Oct
04
This is an image based on a photo a friend had taken during the recent dust storms that had covered several state on the East Coast of Australia. While it was a complete pain and a horrible mess for everyone to try and clean up it was also quiet eerie and beautiful.
As you can see I am still very much on the catch up. This pregnancy thing is starting to slow my progress as I am now really feeling the need to do some sewing. Which I am not yet particularly good at, but for some reason that is what I really want to be working on. So I am considering letting myself off the hook and loosening the reigns a little in the lvl of strictness of this challenge. I do intend to keep working up until the point things really get out of hand, but I think I should let go of the guilt if things don’t really go to plan. Anyway we shall see.
I enjoyed this image because the colours were simple and I got to focus on contrast and light areas. I have always been a fan of high contrast. This you can see in some of the pencil drawings I have posted in the gallery.
Posted in Watercolour A Watercolour A Week Landscape Watercolour
Sep
27
I have a fair bit of catching up to do with these images atm. We have had a busy time of things of late. I went to a print club exhibition for QCA uni. So I got to see a heap of work from the current print kids which was exciting. I have been thinking about how I would like to get some printing done on the near future so I will be keeping that in mind.
Obviously I have pregnancy stuff going on and sleep and life in general are getting more and more uncomfortable. So I should go a little easy on myself. But.. where possible I am going to keep the work coming. So hopefully I can get a couple of images completed within the next couple of weeks and catch up.
Here is the latest one that I am going to put up for week 6. It is an image taken from a landscape shot I took a couple of years ago. I had some issues with the leaves at the front of the image becoming too solid and separate from the rest of the image so I had to town them down a bit and work on distance.
Posted in Watercolour Landscape Watercolour
Sep
10
This image is based on a stock photo I had taken and tinkered with. I have many farm based photos because I find the scenery interesting. It represents childhood memories for me. I’ve been thinking about a these based around these kinds of images where the farm scenes are washed out and fading and being replaced with new life and growing matter. I’ll explain this in more detail as it develops and explain the idea behind it.
This image fell right into place on its own.. except for that one little cow that gave me grief and prevented me from letting myself complete the image. But I made an executive decision and called it quits as I am very excited about this image and wont let that damned cow ruin it for me!
It was very much improvised and I ended out just going with what felt right. I had very little obstacles until near the very end and have realised that I don’t need to over think these things, just get in there try it and cross those bridges as I get to them.
I was able to work fast and just edit bit’s and pieces over time as they dried. I have found that allowing the image to dry, and the paper to return to its original texture greatly changes the look of the image. So I get a chance to stand back and have a proper look at it before I continue. This is convenient with my many interruptions during the day.
The scan does not do it much justice, but I will just have to live with that. I am now determined to get together a good body of work that can be framed up and shown together in a small exhibition. This challenge has been extremely helpful in keeping me on track and motivated. Even the horrid rose image has been a part of a “journey” that is leading me towards a far better focus in the area and keeping my creative brain in action so it is not all lost to mush and baby gaga.
One last thing. I love this paper! (see the texture on the header at the top of the page)
Posted in Paintings A Watercolour A Week Landscape Watercolour
Aug
30
I am so much happier using this paper. The texture is so much nicer and you can work the paper much more. The previous paper would get all fluffy and flat look when you put more then a couple of layers of pain on it. and the texture was just awful. So it is decided. Nice paper all the way. None of this trying to be frugal and economical and use up crappy paper just for the sake of it.
This was a quick simple image which used reference from a photo I had taken years ago and kept with the intention of using one day. I trialed different brushes for different patterns and kept the colours fairly minimal.
The good news is I am back in front with my challenge and an am eagre to get onto the next image.
I also have a good reason to go over some old stock and artwork and rework it and develop it further.
Posted in Watercolour Available Landscape Paintings Watercolour
Aug
11
Ok, so here I am committing myself to at least one watercolour painting in a week. It can be a speed painting, a study or whatever tickles my fancy, just as long as it is something. I will do this until my current supply of paper runs out and then I will look back on what I am hoping to be a much improved folio of work.
I find it way to easy too be distracted and just let things drift out of the front of my mind – and once its out of there it is easily forgotten. So hopefully this is the answer. If I commit to it here (even if nobody is reading) I have a promise to keep.
So here is the one to kick things off. It is a small painting that I dabbled in over the duration of 2 days whilst doing all the usual stuff including washing, dishes and child raising. Not a lot of time was spent on it, but I did explore using a wet and loose style where I was not particulary paying much attention to a reference photo. I did also use some pencil work in there too.
I very much enjoyed this excersise and it will prove valuable in keeping up my enthusiasm.
Posted in Watercolour Landscape Paintings Watercolour
Aug
11
As I spoke about in the first post of this blog, painting in watercolour is extremely convenient for me. It is easy to clean up, move around the house to suit my situation and not be tied to having to finish it in a particular time frame. I can walk away from it, let a layer of wet paint dry, and then have a dab on the way past while Oliver is eating his lunch.
When I was studying painting was one of my smallest areas of interest. I admired the people who painted well, but I was more interested in the printing technique and seeing what those massive machines were all about along with digital work and using computers to create. Now it seems I have come around 180 deg and am feeling the pull towards painting and natural expressive strokes and the mixing of colours and texture.
These are my most recent watercolour paintings. And while I know I have plenty of time and room for improvement I am seeing myself get better as I go along and can’t help but be excited by the potential.
Posted in Watercolour Landscape Still-Life Watercolour
Mar
14
I have finally decided it was time to put together a very long overdue image gallery to organise my artwork and keep a record of when and what is created. Many thanks goes out to my husband for all of his help with the tweaking and answering all of my annoying questions.
The plan is for this to be a space where I can have my artwork easily at my disposal instead of having to rummage through hard copies, and also a quick link to display work to potential customers. It will be a place where I can keep track of commissions and the status of my artwork and keep myself inspired.
The majority of work coming through will most likely be watercolour paintings as this is where I have decided to focus my attentions. I actually majored in the printmaking area of my course but unfortunately access to presses, chemicals and equipment pose a problem. So my compromise it to explore painting as I can easily set up a space for this at home and work around my son where possible. I am still quiet restricted in time and energy but I am committing myself, here publicly, to force myself to make the effort. Because it is worth it.
“Coastline”
A watercolour painting using reference from an image that my sister took on her trip along Great Ocean Road whilst visiting the Twelve Apostles. Vic, Australia.
Posted in Watercolour Available Landscape Paintings Watercolour
