meldrum art
Inspired by my summer watercolour sketch above, I am sending original watercolours to my supporters today. A patron who contributes $5 or more each month is entitled to one. There is other stuff on offer too, for just $1 there’s the weekly vlog and very soon – exclusive watercolour videos on Patreon.com only.
Join the Meldrum Art Supporters Club 
https://www.patreon.com/meldrumart
Last Sunday I spent a lovely afternoon with my friends at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts. The weather was truly awful outside so it was so nice to socialise indoors in these Covid-times. My approach for this sketch was not to try and achieve a perfect likeness of the sculpture but to practice my watercolour tonal skills. I will return another day and try and catch her likeness. 
It is interestesting how people who used to be new friends are now old friends.
I have been life drawing since 2011 and along the way I have got to know many new people who share a love of trying to capture what they see in front of them. We would meet for coffee after each life drawing session and show our sketches and voice our frustrations at being so clumsy or just down-right awful. We all supported each other, never a bad word was said – just lots of positive vibes that have lead to the forming of great friendships.
The pandemic has affected our life drawing classes and we have not met so often this year which meant it was wonderful when we actually did meet last weekend. It was a grey day at Waldermarsudde but it didn’t matter to us, and besides, we had the promise of waffles afterwards at the café with outdoor heaters to keep the chill of autumn away.
I didn’t really care what I was going to sketch that day, I just sat close to the others. I sit alone and paint most days so no need to do that when the point was to socialise. I am happy with my sketch. In the background there is an old windmill without it’s sails. In the foreground is the statue of Carl Wilhelm Scheele by Carl Milles. My watercolour didn’t want to dry in the humidity of fall but luckily I had my blowtorch with me. It turns heads but I get the job done. It was a good day.
Please click the thumbnail below if you would like to see the full-sized image, 13 x 17 cm
We sailed for the whole month of July this year. It was windy almost everyday and it was important to find some good protection for the evening. Ironically the winds usually died down but it was not guaranteed. This watercolour is the view from Sadelöga, NE of Utö in the Stockholm Archipelago.
I originally painted a small sketch of this scene from the cockpit of the boat, now that it is the season to paint in the studio I decided to have a go at a large version. It’s 70 x 50 cm in format, I haven’t painted this big for a year at least. I really enjoyed the challenge and I am happy enough with the result.
I have a few tubes of paint that I basically don’t really like and have been trying to use up for years. Antwerp Blue, for example. I took the opportunity to use it for the sea and I used Neutral Tint over it to try and calm it down. Like I said before, I am satisfied with the final result but I will be happy to see the end of that tube of 37ml Antwerp Blue.
A good friend of mine asked me a few weeks back to do a watercolour demonstration for his daughter and her friend. He decided that he would also like to join in. I haven’t had any courses since last year mainly because I felt it took up too much of my time as an artist. The Corona virus has changed my outlook somewhat as I haven’t been earning much since it struck in back in March.
I was very pleased they wanted to learn from me but I was going to have to do some work beforehand. What subject would I paint? I’d need to practice the painting several times so I didn’t look like an idiot. So I did, I painted it twice on quarter-sheet, the first had an electric blue sky which I didn’t like, the second attempt pleased me though and so I felt ready for the demonstation.
The day after it was demontration time, to my relief the watercolour turned out fine. My students had fun applying what they had learned to their own paintings. I was happy with my wee course. I wonder now if I sould start offering courses again, I am not sure, what do you think?
In this video I paint a watercolour of the Kings Garden (Kungsträgården) in central Stockholm. I have lots fun trying to capture the complicated scene that was in front of me. It was a beautiful day and I ended up very happy with my sketch, that doesn’t happen everyday.
I am currently editing my latest “Painting Outdoors” video and it should be ready in the coming days I hope. I spend far too many hours in front of the computer screen so it’s really important to take breaks. And being a watercolour artist the natural thing for me to do is to paint a sketch while out getting some fresh air. These two watercolours are local views of Djurgården and Danvikshem, both are just a short walk from my where I live.
Last weekend I met my life drawing friends. We’ve known each other for years so it has been tough not meeting them due to the pandemic. It was incredibly nice to meet finally, we sketched a little, I chose to paint the Vasa museum, a must see if you ever visit Stockholm. The high point of yesterday was not the sketching really but the coffee afterwards and the hours of happy chatting with the autumn sometimes reminding us it was on it’s way. Later in the evening I finished the sketch. I am experimenting more, it’s a lot of fun. 13 x 17.5 cm
If you would like to see my latest video click this link: https://youtu.be/h00hf9xXV7o
Sketching watercolours while cruising Ep23
Click the thumbnail below to see the original full-sized image.
How I saved an outdoor sketch. This video isn’t for the sensitive watercolour painter, no this is probably the crudiest watercolour rescue hack on YouTube. Let me know what you think of it. Feedback is always welcome.
If you would like to see the actual watercolour sketch, click the thumbnail below
