meldrum artI paint whenever I get the chance, the autumn being a very busy period means those moments are few, So I squeeze watercolour painting into my lunch breaks, I heat up my food, eat in front of the computer and then spend half an hour practising. It’s not a very social habit but what to do? Wish I had more time to paint, I dream of creating masterpieces…
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| Archipelago in a lunch break. |
I struggled last Tuesday. I was still recovering from my illness so I felt tired. I discovered that I need to be really alert when figure drawing, the brain must make thousands of calculations every minute one is sketching. Still, I find it important to just keep going even if the mental hill is steep.
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| 5 minute A3 Fabiano sketch paper |
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| 5 minute A3 Fabiano sketch paper |
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| 5 minute A3 Fabiano sketch paper |
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| 5 minute A3 Fabiano sketch paper |
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| 5 minute A3 Fabiano sketch paper |
I hadn’t used it for a year, my Moleskin watercolour journal. I have several, this one is for practising my skin tones. I needed the practice, …I always feel I need to practice.
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| Moleskin watercolour sketch, 13 x 20.5 cm |
I have been ill for a week and so I haven’t been able to go to life drawing which I find tough on the soul, more painful than a sore throat even. But now I’m starting to feel better and so I can start painting and sketching again. 🙂 Here is a watercolour I did last week just to get the wheels of art-production going again.
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| Lighthouse. Arches fine grain, 300g/m2 , 26 x 18 cm |
Some good advice on getting your art into galleries…
Watercolor Painting Lessons – Special Effects:
Here are two watercolours that I did during my lunch breaks earlier in the week. My daily routine is to eat my lunch (quickly) and then spend 40 minutes painting. I usually have two watercolours on the go at the same time so I don’t have to hang around waiting for pigment to dry. I find it’s a great way to learn, I have to be quick and so I don’t fiddle around, I just apply the paint and see what happens. I’m having a 50/50 success rate at the moment. I really want to improve my technique so squeezing in some art-time during the working-day is uplifting, I find it so frustrating when I don’t find space in my life for watercolour.
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| Archipelago sunset, 25 x 16 cm, Arches gf 300g/m2 |
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| Archipelago mist, 23 x 16 cm, Arches gf 300g/m2 |
Here are the sketches of the nude from Tuesday’s life drawing.
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| 10 minute sketch |
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| 10 minute sketch |
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| 2 minute nude. |
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| 5 minutes |
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| 5 minutes |
Tuesday’s model went to the wrong address so the organiser of the life drawing, Sissel took her place. We sketched her for half an hour until the intended model turned up. I didn’t care, to be honest I think these sketches are more interesting than the nude drawings I did shortly afterwards. Judge yourself.
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| 5 minute sketch. |
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| 5 minute sketch, The Murder Scene. |