Battle of the Greens This is a watercolour term because paintbox greens were so awful in the olden days. There was emerald and viridian which were garish, and that flaccid sap green which was transient. I don't remember olive green. And look how gorgeous they are nowadays! Here are the colours I am using for my monochromatic painting of The Silver Ghost Thistle. Look at the last three posts for the beginnings of this thistle. I thought I'd show you how I get my greens using just four … [Read more...]
another thistle painting
I have begun my third thistle - 50cm square and taking a big risk showing it in its very early stages. This one has not yet flowered, but I loved the way the spikes spiralled around the plant. This means of course that even if I want the finished thistle to look loosely painted, I have to map the positions of the spikes very carefully. Just when I thought I was taking a break from my mathematical series! The way each spike moves in a spiral around the plant and changes shape on the sphere is … [Read more...]
Colour – Complementaries 3
It was monsoon-ish outside so I went down to the pool area and collected a beautiful leaf (photo on the left) - that I'd been eyeing and one or two other bits and worked quietly indoors - until my chattery 6-year-old granddaughter, Elva joined me drawing quickly and colouring furiously with felt-tips, bumping the table because she can "draw super-fast" as she explained in a sweet American accent. Fabriano Artistico fina 190gsm, watercolours, a touch of coloured pencil and pen. It's … [Read more...]
Man-made trees 4 – The Petrified Forest
This was in the Botanical Gardens in Singapore. I really liked this carved stone and the lettering style at the entrance to the Evolution Garden. Here I am painting. There is something magical about painting in-situ. It is about feeling a connectedness with your subject. I was part of this huge quiet forest and I think the silence is tangible.I had come to Singapore straight from doing a number of tree silhouettes which has to be from photographs, so this was fun. Also I am so excited about … [Read more...]
Wild Flowers 3 – Lords and Ladies
Arum Maculatum: The Common names are Lords and Ladies, Devils and Angels and Adam and Eve; the flower being the Lord and the berries being the Ladies. It is a woodland plant that is widely spread in Oxfordshire. This is the first completed painting on an A3 sheet of Fabriano Artistico (Not). I outlined it with Ecoline watercolour inks then painted it, controlling the bleeding by doing some quick mopping up. The first version was outlined in black waterproof ink and it seemed a bit sterile to … [Read more...]