Category Archives: Uncategorized

Sketching in the summer Being able to get out and about in summer means more opportunities to see and sketch new scenes, perhaps new places if you are able to get away, even for a day or a weekend. Now that travel is opening up a little you may be lucky enough to get abroad,Continue reading “Sketching in summer”

Learning from the Impressionists. The Impressionists changed Art for ever – in the centuries immediately before them, most paintings were created indoors in a studio, so that trees and skies for example were stylised, idealised, sometimes unconvincing. Subjects were historical – eg from ancient Greece or Rome – or  mythological ( nymphs, gods and goddesses),Continue reading “Learn from Impressionism”

In other words, set the right tone! The subject of all my paintings is really light, rather than wildlife, dance, the sea, children, gardens etc. Without light there would just be a black sheet of paper! Light reveals all the forms and colours and helps create atmosphere. Make light the subject of  your paintings too.Continue reading “Let there be light!”

Look at the inner wheel – the complementaries are opposite each other: Primary yellow is opposite its complement, purple; Primary red is opposite its complement,  green; Primary blue is opposite its complement,  orange. (Because each complement is made from the remaining two primaries.) Think about this! The outer wheel shows a warm and a coolContinue reading “Earn compliments with your colours!”

1) In the image above,  a cauliflower or backrun has developed because you have added wet paint to a drying area. (Although there may be occasions when you want this effect or texture –  eg. in foliage or a leaf or petal edge –  it would be a problem in certain paintings, e.g of a blueContinue reading “Correcting Watercolour”

One thing you can do which enhances your painting enormously is to avoid hard edges around every object or figure. Hard edges make each thing look cut out and stuck on, and give a harsh “painting by numbers” feel. In reality, when you look at a scene you don’t see the edges of each thingContinue reading “Lost and Found Edges”

Limited Palette – what can it do for you? Whether you are painting in watercolours, oils, acrylics or pastels, one of the best ways to produce a harmonious painting – and  make your life SO much easier – is to limit the number of paint colours which you use in any one painting. You needContinue reading “Limited Palette”