Poppy Field : Dancing in the Wind

Atmospheric poppy field coming to life in watercolour.

"Dancing in the Wind" 

I am sharing this blog post for the artist who showed me a delightful poppy field image last week and asked me know how to paint it. We had spent time in my workshop looking at ways to tell a story via exciting washes. I had demonstrated how I would go about painting this scene.  I must confess when I leave a workshop and look at my demonstrations pieces later on, I often love bringing them to life further without looking at any resource photographs. Sometimes when we observe ,especially from photographs, we see far too much detail. Making it very hard to keep the freshness or spontaniety in  finished results.

So for the artist who asked the question. I have kept my background greenery very soft as I don't wish to detract from the importance of the poppies in the foreground. The poppies get smaller as they fade into the distance. One poppy at the front will steal the show by being the star of this painting.

My Chinese mentor was on my mind whilst I worked this piece a little further. They told me, years ago, to imagine if a subject could move or not when painting it. Poppies are so delicate in the wild and seem to dance with the wind. So that is what I am aiming to depict. Flowers dancing with the wind and there is my title.

" Dancing in the Wind"

I will add a little detail to the foreground poppy then begin a huge new piece making the whole story up which will be far more fun. 

Artist Tip of the Day; Try not to continually restrict yourself to painting on small pieces of paper as these often restrict your brush movement and sense of freedom when working.  Be brave and go BIG!

Spring Chorus : Saunders Waterford Paper

 Large first wash for spring flowers, with detail gradually being added to bring the composition to life.

I am finding it so hard to leave my studio today. I have completed some  gorgeous pieces for my new book and for my solo exhibition in April. To close the day I worked further on this vibrant wash of  spring colour. I initially used favourite shades all over the paper to create a foundation for a seasonal floral painting. When the first wash was completely dry I started  adding definition in favourite sections, to bring hints of flowers to life.

I leave my studio each day with a favourite piece on my easel, to look forward to working on the next day. This piece pleases me so much, as the artist, that I dread leaving it or even finsihing it. As it is so wonderful to work on. But it is the end of the day. A time when further touches could kill the spontaneity in this exciting painting.

Here is a close up section of a favourite section , already full of drama  and life.

 

Section close up of my painting of spring flowers

Watercolour Paper : Watercolour Washes.

 Two glorious watercolour washes on my easel to depict Spring, detail will be added next to find the flowers in each piece. Please note, these are only placed on my easel for photography purposes. They were created while the paper lay flat.

 I have been asked so many questions about the watercolour paper that I am using so  thought I would take time out to share here. Firstly there are many watercolour papers available ranging from student quality to the more expensive paper surfaces that professional artists opt for. I can really understand the new beginner trying to cut costs and  practise on cheaper brands but the problem is this  can often lead to you believing you can't paint or giving up trying altogether. Cheap paper buckles when dry. During the painting process,  puddles can form rather than pigments flowing beautifully across the surface as you work.

Watercolour is a magical medium.  Pigments interact during the drying process which can lead you to some incredible patterns and effects. Good results are best achieved on the most suitable watercolour paper. I use smooth surface paper for floral work and I find Bockingford 140lbs perfect for this, where I would be leaving a lot of the paper surface white. However when I work on larger paintings  or know when I am going to be covering the paper with heavier applications of water I increase my paper weight.  This is where I would move to Saunders Waterford 200lb and possibly a rough surface to gain more texture in my results.

Gorgeous flowing watercolour wash where colour has flowed across the paper surface beautifully. Pigments have interacted to create patterns during the natural drying process and whilst I haven't deliberately painted daffodils yet the subject is  appearing by thoughtful application of colour and brush marks.

Without going into heavy theory I highly recommend you buy the best paper that you can afford. I have used Saunders Waterford 200lbs for the washes in this blog post, to capture the feeling of Spring. I am influenced by the stunning variety of daffodils in my garden. I have used W&N Cadmium Yellow , Winsor Violet and Cerulean Blue . The  daffodil centres are in Cadmium Orange which is quite a bold colour to work with but it sits well and creates dramatic watermarks when left to dry alone. Please note: I never use a hair dryer as although this technique speeds up the drying time it also kills  patterns that form during a natural drying time.

A daffodil appearing in the wash, Cadmium Yellow, Winsor Violet and Cadmium Orange. 

All by Winsor & Newton

On one of my workshops last week I gave one of the artists a piece of my paper. They couldn't believe the difference in their results.  I also gave them some of my colours which they described on their blog. You can see their work  and read what they thought  on the day via this link

http://monochromegallery.blogspot.co.uk/

Give yourselves the best chance possible for creating great paintings by starting with the right materials.  I will share more on my blog but for now here is a wonderful web site that tells you how  paper is made and all about its surfaces. 

 Enjoy !

http://www.stcuthbertsmill.com/

Spring, Glorious Spring! Daffodils in Watercolour

Loving how these daffodils are emerging on my easel.

The sun is shining and a morning walk around my garden has been a highlight of my day. Daffodils, snowdrop,crocus and primroses are all in flower. Even the cherry blossom and witchhazel are coming into bloom so the variety of colour I see daily is incredible. Adding further temptation for my brushes and palette choices to capture a sense of life in my new collection of watercolours.

I always feel energised in sunshine.  If we had it every day then  it wouldn't be so magical to look forward to. Just like our art because the paintings that don't turn out as you imagine they would, make the ones that  do even more fantastic.

After such a great week of workshops last week it is wonderful to be back in my studio and  enjoying quiet creative time. Right now I am putting all the yellow shades on my palette a good work out. adding instant sunshine to my results.

 I love Spring!

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Tiger Feet : Kitten in Watercolour( Bockingford Watercolour Paper 140lbs )

Kitten coming to life in watercolour

Bockingford watercolour paper 140lbs.

The botanical artist in me is coming out as I work on a kitten painting at the end of each painting session. I'm getting hooked on adding fine detail  for whiskers and eyes. After yesterdays success with the now popular little grey kitten painting, I couldn't resist returning to the subject today but making myself opt for different fur colouring. Artists who attended my workshops last week will remember my words when I say "Always trying something new". Which is beneficial for both our  imagination and for stretching our artistic skills.

I started this piece by finding the eyes first on a blank piece of paper, making neat outlines with my rigger brush. These shapes I quickly flooded with colour to form the eyes as my starting points. These I can then easily work away from  to form the kittens face. Next I literally dropped colour into damp spaces where I wanted the fur to appear. As I worked downwards from the face ,I adored finding the little " tiger feet"  formed by wet on wet techniques.

"Tiger feet" formed by watermarks and the wet in wet technique.

Out tof interest , I never use masking fluid so the whites of the kitten eyes are purely there from my working around the white space of the paper.

I have used Bockingford Watercolour paper 140lbs for painting this kitten and it has been fantastic. The paper surface allows the pigmentst to flow readily and interact with water, making my subject come alive readily. This is a super quality product and well worth working on for subjects against a white background, as  seen in the top image.

This painting is almost complete but I want to add a little more definition.

I am having a purrfectly wonderful time painting these adorable subjects, what next tomorrow?

I  wonder!

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Unwinding with Watercolour

Kitten on my easel, created from left over mixed pigment.

Quite often at the end of the day there is a variety of pigment left in the centre well of my palette. I hate wasting this and tend to use it as a challenge to create a painting. I look forward to this part of the day immensely, as I seem to produce some wonderful "surprise" paintings. Purely by relaxing and having fun to unwind. This afternoon this soft, fluffy kitten started to emerge. I feel a few more brushstrokes will take this to a completed painting. I may adjust the ears. I feel that the area under the chin needs a little definition and a few watermarks on the chest area could bring this to life further. Although I will admit, now this is on my computer screen I quite like it as it is!

 I have had a fabulous full week of workshops  I have met the most amazing people and loved every single day of teaching. I feel so fortnate to be in this amazing career as every day sees something completely new.  However, I now need to complete my collection for my Spring Solo exhibition. I have some beautiful new watercolours in this new body of work and I have loved the gallery owners reaction to their seeing the images that I have already forwarded for press releases.

I will share more details  soon. For now I need to close my studio and leave it in preparation for an exciting days painting tomorrow.

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Choosing Watercolour Paper : Saunders Waterford Paper

Saunders Waterford paper 200lbs

Rough

I have received so many quesions about the watercolour paper that I use and felt the easiest way to answer them would be by blog posts. Many new artists find choosing watercolour paper realy confusing as there are so many varieties available. Firstly and most importnatly I have to  make it clear , using cheap paper that isn't suited to watercolour as a medium is not worth your time, effort or money. These can lead to soul destroying experiences and even make you feel as though you can't paint. When all along it isn't you thats' at fault, its' your paper.

Cheap thin paper buckles when water is applied. It often doesn't give you the fabulous watercolour effects that occur when pigment dries because colour can spuddle on cheap paper surfaces. Rather than interact forming the gorgeous patterns that make painting in watercolour really addictive. I love watching colour flow over the surface of watercolour paper. I also adore the effects that occur during  drying stages. I should point out at this stage that I always let my work dry naturally. I never use a hair dryer to speed up the creative process as I believe this destroys the natural magic of watercolour pigment interaction.

So lets' start with looking at watercolour papers available. Today, I am going to look at St Cuthbert Mills range  because they are experts at creating top quality products for artists. They produce several fabulous papers but I have been looking at the Saunders Waterford 200lb series, Rough Surface whilst working on a series of animals.

What I loved most about this paper is that  my colour washes flow easily over the whole surface. No matter ho wlarge the paper is. My brush glides readily from corner to corner and when I have finished applying colour no puddles are visible. The various pigments can interact freely , during the drying period the emerging effects are stunning.

Looking at two close ups of my new "cat" painting I can observe how beautifully my results are. Clean, fresh colour  is lietrally singing on paper when allowed to merge with water to create the watercolour effects that I love so much.

 Close up of a cats eye in the early stages of my new wtaercolour collection. Notice the  gorgeous watermark between the Opera Rose, Translucent Orange and pure water. This watermark will form the fur marking of the cat I am currently painting.

Another interesting quality of this particular paper is that it allows me to lift colour gently as I have in the above eye, to remove a soft area of colour to add light. Cheap papers do not allow you to do this. They can tear, or  the paper surface can be ruined in a way that is obvious when your work is later framed. Imagine spending hours on a beautiful painting which you then have to throw away at a later stage because the paper has buckled, or the surface has been damaged during the painting process. It can really take the enjoyment out of painting, so using good quality products is vital.

Another close up of the same painting. Notice how the Translucent Orange is sitting happily on the dry paper but merging softly with the turquoise layer underneath it.

The fact is, if you want to enjoy  painting , no matter what level of artist you are. You really do need to use the correct materials. Unfortunately whilst there are many student quality papers on the maket they just don't give you the most amazing experience of working in watercolour as using gorgeous good paper can.

I would definitely recommend trying Saunders Waterford watercolour paper. If like me you use more water then try the 200lbs. Out of interest I use rough surfaces when working on animals as I gain a terrific effect for fur with them, rather than smooth paper surfaces which I use for painting florals with silky petals or labradors with shiny coats.

Whatever you do, don't waste your time on paper that will buckle, allow colour to puddle or tear easily.

Have fun experimenting with different papers, use the best you can afford and look out for bargains from art suppliers as they ofen have special offers. Try teaming up with your Art Society or artist friends and buy paper in bulk too to share. Thats' a great way to save money!

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