Painting number 9

Hi all,
I managed to finish another painting, this time the subject was a daffodil. I think it turned out okay but it wasn't very exciting either in the execution or the finished image.

Perhaps I'm being a bit hard myself because it isn't that bad. In fact, I'm having a job to find something bad to say about it.
Score 15 out of 100
My review
Bad bits
The flower head looks slightly out of focus.
The composition of the leaves is wrong, the bent one on the left should be in the middle so that the bent shape could be fully seen.
Good Bits
It is a pleasant enough image and would probably make a good book marker. However, seeing as I use a kindle to read my books it will have to go in the folder with the rest of the unframables.
The one thing that I did learn from the exercise was how valuable it is to do a drawing of the subject first. I used to think that doing a drawing first was a waste of time but it really isn't. Not only does it give me a chance to work out the tones, it also gives me the opportunity to familiarize myself with the subject.
The other thing I realised was that I like drawing with water soluble pencils. In fact, I liked it so much I sent off for some Derwent Inktense Pencils to see if they worked the same, but would provide me with a bit of colour. I know that you can get water soluble watercolour pencils but they look a bit washed out to me. I don't want my paintings to look like a kids colouring book.
Anyway, I'm going to do a daffodil with my new pencils and I'll show you it in my next post.

Drawing

Hi all,
I since I started this watercolour challenge I have realised that I am torn between drawing and painting. I seem to enjoy the form and line of the drawing process, but when I have completed an image, in either pencil or ink, I find that I want to add some colour to it.

Anyway, I've done another drawing of some spring flowers that I rendered in pencil.

The pencils I used were Derwent water soluble pencils. If you haven't had a go with these pencils I would recommend giving them a whirl. They come in various wash strengths so that you can vary the shading. Using them couldn't be simpler, just do a bit of shading and then blend the mark with a damp brush. This way you can blend your pencil marks across your image without those annoying lines that a dry pencil leaves.

When using them it is worth keeping in the back of your mind that once the pencil marks have ween wetted you will not be able to erase them, so make sure you like it before you set about your image with a damp brush.

I have another painting coming soon, but in the meanwhile can I just remind you that my book

is still free for the rest of the day (27th November) on Amazon. Why not grab a copy while you can? Click on my books tab at the top of the page and you will find a direct link.

Watercolour 8

Hi all,
I can't believe how time is flying since I started this challenge, in three more weeks the nights will start drawing out again. I was hoping that by this time I would be seeing a real improvement in my efforts, but I'm afraid a breakthrough hasn't happened yet.
Here is painting number 8

The only thing good I can say about this painting is that it sort of shows you what I'm aiming for even though the execution is weaker than a brew that's been made with a second-hand tea bag.
Score 14 out of 100
Bad bits
Some of the branches are non too convincing.
The ferns at the front are way to small.
There aren't enough berries.
It lacks a focal point.
Good bits
The darker leaves in the background are quite convincing and the berries pop out nicely.
I think the time has come now to step it up a gear and try do do something decent. To that end I have chosen a decent subject that we can all relate to and I've even done a preliminary sketch to help me with the shading.
Here is the drawing.

I really enjoyed doing this drawing, not least because of the medium I chose. I did it with water soluble pencils, which are a joy to use. If you haven't tried them, please have a go and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. You do the shading as you would with a normal pencil, then wet it with a damp brush and you can see the magic happen before your very eyes.
Now all I've got to do is paint one like it and I will show you the results in my next post.

Before I go I would just like to let you know that one of my books, "No Fishing in Here: Just Short Stories" will be available for free download on the 26th and 27th on November via Amazon.

Most of my books are about fishing but this one isn't. It is a collection of a dozen short stories that are easy to read and different. Some will make you laugh while others could make you weep. Why not grab a copy while you can; it is great for those occasions when time is tight and short read is preferred to a novel. If you click on book's tab at the top of the page, you will find its link to Amazon.

Watercolour 7

Hi all,
I will have to admit that the challenge this week has been, well, a bit of a challenge. I have not had a good week time wise. The problem is that when we moved to our current house about 18 months ago, we found that it had a cold water supply and tap in the garage/workshop. That's great you might think, but the trouble is the tap is just on a wall, there is no sink and no drain. If anybody uses the tap and doesn't turn it off properly the garage floods. Who thought this was a good idea I don't know, but they obviously didn't have all their chairs in the same room.
Anyway, I booked a plumber to come next week and move the tap to an outside wall so that my wife can use it to water her-always thirsty-plants. To cut a long story short, I have had to paint the walls in the workshop in preparation for the plumber. The walls want painting anyway and I want to do it before he redirects the pipework across them.
On the art front, I thought I'd have a go at some wet on wet pansies. Pansies are easy to draw so I did a few.

Then I copied and pasted them in photoshop and rearranged them into the design above. So far so good. I then transferred the image onto watercolour paper and set about painting them with the wet on wet technique mentioned earlier.
All I can say is that it was a absolute disaster. You've most likely seen my last 6 paintings, so you will know that I'm not shy about showing you my failures, but even I couldn't pluck up the courage to post my pansies on here. Take it from me they were crap.
So, like a naughty rose, I reverted to type and had a go at some more undergrowth. I want to get the hang of painting backgrounds with realistic leaves in the foreground. Once I've mastered that I want to add wildlife like butterflies and dragonflies, I guess I've always been a dreamer.
Painting Number 7

My Review score 15/100
Bad bits
1   The light blobs in the top right hand quarter spoil a reasonable image. They were caused by me dropping granulation medium onto the wet painting. It seemed like a good idea at the time but it turned out to be stupid. I won't do that again. Here on my website are few other stupid things I won't do again.
2   I don't like the background colour, it looks like an explosion in a marmalade factory.
3   The composition is wrong, especially the top right hand corner which is as empty as a gambler's wallet.
Good bits
1   Some of the background stems and leaves work quite nicely.
2   The hips and leaves in the foreground have a nice bright look to them. This was achieved by glazing them with several thin layers of paint, rather than applying one thick coat.
It has taken a while for the penny to drop but applying watercolour in layers is the best way to give an image a bit of a glow. I have also discovered that not all watercolour paint is transparent. This came as a bit of a shock to me and I will discuss it more in my next post.

Bluebell Wood

Hi all,
I'm sure that if I can improve my drawing skills I will also make improvements to my watercolour paintings, so I decided to draw a bluebell wood and use it for the subject of my next painting.

Many artists believe that doing a pencil drawing of a subject first has certain advantages. Firstly, it allows you to sort out the tones so that you have more chance of getting them right in the painting stage. I am sure you have heard the experts talk about establishing the lightest lights and the darkest darks in their paintings, well doing a drawing up front allows you to accomplish this task.

Secondly, doing a drawing up front gives you a chance to become familiar with your subject, which is never a bad thing.

Here's my drawing of the bluebell wood.

It isn't bad, but to be honest, by the time I'd finished doing the drawing I gone off the idea of the painting altogether. I need to do something with fewer trees in it.

Watercolour 6

Hi all,
In my last post last I showed you the snow drop that I did for the competition I was entering. Well it wasn't good enough, so I did another on the theme of damselflies taken from a pyrography design I once did on top of a box.
Here is my first attempt at the subject.

Yes, I know its a right dog's dinner. Last week I said that hoping for happy accidents wasn't the way to go, yet in my next painting I did exactly the same, in fact, it was worse. I won't even give it a review because it doesn't deserve one.
The only thing to do was try again, but in a more controlled manner. I know that loose water colours that look  like they've been produced by an artist who did the job with the brush shoved up his nose are the in thing, but I want better.
Here's painting 2 of the same subject.

Okay, it might not be everybody's cup of tea, but in my world it is grand improvement on the first effort. If you disagree I'd love to hear your views; please share them with us.
Review bad bits
It isn't terribly interesting.
Good bits
It is tidy and a step in the right direction.
Score 14/100
I'm not sure what I am going to paint next, but I'm going to increase the size. Everything I've done so far is about as big as a post card so I'm going large, well at least twice as big. I'm also thinking of doing a bit more drawing to try and hone those skills a bit

Drawing

Hi all,
 It seems to me that painting and drawing go hand in hand, unfortunately, my drawing skills leave a bit to be desired. I keep telling myself that the best way forward is to draw something every day and that is exactly what a lot of drawing instructors advise. I am sure that are right, but having the discipline to sit down and draw everyday is another matter. Finding something to draw is also a problem, I'm sure I could arrange a still life of a couple of cups and a jug on a gingham table cloth, but I haven't got any inspiration for that.

Anyway, I decided to draw something out of my head and just let it happen on the page. Here is the first one. It was inspired by a book my wife picked up from a garden centre. I started off with a pencil and then went over the lines with a Staedler 0.05 pigment liner pen, but it was taking too long so I did away with the pencil. That's the best thing about not copying. If you make a wrong mark, nobody else but you knows about it. If you draw a wren and it looks like a duck, who is to know you weren't drawing a duck in the first place.

I started by drawing the big daisies first then just filled the rest in a bit at a time over the course of about a week. The end result was quite pleasing so I went on and did another.

This one I felt was even better. I especially like the leaf like pattern around the tree and the Hooty owl peering out from his hole.

I will now endeavour to draw as much original content as I can and only resort to copying and tracing when I'm extra desperate. If you like the drawing above please feel free to print them off and colour them in if you wish. There seems to be surge in popularity at the moment to colouring in, especially among adults. This is a good thing because it may lead many on to bigger and better art.

Painting number 6 in my challenge will be posted soon. Meanwhile, enjoy your painting. One last thing, one of my books in The Fishing Detectives series is up for a free download on Smashwords this week. If you would like a copy just pop along to my website for details and the link.

Watercolour Painting 5

Hi
A few posts ago I was moaning about the cost of paint, especially artists' quality paint. Well, I have come up with a cost saving plan that should keep my wallet happy. I have joined the SAA to take advantage of their great prices and every thing else they have to offer. Here is an example of what I mean.
A 5 ml tube of watercolour paint in my local art store cost me £5.60.
A 14ml tube of SAA watercolour paint costs £4.70
I'm sure you can do the sums yourself and this isn't just a offer price, it is on the full range and all the other artists' materials in their catalogue are excellent value as well. More good news, postage is free no matter how many times or what you order. My experience is that delivery is also very quick.
The only catch with being a member is that you have to pay an upfront fee of £29, but when you see the prices of their stuff the membership fee will soon be recuperated and you will forget the pain.

Being a member also has lots of other advantages, a gallery to display your paintings, a forum and every two months you get a free magazine etc. I'll put a link at the end of this post if you are interested in taking a look at their website.
Anyway, when I joined the SAA, they sent me a free book and some watercolour post cards. The purpose of the post cards are to allow new members to enter the new member competition. You don't win a big prize but if it is selected it is printed in the free magazine that members get every two months. I nice boost to the ego I thought, so I decided to have a go at a postcard painting to see how I got on.
Here is my first attempt, which was inspired by a painting by Jane Betteridge who is the author of Watercolours Unleashed.

I masked off the snowdrop flowers stalks and some parts of the leaves. When that was dry, I wet the paper and brushed paint across the paper in a vertical strokes to try and give the painting a bit of movement. When the paper was almost dry, I brushed in some of the leave and then sprinkled salt over it to give it a bit of an interesting texture.
When the whole painting was dry, I brushed off the salt and removed the masking fluid. Then I painted the stalks and put some more definition into the leaves.
I would say that it is my best effort so far and a step in the right direction, so I'm giving it a score of 12 out of 100
My review of the bad bits
The salt didn't work. In fact, I'm not sure at all about always being on the look out for happy accidents because my accidents always look like total carnage. I don't want to be a botanical artist using a brush as big as a butterfly's todger, but I think a bit more control wouldn't go amiss.
 The ink splatter at the bottom right was also a big mistake.
Good bits
If you take away the scabby salt marks and silly ink splatter it isn't too bad.
I don't think it is good enough to enter the post card competition so I will have another go this week.
Here is the  Link to the SAA and here is a link to Jane Betteridge  website. She is a fine painter and she also uses SAA paints in her work. So if they are good enough for her they will do for me.