I'm back! Watercolour and Tissue Paper

 Texture Effects on Watercolour Wash

Hello!

I am finally back on my blog after what seems like ages yet again. Firstly I was so busy and also recovering from a few health blips. I am delighted to share the news that I feel so much better thanks to two very wonderful specialists, each treating different problems. I am so happy and very much more energised which could be a problem as I already had so much energy before! 

Last week I had workshops in UK which saw artists attending from all over the world including France and Australia. We had such a wonderful time and an almost party atmosphere crept into the teaching room at times. The enthusiasm each day was tremendous and I left last week desperate to get to my studio to experiment with new ideas and oh boy have I experimented!

The wash above and below have been developed using various techniques which will be shared in my next new book. Oh yes, there is another Jean Haines book on the go and its' gorgeous! But I know you will want to know how I created the texture effects in these pieces so I will tell you now, it is not by using cling film but tissue instead. Tissue paper creates beautiful patterns and allows colours to bleed more easily.

Yes there is Cascade Green, desperate to be seen at the top of the above wash against Cadmium Yellow. An opaque shade that is lost behind the very strong use of Phtalo Blue.

Below you can see a close up of the same painting.

The reason for my sharing this technique which has been around for donkeys years is that an artist on my courses last week told me they were struggling getting certain effects. They had been told you could achieve them with cling film. You can get great patterns with cling film especially if you apply it carefully to create deliberate pattern effects. But tissue paper can be crumpled far more easily. What the artist was asking was how to gain this efect which is far softer. You can paint over the tissue paper to form lines and gorgeous patterns. As seen in these two fun experimental images.

Close up of  texture effect gained by using tissue paper.

  These paintings were purely created for fun with no subject in mind. I will use this as a background for a landscape painting possibly. But next I will paint pieces using the same technique with subjects in mind and see where that leads me.

I am off to a great start to the week ahead.

I hope you are too!

Stay inspired and keep trying new techniques.

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