Watercolours With Life: Wildlife Inspiration

Sunday, 16 August 2015

Wildlife Inspiration

Gatekeeper Butterfly

Photo taken in my garden this morning.

I thought I would share something completely different on my blog. I love photography and spend ages trying to get just the right shot. Many of my images then lend themselves to my paintings as I am inspired by what I see each day.

In this blog post is a collection of photographs I took first thing this morning. The light was perfect and I followed butterflies and bees around my garden as they nestled on each flower. I am finding the longer I paint the more my thirst for new subjects grows. And my thirst for knowledge. It isn't enough to just paint what I see. I have to know what it is also.

This week I painted a butterfly as a demonstration on my new DVD which will be released later this year. There is also a step by step on how to paint butterflies in the new edition of my first book which is also coming out later this year. I couldn't have painted either without first studying the subject in real life. I am now learning about the different species of butterflies too.

Above is a Gatekeeper butterfly, if anyone knows how it got its name I would love to know!

Below is a Brimstone butterfly nestling on a dahlia. How pretty is this?

Brimstone butterfly nestling on a dahlia.

Photo taken in my garden this morning.

And I am fascinated by bees. I spent a whole day painting them last year when they distracted me from the flowers I was working on. I just adore them.

Look at this shot below and see what I mean. the colours are gorgeous here!

Beady Eyes, or should I say bee-dy eyes!

Photo taken in my garden this morning.

And here is the recent butterfly painting I worked on which is similar to the demonstration in my new DVD.

"Sunshine on my Wings"

If you wander around my garden it is so easy to see where my ideas come from. They are my own as I paint from life. I paint what I see and aim to capture the colour combinations that fascinate me in nature. How lucky any of us are to have the gift of sight.

Have a great week ahead and happy painting!

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1 comment:

corinne60 said...: Can I use your pHoto to try to paint it????; 17 August 2015 at 01:38

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The Artist Magazine : Book Review

Jean Haines' Atmospheric Watercolours

"The book is nothing less than a paean to the wet in wet technique. If that's your thing, prepare to be amazed. Jean Haines credits Jean Louis Morelle, and in many ways this book is the sequel to Morelle's remarkable, but very technical work, showing the wealth of creative possibilities the technique offers. A lot of the images are barely recognisable and yet you instinctively know what they are. I wish I knew how, because this is impressionism taken to its logical conclusion and reminiscent of some of the later work by JMW Turner. You will have to take it from me that "First signs of a face appearing magically from a first wash of watercolour" is pure alchemy. This is an extraordinary book."

"Amazing Ways With Watercolour:" Fastest Selling DVD!

"Amazing Ways With Watercolour" from Town House Films is the fastest selling DVD with the company to date! Record breaking pre-orders for this much awaited film saw requests for copies flooding in from all over the world. A wonderful introduction into working with watercolour minus the use of a preliminary sketch this DVD removes the fear, stress or pressure from worry about how to use watercolour. Instead the focus is on having fun, enjoying vibrant colour combinations and allowing the medium to create the subjects with just a little help from the artist. A really exciting new DVD to own. Whilst the DVD sold out in the first few months since its' release due to popularity it is now in stock and available directly from Town House Films.

http://www.townhousefilms.co.uk

How To Paint Colour and Light in Watercolour

"How to Paint Colour and Light in Watercolour" Jeans first book was launched at the Mall Galleries in 2010 at the SWA Society for Women Artists Annual Exhibition. Many copies have been sold world wide. It is available on Amazon.com, Search Press, SAA Society for All Artists and Ken Bromley.

"This book is a wonderful introduction into Jeans' way of working and gives an insight into her way of thinking and approach to a large variety of subjects. All painted minus the use of a preliminary sketch."