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Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: painting, Most Recent at Top [Help]
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1. BAD BLOGGER!!

{hangs head in shame:( }

crazy last couple of weeks....between a commission, matting and framing prints for some friends who are always kind enough to buy my work for their littles and a pretty intense flare up in my right arm from all the osteoarthritis, radiculopathy, nerve damage and chronic inflammation in my cervical spine (something i know i rarely talk about in this blog) after three neck surgeries. i guess i've always been one to try and not dwell on the not so positive stuff but perhaps it helps others who deal with pain just to follow their biggest and most loved passion. there is (and always will be) a FERAL need in me to create. maybe you have to be an artist to really get it. you just can't live without out. really. so, apologies for the lack of posts but if you know me personally, you know my drive far outweighs my tiny stature. in the words of my favorite Pixar film, Meet the Robinsons, "KEEP MOVING FORWARD!!"

now to what i've been up to (besides the pain)...a sweet commission from one of my drawings (FOR SALE HERE) which i turned into a painting for a sweet little ginger. i will be posting the finished painting as well as offering prints of her very soon! you'll have to check back and see...;)

here are some WIP pics as well as a cute little blue penguin i sketched...just because.











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2. NEW KOKESHI PRINT!!

sakura kokeshi
12x12, acrylic on canvas
©the enchanted easel 2016

had a few requests for PRINTS of my most recent commission since posting her last week (she is kinda cute...). she in NOW AVAILABLE in my etsy shop

if you'd like something custom created for your little one, please email me and i will surely do my best to accommodate you.


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3. kokeshi commission!

kokeshi commission
12x12, acrylic on canvas
©the enchanted easel 2016
a few weeks ago i had a commission request for a little kokeshi from the sweetest lady via etsy. obsessed with all things japanese/kawaii since birth, well she didn't have to ask me twice. ;) her response to the finished painting made the rest of my year..."That is the cutest thing I have ever seen!! Thank you so much - I am so excited about it. It is perfect colors, perfect sweet girl. Our grandma was Japanese so it means a lot to us to have something to remind us of her!"


{PRINTS AVAILABLE NEXT WEEK!!}




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4. Flash Sale of the Year


What to do when your drawers and portfolios are overflowing with original paintings?
You have a flash sale of course! 

ONE DAY ONLY
Friday October 28th
9am - 9pm CST
All original paintings and drawings on www.sarabillustration.com will be hugely marked down!

There's a new chapter in my life coming, and I am pretty certain I will be inspired to make much of it through drawing and painting. I have also been wanting to play with working larger, which will require more room!

So in celebration of the arrival of our son Jaxon (and the crisp cool holiday season! My favorite!), I am holding this ultra rare sale, marking my original art for almost half the price! This is a great way, I hope, for those of you who have been wanting an original piece but haven't been able to afford it, are able to find something that resonates with you and is within your reach.

"Summer"

All of the paintings available demonstrate my progression as an illustrator...

I have original paintings from ten years back when I was still inking my lines with microns because I feared loosing my lines and didn't like getting graphite all over my hand.

All the way through to the most recent, finished just a couple weeks ago. No inked lines but instead using erasable gray pencil, showing more confidence in my values, and creating far more inviting atmospheres that help tell the story.

Each step in the process is vital for the following step. Without experimenting and playing, I would not be where I am today as an illustrator.
"Moon Dance"

Most of my work is small for those little areas of the house that need some magic.

It is very well known that I prefer to work small, usually smaller than 8x10. I enjoy the challenge and quite possibly have always been interested in the miniature (LOVE dollhouses and all things small). Most of the larger works I create are requested commissions, but there will be a range of sizes available at the sale.

From a few of the smallest....
"Lime Pixie" 3 x 2.5 inches

The many in the middle...
"July" 8 x 10 inches

To a couple of the largest....
"Wisdom" 12 x 16 inches

I know each piece has a soul mate, created just for them.

I pray that some of these pieces will find their match tomorrow. It's bittersweet to let go of your creative works. I am always so blessed to see how the work inspires and deeply touches those who purchase it, but then also sad to see them go. Each piece has a story for me, what inspired the imagery and why I created it...yet when I see them sitting in my studio I see a bird caged, waiting to be free and serve as inspiration for another.

I hope tomorrow, on my website http://www.sarabillustration.com/paintings, browsing through the galleries, you find that special piece made just for you. ♥︎

Browse the Galleries, then let me know if any of them speak to you in the comments below.

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5. illustration friday...

the lucky one
6x6 acrylic on canvas
©the enchanted easel 2016
and a little throwback thursday!

adorable little Mei-Lin was created back in february to commemorate 2016's year of the monkey. holding her lucky orange well, she was too cute not to submit into this week's IF theme of what else...."orange".

PRINTS HERE and other goodies featuring her sweet face HERE

{it's september so i can still say, "gung hay fat choy!"}

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6. The Five Building Blocks You Need to Make Great Art

Manelle Oliphant Illustration - [email protected]

Periodic Table of The Elements

What’s that called? That image up there… yes, I know this is a blog for artists but humor me.

It’s the periodic table, right? Right. To be even more precise it’s the Periodic Table of the Elements.

What are elements? Elements are things that help you build other things. The elements on the periodic table build pretty much everything. We can’t break them down smaller, and when you put them together, they make new things. For example, when the elements of hydrogen and oxygen combine they make water.

Ok, I’m done talking about science, but there is a point. Just like elements make the world around us, We also use elements to make pictures. They are the Elements of design.

The Elements of Design Are:

Line, Shape, Value, Texture, and Color.

Take a moment to think about any art you’ve ever seen. If you can think of a piece that doesn’t use one or more of these elements, I would think you were crazy. Because as far as I know, it’s not possible to make art without the Elements of Design.

Let’s talk about them now.

Line

Leonardo Da Vinci used line to create this sketch.

Leonardo Da Vinci used line to create this sketch.

I’m pretty sure you know what a line is. We use them all the time. Lots of times we use lines to make shapes. Lines can be hesitant, beautiful, bold, straight, curved, sketchy, and much more. Read more about line by clicking here.

Shape

As I said, lines can make shapes, but you can make them in other ways. Take a paint brush and blob it on your paper. You’ve just made a shape. Lots of times we think the shapes with names, triangle, circle, square, oval, etc. But there are also shapes that don’t have names. These shapes are part of the elements of design too.

The way you choose to design your shapes can have a huge impact on how your art looks. Let’s face it; some shapes are just more interesting than others.

Value

Value is how light or dark something is. Think of a black and white movie or a grayscale image. The reason you can still tell what is going on is because of the values. Values tell us a lot of stuff, where the light is coming from, where forms change direction, if it’s a sunny or overcast day, and lots of other things.

When I see paintings that aren’t working, it’s usually because there is a problem with the values. I’ve written some other articles about value. Read this oneor this one. 

Texture

Monet used Heavy Brush Strokes created paintings with Real Texture.

Monet used Heavy Brush Strokes created paintings with Real Texture.

Texture is how something feels, rough, smooth, furry, slimy, etc. and texture can be real, or implied.

Real texture is really there. Like the texture of the paper, or the ridges and bumps created from brush strokes.

Implied texture is texture you only show in your picture.  For example, if you paint a tree trunk, and it looks rough but actually isn’t if you touch it, that is implied texture.

You can learn more about texture in this article on chrisoatley.com 

Color

Red, Yellow, Blue, etc. Right? Right… The thing is it doesn’t just stop there. Every color has a value, temperature, and saturation.

I’ve created a worksheet to walk you through the different aspects of color and show you ways to use them. You can download it free when you sign up for my mailing list.  Click here to sign up and Get The Color Worksheet.

The Elements as building blocks

By now you I hope you see how the Elements of Design make up the pictures, sculptures, and other art we see. If you want to work more with them, I’ve created a downloadable worksheet so you can get to know them a little better. You know, make friends and stuff. I hope you enjoy it.

Download Elements of Design Worksheet (0)

The post The Five Building Blocks You Need to Make Great Art appeared first on Manelle Oliphant Illustration.

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7. my little mixed media *experiment*...

so, last week i was doing some cleaning/organizing (i do that often-major OCD girl here) and i found tons of paper (which i LOVE) and all kind of little art goodies that i had laying around. i decided to stop looking at them (so perfectly organized) taking up space and actually USE them (there's a novel concept...) and now i seem to have gotten myself into a  full fledged mixed media painting.

originally intended to be an abstract...






mixed media fun...



background mix of papers and acrylic....







a tangerine haired mermaid decided she'd like
to be the featured attraction
of the *experiment*...


{'cause i can never just "experiment" (OCD+perfectionist=all or nothing). more pics to follow...in between other paintings, that is.}

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8. Birthdays and bears



Well, that's been a bit of a hefty blog break. Busy times. Sometime last month I had a birthday, and as some people may know, I am not a huge fan of birthdays. But there was a beautiful card from Joe, who also ordered a fabulous Clangers cake - and they spelled my name correctly, which is always nice! Yes, I adore the Clangers.

 

He bought me far too many presents, including some CDs of my favourite noisy bands, and a colouring book...which sadly I have not had time to play with yet.


Although I have made time to get on with my own painting.


Last weekend was my two day trip to Oxford, where I held my bear making workshop in the Willows, at Hill End Nature Centre, a truly delightful work space with lots of light and room.


I had nine attendees, four of whom were returns from previous workshops and it was lovely to see them again. It was a very busy, friendly session, and if you want an outside view, there is a lovely blog post about it on 'Tales from the Weekday Home'.


It is always nice to get to the end of the day and see the more-or-less finished results.


Apart from that, we have been trying to straighten things out at the cottage. I am still only half unpacked since moving in three and a half years ago.  It was all a bit too much with everything that happened subsequently, and I've been quite happy or rather, resigned, to live like this. But things are changing and this dumping room needed sorting. 

It's actually tidy compared to how it was. We've gone through boxes and boxes of stuff, put various things into lots for auction, charity and attic storage. Sometimes it was particularly painful, but it had to be done as life is starting to settle down and there is a lot more which needs sorting out. One can only live in carnage for so long.

 


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9. throwback to my favorite season....

silence of the snowdrops
8x10, acrylic on canvas
©the enchanted easel 2016
WINTER!!!

with almost triple digits temps going on here the last few days (ugh!) well, i thought we could all use a friendly reminder of a much colder time....you're welcome. :)

{ps and btw, this is my favorite painting. must be the winter theme...}

PRINTS HERE. OTHER GOODIES HERE. and for a little Eira (that's her name) in the making, visit my Facebook page HERE.

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10. cotton candy clouds. a strawberry moon. sakura blossoms....

sakura dreamers
11x14, acrylic on canvas
isn't that how we all dream? ;)


*COMING SOON TO MY S6 SHOP!

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11. wesbite re-design...DONE!

www.theenchantedeasel.com

and i can't tell you how HAPPY i am to FINALLY be able to pick up the paintbrush again after a week of editing html and cropping and watermarking photos and staring at the 17" screen on my mac. SO ready to paint!!! :)

i am loving the new colors i have chosen for the site as well as the home page painting entitled, sakura dreamers, which i specifically designed with the new home page in mind. i LOVE sakura blossoms and elephants and dream in strawberry moons and cotton candy clouds (wait, don't we all? ;) )

*PRINTS COMING SOON!


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12. Equipment for a Free Range Artist – Part 2

I’m back from my free range field test: a weekend trip to Fruita, Colorado for some plein air mountain biking fun. (If you missed the first post about all of my new plein-air equipment, you can read all about it here.)

First stop were the Kokopelli trails, which take you along the edge of the Colorado river. There are gorgeous vistas at every turn, and I hiked a few meters off trail and painted one of my favorite views of the canyon. If I’d been walking, it would have probably taken about four hours to get to this spot (and another four to hike back!) but with the bike I could get there in no time.

Plein air painting along Steve's Loop

Most bikers on the path below didn't even see me.

The equipment really improved the experience. Not only was I more comfortable, but I had a much easier time judging color and value with the help of my shade umbrella.

Watercolor painting of a sandstone canyon

The final painting

One benefit of combining mountain biking and painting was that my husband could do extra laps while waiting for me. Sometimes he had a good view of my painting spot:

cliff-painting-setup

See the white dot of my umbrella?

Watercolor painting of a sandstone cliff in Fruita, CO

I was painting this interesting rock formation. So many holes!

So, you ask, how was all the equipment?

The Umbrella (Bestbrella white)
Pros: Provided a neutral, even light. I found it easy to set up and relatively stable. It even protected my painting against the odd sprinkle of raindrops.
Cons: I’m not sure I’d use it in a downpour or high winds, but that’s not really what it’s for. When the sun was at certain angles (like right behind my head) it was difficult to properly position the umbrella because the easel got in the way of the tripod pole. I think this is actually a problem with the tripod, not the umbrella: if I had a taller tripod I could have clamped the umbrella lower on the leg in order to miss the easel.

The Easel (En Plein Air Pro Traveler Series)
Pros: Easy to set up, lightweight, simple.
Cons: The easel is fitted with holes to hold your brushes, but a lot of my brushes are either too big or too small to fit in these. Some slide all the way down to the ferrule, while others stick out quite a bit. On more than one occasion I’d absentmindedly put down a brush only to have it slip right through.

The Stool (Walkstool Comfort)
Pros: Durable, easy to set up, pretty comfortable.
Cons: You can only use it with the legs fully extended when it’s on level ground.

The Backpack (Camelbak Motherlode)
Pros: Spacious, durable, well-balanced, lots of convenient pockets.
Cons: It’s not designed with women in mind, and was wide and bulky on me, particularly around the shoulder area. But the width makes it perfect for holding the easel, so I’m not complaining.
Other notes: It can also throw off your center of gravity while biking, which makes technical terrain very difficult. I wouldn’t recommend this for beginners. In fact, I made my husband carry it most of the time so that I wouldn’t mess up and fall off the cliff.

I'm just posing. I gave it back to my husband right after this photo.

I'm just posing. I gave it back to him right after this photo.

The tripod (an old mini travel tripod–I have no idea what brand or model.)
Pros: Very small, compact and lightweight.
Cons: My mini tripod is clearly not meant to hold a bulky plein air easel and umbrella. It’s unstable, and is so small that there’s no way you could use it while standing. The short legs make it difficult to level on steep slopes. It’ll do for now, but I’m going to start saving up for something a little more versatile for the future.

Watercolor painting of two utah junipers and a high desert view beyond

We also visited 18 Road, on the other side of the valley.

Conclusion:

All in all, I’d call it a success! If you’re thinking of doing more “free-range” painting and are hesitating about investing in equipment, I recommend that you go for it. No matter where you go to paint–be it far off the beaten path or as close as your back yard–it’s a fun challenge and a great way to improve your painting skills.

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13. MIA...WIP!

been MIA lately with this WIP...the new home page/*face* of the enchanted easel.

i'm a big believer in evolution as an artist. in the past couple of years alone, my style has changed/evolved into a place where i feel happy, at peace and comfortable...not to say that i won't keep pushing myself to be the best painter i can be but i am very much enjoying the new style my art has taken on. with that being said...

here are some peeks at the painting i am currently wrapping up this week. little bit of sakura blossoms (my favorite), little bit of nighttime (the insomniac that i am), a strawberry moon, some cotton candy clouds, a sweet little sleeping elephant (maggie) and myself, of course.

can't wait to share it in june (when of course i will have to redo the website and blog to match)!




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14. Mother’s Day 2016

A painting for Mother's Day 2016!

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15. so, these arrived the other day...

well done, Society6. well done.

you know, it's always such a rush to see my finished paintings on products such as tote bags, wall clocks, tech cases, etc. really. it never gets old. to say it's rewarding is well, an understatement. NOTHING makes me happier than painting/drawing. COUNTLESS hours go into building up a painting....from the initial sketching process to the layers of prep work for the canvas and then the of course adding the COLOR with layers of acrylic. every single brush stroke is a joy to make. then, to see it all done is overwhelming. (i must confess, i cry sometimes when i finish a painting...there's just SO much emotion and passion that i put into each and every single one. finishing one is definitely bittersweet...whether it's a commission or just one that i've painted that will sit in my studio until it sells one day). so back to Society6 and the A-MAZ-ING printing job they do....

the above pic shows the tote bag (sized at 16x16) and the really awesome "carry all pouch" (as they call it-available in THREE sizes-this is the medium). love love love how these turned out. so true to the original painting (which is FOR SALE-contact me if interested)...just lovely.

also ordered a few mugs for Mother's Days gifts that impressed me as well (pic coming soon). they have everything from wall clocks to throw pillows to duvet covers to stationary cards. click on over here to the homepage and check out some other really great artists and their products. you won't be disappointed.

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16. this makes my heart happy....


seeing my work hanging in a child's room. the joy never gets old. 

never.

commission for Collin
11x14 acrylic on canvas
©the enchanted easel 2016

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17. BIG SALE!!!


added some new items to my S6 shop and what a great day to do so! BIG SALE! 15% off EVERYTHING and wait for it, wait for it...FREE SHIPPING too!
now THAT surely makes for a happy monday! :)

*sale ends at midnight tonight (PST)

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18. Picture Book Roundup - kind, find, and confined

It's been a while since I've done a picture book roundup.  Here are three that struck my fancy:

Kind. This boy is the best!

Have you seen Elephant? 

Written and illustrated by David Barrow.
Gecko Press, 2016

A kind young boy plays hide-and-seek with his elephant friend and takes care to keep the game going, despite the fact that his friend is a very poor hider! Have you seen Elephant? is bright and cheerful and funny, and above all - kind. This is the first book I've seen from Gecko Press and the first by David Barrow. I love it!





Confined? Can the colortamer catch them all?

Swatch: The Girl Who Loved Color

Written and illustrated by Julia Denos
Balzer Bray, 2016

Bright, bold, and expressive, Swatch is a color tamer - trapping and using colors in the most fantastic of ways. A bold and fearless artist, no color had escaped her artistic eye ... no color but one,
"Morning came, and there it was, fast fading and fierce, the King of All Yellows, blooming in the sidewalk crack in spite of the shadows. Swatch was ready .... At last, Yellowest Yellow would be hers."
Or would it?

This is the first book that Julia Denos has written as well as illustrated. I would love this book even if my favorite color were not the hero of the story!


Find. Where is that cat?

Spot, the Cat 

Illustrated by Henry Cole
Little Simon, 2016

A beautifully detailed, wordless book - more than just a seek-and-find, it follows the path of an adventurous cat in the city and the boy who wants to find him. Join the young boy and search the city for Spot, the cat.


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19. "sweet serenity"....

"sweet serenity"
9x12 acrylic on canvas
©the enchanted easel 2016
the name of this little beauty.

inspired by pantone's "GORGOIS" (as my FAVORITE make up artist, Mally Roncal would say-please, that's a whole different blog post....LOVE that woman...i digress!) palette of 2016, featuring the colors, rose quartz and serenity (hence her name)...and my favorite, lilac grey (ironic, considering i am not a big lover of anything purple).

i'm kind of loving little miss serenity right now and i will be featuring her on some great products in my Society 6 shop a little later in the week. until then....

PRINTS are available in my etsy shop and...the ORIGINAL PAINTING IS FOR SALE. contact me here or message me here if interested.

{below are some parts of the painting...}




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20. Emily Isabella

63_newyorkbook6_800 67_anthro_giftguide1_800 38_littlepaintings5_700 63_newyorkbook5_800

56_katespade_DLF_5_800

53_studioillo_800

Emily Isabella is an illustrator from Hudson Valley, her work varies from book illustrations, packaging designs to textile designs. Her work reflects on the delights of the everyday, in a very beautiful way. Her clients have included Anthropologie, Frankie Magazine and Birch Fabric to name a few. 

To see more from this illustrator visit her website

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21. Time-Lapse

Last weekend my charming assistant/husband helped me film this time-lapse video of yours truly painting a watercolor landscape. He also edited and produced it for me. Thanks, Jonathan! This is my first attempt at filming and isn’t my best landscape ever (the composition could be better) but it shows my painting technique and it’s (hopefully) interesting to watch it all come together. And without further ado, a painting from start to finish:

For the curious, pigments include:

Payne’s Gray, French Ultramarine, Prussian Blue, Sap Green, Quinacridone Gold, Yellow Ochre, Pyrrole Red Light, and a touch of Quinacridone Magenta, probably some other stuff.

Brushes:

Synthetic 1″ flat, Winsor & Newton sable flats in 1/2″ and 3/4,” Raphael Sable round #4, Winsor & Newton rigger

Paper:

Hahnemuhle “Turner” watercolor block, 24×32 cm

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22. multitasking kind of two weeks....

{been working on a few things at once...hence my lack of blogging in almost 14 days}

beginnings of a new painting....

new things coming to my etsy shop soon....

busy day in the studio, multitasking like a boss...

nursery art commission beginnings....

quick little brainstorming session....



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23. FINALLY....

got around to curating my first little treasury on etsy late last night (yay me!)....inspired by one of my favorite flowers (and recent paintings), the delicate and graceful snowdrop.

click on over and take a look at the exquisite handmade items i found in my search. they are simply stunning in their own right.

silence of the snowdrops
8x10 acrylic oncanvas
©the enchanted easel 2016
the other inspiration for this lovely treasury, my painting entitled "silence of the snowdrops". prints here and other goodies here.

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24. the making of "silence of the snowdrops"...step by step!

i thought it would be interetsing and fun to take a look into the creative process of my paintings...from thumbnail to sketch to paint palette(s) to the finsihed piece. i know i absolutely geek out looking at other artists WIPs so i thought i'd create a new album after each painting of the step by step process i use (and have used for YEARS) and share it with everyone. i work traditonally...pencil, paper, paint, canvas. i have much respect for the digital artists of the world yet for me, the passion and love will ALWAYS be in the traditonal tube of paint. old school...and proud. 

for a look at the full album and step by step instructions, please click on over to my Facebook page...and perhaps give it a "like", if you would be so kind! :)

PRINTS of this beauty here. ORIGINAL PAINTING is AVAILABLE. contact me, if interested. 

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25. Watercolour Workshop: Less is More!


As part of my residency, I ran another of my empowerment workshops recently, working with the academics at the Morgan Centre. My merry band of would-be sketchers were all given a free set of watercolours at the outset and, although we did do some playing around with them during our very first meeting, I have noticed that most people aren't really using them. Not surprising - I know some very seasoned sketchers who are still terrified of watercolour.


So, I thought we would do some work with paint, to get them more familiar with how it feels and to discover some of the simple but effective things you can do. 

For people to feel comfortable, it is vital that these workshops are fun and that results are acheivable. I need people to not only learn useful techniques, but to enjoy the session sufficiently that they are inspired to give things a go when they are on their own, with the SCARY blank page.



First of all, we used wet paper and explored simple mark-making methods, introducing watercolour to the page, but then leaving it alone, letting the water take it off to interesting places, resisting the urge to scrub and mix. 

Then I asked people to see if they could see an image in the blobs and squiggles. The challenge was to use as few drawn marks as possible to turn the splodges into something. Love these funky birds:


Next, we played a game in pairs, where people took it in turns to add a mark to a shared painting, building up images which were initially abstract, but waiting for the suggestion of something representational to emerge. It's fun because people sometimes have different ideas of where it's going. You can choose to cooperate with your partner, or you can subvert their ideas as you see them emerging and deliberately take it off on a different track.


The idea of the exercise was to get people painting freely, but to keep it light-hearted and devoid of expectation. I wanted them to learn how the paint worked - what consistency to use, which colours reacted together well, the difference between working onto wet and dry paper - all this, without any pressure to create something successful.


Finally, I asked them to use the techniques we had learnt, to do a very quick watercolour sketch of an item of fruit or veg that I'd asked everyone to bring. I showed them how you can restrict where the wet paint is going to go, by creating the shape of your object in water first, then quickly introducing the paint while it's wet. This is my 10-second mango:



I asked people to use only 2 or 3 colours and to let the paint settle on its own, as before. Finally, to finish off with the minimal amount of line-work needed to make the object identifiable. This is my example apple and satsuma:



We suddenly ran out of time and everyone had to rush off, so I only got a photo of one person's painting, this gorgeous garlic. Quite a tricky thing to choose, particularly as an absolute beginner, but she did a fantastic job:


Everyone did really well. Their 'homework' was to go away and use the techniques in their sketchbooks over the next few weeks. My hope is that the workshop demonstrated that you can be quite free and easy with watercolour and still get quite dramatic results, by sticking to a few simple rules:

* Use water first to tell the paint where to go and to give you lovely marks
* Limit yourself to 2 or 3 colours
* Let the paint do its thing - don't fiddle and scrub!
* Less is more: you often don't need outlines


If you are afraid of watercolour, give it a whirl. You need plenty of clean water, a hairdryer to encourage the drying along and a good size brush, so you get enough paint down. Watercolour paper is ideal, but we only had ordinary cartridge paper books to work in and, as you can see, it was fine. So long as it isn't too flimsy. Have fun!

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