Freedom

I love visiting the sea, watching the waves and feeling the spray. There's a sense of wildness and freedom about it.
I also know there are many creatures below the surface, who have a freedom of their own.

Here's one such, in watercolour...

Freedom

Painted on Saunders Waterford 140R paper.

Water Baby

Every now and then you see a photo that you simply have to paint.
This lovely girl looked like she was having such fun, enjoying her holiday by the sea.
I asked permission from the parents who took the photo - and away I went!

Water Baby

Using Saunders Waterford paper and Winsor & Newton paint, this lovely girl is on a quarter sheet - size 15" x 11"
 

In which my visitor learns to paint!

My friend has left for home.
Whilst she was here, she expressed an interest in learning to paint, so I took up the challenge to teach her :)

We started with me demonstrating a wet-in-wet sea scene ( she lives near the sea) . This meant she learned how to use a limited palette of three colours. French ultramarine, alizarin crimson and burnt sienna. She also learned how to make washes fizz to create new effects. not to forget learning and practising seagulls!

This is my demo piece - and is followed by her piece, which we cropped because the horizon line was a little skewed.

Then we proceeded to the second painting.
She made a drawing first of some snowdrops. Then she learned how to paint wet on dry.

Firstly painting a glaze of aureolin on the leaves. When that was completely dry we painted a wash of ultramarine on the same leaves, though we used differing consistencies to give diverse greens.

Finally we talked about shadows and we mixed a shadow from ultramarine and alizarin and applied it to the snowdrops.
Here's the finished painting.

and here are the two paintings in light oak frames. Both with double mounts, one black and white, the other double cream.

We both had fun, her learning and me teaching - and she got to take home a couple of beautiful paintings to hang on the wall of her converted chapel!

Ben - part two

Ben is now a happy healthy dog and he thoroughly enjoys his holidays where he can play in the sea and the sand.


The painting is progressing with the beach painted and some water too .

One, Two - Dogs.

Pam, from BenMcFuzzylugs, who makes the Splat! bookmarks wanted a painting of her two dogs, Ben and Mia.
She allowed me access to her photos and unbeknown to her, I chose this as my favourite.
Here's the drawing, and the sea all painted in.