Watercolours With Life: Starting a Watercolour Riot of Flowers!

Saturday, 28 May 2011

Starting a Watercolour Riot of Flowers!

Painting From The Garden

Foxgloves growing in my garden are just too tempting to walk past!

It's really a wonderful time of year and I love that artist friends are eagerly sharing what they are painting from life at the moment. It seems a foxglove craze has hit the watercolour scene since I started a few washes of them a while back. Apparently I am also responsible for a poppy riot but I really am so excited if everyone is racing for their brushes from a few simple suggestions.

I have been engrossed in writing my second book but to get to my art studio I have to walk past heavenly foxgloves daily. I was really busy working but pink shades on my palette kept catching my attention. They looked so beautiful and were crying out. to be used. I couldn't resist the temptation so raced outside with my paper and palette and quickly caught the colour and form of these tall slender flowers.

Clingfilm used for leaves.

I lay a piece of clingfilm over one corner to form veins for the leaves in this section.Those who have bought a copy of my DVD " Amazing Ways With Watercolour" will have seen me use this technique for painting primroses earlier this year.

There is nothing like sitting in a garden painting flowers from life.All the photographs in the world cannot give you the sense of freedom and beauty from sitting in natural light to paint. I have a huge field of gorgeous white daisies swaying in the breeze behind me, tall elegant lupins are in bloom near my window, dog roses are in the hedgerow, honeysuckle is waving its' first blossoms at my brushes and oh, the roses are already calling my name to paint them.

It's going to be a glorious summer for painting flowers!

To those coming on my Summer Flower Workshop this week be prepared to have a lot of fun as it's going to be a very wonderful day!

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1 comment:

Life of Brian said...: Jean, your views from your garden sound like heaven. Unfortunately, if I step outside my door up in Scotland with the heaviest paper imagined - it blows away! How lucky you are to live where you are. :); 28 May 2011 at 16:02

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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."