the perfect gentleman for a super granulating pigment"
Painting a monochrome watercolour portrait: the best colours to choose
You don't need all the colours in your palette to tell a story or paint a portrait with an impact.
Continue reading "Painting a monochrome watercolour portrait: the best colours to choose"
Bethlehem Reborn
Well, you never know what your watercolour journey is going to get you painting next!
Last year I was asked to paint for the international Bethlehem Reborn exhibition: two "bag-shaped" amphorae from the 4th to 7th centuries that were unearthed during the latest archaeological excavations of the Basilica of the Nativity no less.
Not my usual cup of tea as I normally need "eyes" in my subject, but a challenge nontheless as I needed to find a way of bringing the two objects together and uniting them in one painting. My subjects were photographed on different occasions, in different lights, and weren't the same colours.
So this is what they looked like in my studio.
And this is what they look like in my copy of the beautiful exhibition catalogue.
I've now been asked to paint the saints that can be found on the columns inside the nave! Wonders will never cease!
Watercolour daisies
It is bitterly cold here but when that winter sun comes out and warms my face as I take a walk, I cannot help but think that spring isn't far off.
So I got my watercolour class to paint daisies! We played with combining wet in wet, dry brush, and splattering. The wet in wet and the splattering is so disconcerting for those who have painted for years in oils and acrylics because they have to let go of having complete control. But we had great fun and at the end of the evening took some sunshine home with us :)
