I'm running an artist workshop in Exeter on Friday 1st March 2019. This art class will focus on painting animals and landscapes. Full details on the poster!
An amazing unseasonably warm and sunny February day led me down to the sand of Exmouth beach to use my inktense travel kit and some water colour marker pens to paint a quick en plein air riverscape inspired by the view across the mouth of the River Exe to the sand of Dawlish Warren and the Haldon Hills beyond. See the finished pic here and here's a previous video of me standing in the sea painting from the summer. Materials used: A4 mixed media paper, inktense travel set, winsor and newton water colour markers, sea water to fill the water brush! :-)
This week, it was too windy to paint en plein air so I worked from inside my car to paint the rolling hills of the Exe Valley in Devon. Parked in Duryard Valley Park, high above the city of Exeter, I use a water brush and inktense to create a quick sketch of the rolling hills and hedge-lined fields. Really good fun! This week I use: A4 smooth mixed media paper and the inktense travel set. The colours included in this little set are: Sun Yellow, Mango, Poppy Red, Dark Plum, Mid Ultramarine, Bright Blue, Racing Green, Teal Green, Kiwi, Burnt Yellow Ochre, Natural brown & Ink Black. To read Cindy Schnackel's article on waterbrushes, click here.
This week, I do some en plein air sketches of horse in a field on the edge of Exeter. You can see the close-up of the art work here. Materials used: A4 mixed media paper, inktense travel set, ball-point pen.
Had great fun sketching some horses using my new inktense travel set and a water brush for the first time. This presented me with a few challenges as the horses moved from time to time, and the brush, while very good, wasn't what I was used to. I did 3 different studies on the first day, with varying results, then came back the next day but used biro to draw this time, followed by inktense painting, then added some final texture and detail with the ball point pen again. Great fun drawing and painting in the fresh air but a little chilly! Hope you enjoy this real time video.
This week, I try a little experiment using the following:
Paint-On Multi Techniques 250g/sqm A4 paper by Clairefontaine
Spectrum Noir alcohol-based marker pens
Winsor and Newton watercolour paint & half-inch flat synthetic brush
biro (ball - point pen)
Standing right next to the churning water at the weir on the River Exe in Devon, I do a quick watercolor en plein air study of the river and trees. Because the water is so turbulent, once in a while a splash lands on my painting creating some interesting marks. Then, once I'm back home I use biro pens to add some characterful line work to include and enhance the splash marks into the design. You can see the hi-res version here
Ten minute cheetah painting or drawing real time. See the hi-res finished picture here:Inspired by the watercolour marker and wet brush technique that I used last week, I decided to try the same thing for an animal in this case a cheetah prowling along. Here I use a lamp black Winsor and Newton watercolour marker, a half inch flat synthetic brush and some smooth mixed media paper. Starting with loose gestural lines, using the brush tip of the watercolour marker pen, I quickly outline the general form of this big cat. Next, I use the wet brush to soften lines and create areas of tone and shadow to create a sense of three dimensions. The spotted pattern of the cheetah's coat is treated selectively and carefully to enhance the 3D effect. Then I used the fine line nib of the pen for some final details. This simple technique proved to be a really efficient way to draw this cheetah walking through the long grass and it's something I plan on exploring further in the coming weeks.
See the close-up of this watercolor seascape painting / drawing here This week I visit, for the first time, the amazing Cornish beach, Bedruthan Steps and, inspired by the view from the cliff top, looking down on the array of massive rocks that sit on the sand, I create a black and white watercolor sketch of this spectacular seascape using:
A4 "Paint On Multi-Techniques" mixed media paper by Clairefontaine (but any good mixed media or watercolour paper (smooth finish) would work)
Winsor and Newton lamp black watercolour marker pen
flat synthetic half inch brush
some clean water
This week, we draw a mixed media cow head using watercolour marker pens, a flat, clean, wet brush and some atelier interactive acrylic paint.
After doing some gestural line work of the cow's head, the clean wet brush is dragged through the watercolour to create some tone. Next, I add some purple lines and follow this with acrylic highlights. Good fun to experiment with unusual colour combinations.
This week we return to the beautiful beach Widemouth bay in Cornwall for a ten minute en plein air mixed media seascape painting. Materials used: Watercolour paper (smooth finish), Winsor and Newton field easel, Winsor and Newton Watercolour marker pens, Winsor and Newton Watercolour paints, Derwent Inktense Blocks, Synthetic flat brushes (1 inch and half inch).
Sitting on the sand, work in the open air, I begin having put a few loose lines down with the watercolour marker pen. Next, I block in a few areas of colour with the watercolour paint and follow this with applying the inktense blocks with directly and with a brush. The watercolour markers are used again for a few final lines. This was a really lovely few minutes, sitting in the warm autumn sun, looking out to sea and painting loosely and freely.
