I've been painting again

[Dave 123]

My current favourite technique with watercolour is pen-and-wash. I like the idea of having to do a good drawing, but then be a lot looser with the colour.

The robin's not bad, Dave. Are you using black to darken your colours? Maybe try doing thin glazes of colour to darken the tones instead, working dry on dry as opposed to wet into wet. (a hairdryer is very useful when it comes to speeding up the process)

If I’m honest I’m not sure what I’m doing. I need someone stood over me with a cattle prod!

I will take on your thoughts.

 

[Reynard]

If I’m honest I’m not sure what I’m doing. I need someone stood over me with a cattle prod!

I will take on your thoughts.

We learn by doing. I'm self-taught, been there, done that etc. A good book on basic techniques can be really invaluable. I've found "Learning to Paint" by Alwyn Crawshaw really useful. Worth having if you can get your mitts on a copy, as he's primarily a watercolourist. Otherwise, there are plenty of other good books around.

FWIW, I don't use black when painting, neither in watercolours, nor in acrylics. My preferred "black" is a mix of burnt umber, ultramarine and payne's grey.

 

[Dave 123]

@Reynard it was Payne’s grey...

I’ll look out for the book.

 

[Reynard]

@Reynard it was Payne’s grey...

I’ll look out for the book.

Oh right, ok.

BTW, charity shops and libraries are a good source of "how to" type books.

 

[Dave 123]

Oh right, ok.

BTW, charity shops and libraries are a good source of "how to" type books.

I need a ‘how to draw’ book. Again, I enjoy prattling about, but my skills don’t match my enthusiasm.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Better than I could manage. They're good.



I like a lot of modern art, some is pap though.
A bit of Piet Mondrian, it suits my mathematical /scientific brain.
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i dont mind that sort of thing,its the pile of junk on the floor ect or a bit of paint splodged on whatever ,then a arty type saying how amazing it is...

 

[Levo-Lon]

These 2 pictures, one of my Border Terrier and a Venetian view.
the dog portrait is superb, and the Venice pic we bought about 20 yrs ago ,its by a recognised local artist. I love both of them.

my crap Amazon tablet has a camera that would be about £1 fitted so not a good photo

 

[Reynard]

Those are both amazing @meta lon - I can see why you like them so much.

 

[Adam4868]

My partner is a fine artist,teaches it at a University aswell.Ask her to paint or draw someone or something and your likely to get a feck off (unless the money's good)
Art is in the eye of the beholder so to speak.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Those are both amazing @meta lon - I can see why you like them so much.

The dog portrait was done when my dog was about 5 yr old by a lady in Newark.
She was a regular at my DinLs Vet Practice, she had it done via a photo for me for xmas.
It really is a lovely drawing.

The Venice pic ,well i got that from a Stamford art gallery about 20 yr ago, and happily paid £400 for it.
So there you are ,there's money in them brushes Its just a case of finding someone to buy it .

 

[Salty seadog]

you mean like Richard Long does.....

i dont mind that sort of thing,its the pile of junk on the floor ect or a bit of paint splodged on whatever ,then a arty type saying how amazing it is...

 

[Levo-Lon]

you mean like Richard Long does.....

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That's brilliant.
I think you know the stuff imI talking about..

I've done some lovely creations with stone and brick..but I don't class it as art.
It's just landscaping..

 

[Salar]

A very quick sketch of Aberaeron harbour, loosely overlaid with watercolour washes.

 

[Illaveago]

More swans.....

I’ve been playing with ‘loose’. I quite enjoy it, but I’m still grasping for the handrail of hard lines!
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So that was my attempts at breaking free...
But like I say, I had to go back to my safety zone. There are some merits in these but the Robin swan is a bit murky
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Maybe it was w murky day, maybe I need to add more detail.

Maybe I shouldn’t give up my day job......

You can end up with muddy colours by mixing the wrong shades together. Try to keep the colours to the same side of the spectrum, a blue shade of one colour with a blue shade of another and so on. You may also need to go over certain areas again to build up the colour a bit more.

My avatar is a copy of one of my pictures.

 

[Levo-Lon]

A very quick sketch of Aberaeron harbour, loosely overlaid with watercolour washes.


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Excellent, I like the way your colours mix and run through ..
I wouldn't know where to begin doing that?

I loved drawing as a kid and my best subject at school was Tec drawing but I was terrible at English and only average at math..so no career in architecture for me then