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VALENTINO ROSSI

11" x 7.5" LINE & WASH. I love Rossi and I've always fancied doing a painting but each time I tried, I always gave in because it was just taking far too long to get the drawing right. This time I persevered. I started by using a soft pencil (and LOTS of putty rubber) until I was happy with it (which took me about 2 hours) and then I went over it with an artist's sketch pen before finally laying on some light washes. I need to go back to it and apply some more blue layers to darken up the bike, but other than that, it's finished. Not totally happy but I think that's because it felt like hard work throughout.

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CLOVELLY, DEVON (again)

11" x 7.5" LINE & WASH. This is my second attempt at portraying the beauty of Clovelly. This time I looked at a different part of the village and included two view. I was quite pleased with the sketch but less so with the washes. I tend to go in with my eyes shut instead of thinking about what it is I'm trying to achieve. Ah well.

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CLOVELLY, DEVON

11" x 7.5" LINE & WASH. This particular painting was done in response to the weekly SAA competition. It's nothing like the competition photo, but it is at least a scene from Clovelly. I'll probably do an additional painting that better represents the competition image.

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JOURNALS

Rather than keep trying to produce bigger paintings which no one would buy and frame anyway, I thought I'd take a different route to learning and enjoying painting watercolours. I'm going to start to produce a "Journal".

Basically, I'll fill the pages of the journal with random sketches of the things and places around me. Where I go, what I see and generally the things that I'm interested in. To kick it off, I've started with some stuff from my favourite place - The Forest of Bowland. I spend a lot of my time around here and can now add to the enjoyment of it all by sketching.

There's no pressure to produce a masterpiece and therefore the enjoyment of it all is enhanced. Each piece is painted on a piece of 250g Bockingford Rough paper and is sized 11"x7.5" (280mmx190mm).

I paint on BOTH SIDES of the paper and when I've done a few, I'll spiral-bind them to form the journal and will probably include a painted cover. It seems to me that these will then be easily viewable rather than hidden away in a cupboard somewhere. It will also be good to watch myself progress as time goes by (hopefully). As someone said to me, it will be a great aide-memoire! Here's the first 4 pages....

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ANNE MORTIMER 

Tonight I had a go at one of Anne's pieces from her blog. On it, she kindly provides a simple outline sketch to make it easy to draw and then a series of photos showing the work in progress. As usual, good artists make it look so simple, but it rarely is! I got bogged down with this one and the background colours went all over the place. 11"x7.5" Watercolour, Pen & Wash.

Same night I also got a text from my sister saying she was having a go at watercolours. She sent me a tiny image via phone and asked me to have a go, so I had a quick doodle and here it is...

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SAA WEEKLY COMPETITION

This week's competition is a Scottish scene and rather than jump in head first, I've decided to do 3 paintings and then choose one to submit. These are the first two. Not really happy with them, but getting there.

 1st attempt

2nd attempt

Final attempt.

I like the style of the second one - looks like it's from a journal but I wasn't sure that it would appeal to everyone, so I did another and submitted the 3rd one.

CRAIG YOUNG PALETTE BOX

AKA BILLING MUNRO

Yesterday, my Craig Young Palette Box arrived and I quickly filled it with paints and had a play around. I canI couldn't help making comparisons between this and my James Fletcher Watson Studio Palette made by the "Little Brass Box Company" here in the North West UK. I always thought that the Craig Young equipment was the Holy Grail, but having seen one in the flesh now, I have to say it isn't up to the same standard as the LBBC stuff.Why? Well when you hold the LBBC palette in your hand, you are immediately impressed with the whole thing - it just OOZES quality. The outer surfaces hold a rich, deep paint which wouldn't look out of place on the bodywork of a Rolls Royce, lol.  The metalwork is beautifully formed and everything fits together so perfectly. Inside, the paint-wells, are sharp and even, with tidy sealing between compartments. The whole interior is coated in a semi-matte enamel which looks gorgeous, but I must say does stain slightly.  John Hurtley who owns the business and makes all the palettes offers a variety of extras and options. In fact, he even made an inner-tray that I designed myself and delivered it very quickly too!

The appearance of the Craig Young Palette Box is quite disappointing. It just doesn't have the same wow-factor as the LBBC - it seems cheaper - almost like a "fake". This may seem quite harsh, but I'm just giving you my own feelings what's in front of me. No doubt there's thousands of happy CY owners out there who love their palettes.The lid of the Palette Box is only held closed by one central catch and it fails to keep the lid securely closed. The interior is coated in a glossy enamel which I do prefer to the matte or satin coatings. The brasswork which forms the paint pans is not as well formed as the LBBC and the sealing between pans (solder) is quite roughly done by comparison.  

  

I'm very happy (and fortunate) to be the owner of both a Craig Young palette and a John Hurtley palette. I use the LBBC at home and keep the CY at our holiday home. They will both no doubt last a lifetime - and so they should considering the investment required. If you are considering a similar investment, my personal recommendation would be to go to the Little Brass Box Company. The website is not the best in the world, but the workmanship of John Hurtley is absolutely spot on!

Above pic shows the

custom made insert.

DON'T THINK ABOUT MAKING ART

ANDY WARHOL

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CONVERSATIONS - S.Higton

Last night I struggled for two hours with a painting, all because I'd picked up a watercolour-block which already had a sketch drawn out on it. I didn't want to complete this piece but it was in in my way, so I thought I'd rattle it off quickly. Well, it just goes to show that you should paint what you want and not paint what you don't want! The session dragged along and the outcome was dreadful. Heavy, laboured brushwork, dark, muddy washes and no life whatsoever!

So I tore the paper from the block and threw it in the bin. Then I sketched out this particular scene which I got from one of Stephen Higton's paintings. He painted it in oils and it looked fabulous. I knew mine would be very amateurish by comparison, but if you don't keep trying, you're never going to improve are you?

Here's Mr Higton's beautiful oil painting alongside my watercolour....

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SAA WEEKLY COMPO!

A fellow member of the SAA, John Currie, has kicked off a bit of a competition where a photograph is posted and everyone has a go at painting it. This is my attempt. Not brilliant, but I did quite enjoy doing it. The original looks far better than this photo....

UPDATE : This won a little award in the competition :-)

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EYE EYE!

I wasn't even going to post this train wreck of a painting, but I promised myself I'd do warts and all, so here it is. I'll be having another stab at it soon (or something similar).

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LITTLE PALETTE BOX

This was an easy little 3"x5" colour sketch of one of my favourite subjects. Very simple to draw because it's all straight lines and easy on the eye with all those attractive colours. Might do more like this. It was fun!

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JUDITH FARNWORTH WORKSHOP

I went  to paint at the local art club tonight, only to find that there was a workshop running by Judith Farnworth. My mate Brian Waddington had been harping on about Judith's style of painting for ages, so I decided to join in. I'm glad I did, because I picked up some good tips and techniques which stopped me from being so rigid in my work. If you want to see some of Judith's work, visit her website here.

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OLD BLUE EYES

Just a quickie that didn't turn out as I wanted, only because I was dog-lazy and didn't put any effort into it at all. I sometimes seem to forget that I am not a natural at this - I need to stop and think before laying brush to paper!