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David Meldrum Watercolour

Looking forward to 2018

Yes, I am looking forward to 2018. I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about the start of a new calendar year. The 31st of December at the stroke of midnight I become a full time artist! I am a little nervous about it but it is nothing compared to the exhilaration I feel, the passion I have for my new career as an artist.

5 year plan
5 year plan

I came up with a 5-year plan exactly 5 years ago. The plan was simple as you can see on my amazing slick graph, my art career was to grow and my web designer career was to decline. To my surprise it has come true and was totally on schedule, amazing!

My plan for 2018 is to start a company and paint like crazy for the first 3 months. I will be developing “Meldrum Kroki” my life drawing sessions that I started back in October. I will also try my hand at producing weekly video vlogs plus painting tutorials or demonstrations. I think that’s enough to keep my self busy.

It’s going to be a fun year in 2018, really looking forward to it.

Happy New Year folks!

 

Categories
Sketch Watercolour

New year celebrations

I finished this sketch of Donaghadee harbour today. I actually started the sketch while in Ireland a couple of weeks back.
My last sketch of 2017. I am so looking forward to the new year. Tomorrow I will be a full-time artist!
I have included a few earlier version of the sketch, I know some of you are interested in seeing how I paint. Saunders watercolour paper 38 x 28 sketchbook.
Happy New Year everyone! 😀

Categories
Sketch Urban Sketchers urban sketching water coloring watercolor Watercolour

Donaghadee

I visited the quaint harbour town of Donaghadee during my stay in Northern Ireland. I went there twice in fact as I feel at ease there for some reason. It’s probably the open horizon that attracts me, I can feel a bit claustrophobic otherwise in Bangor where my mother lives, I spent 10 days with her while my sister who lives close by had a well deserved holiday.

Watercolour painted from the passenger seat of my mother’s car in a Saunders 38 x 28 sketchbook.

Categories
Watercolour

Sergels torg

I painted this watercolour of Sergels torg almost a month ago but I have just been too busy to publish it. There are a lot of positive things happening in my life these days and 2018 promises to be very exciting indeed. I feel very lucky, I really do.

sergel sketch by meldrum
sergel sketch by meldrum

I have included a A5 preparation-sketch of the same watercolour, I am showing this because there are certain elements in it that I have not achieved in the larger work. Saying this, there are certain things in the larger one that are better too. I do feel I will paint this scene again, I really enjoyed it.

The final watercolour is 50 x 70 cm
(Arches rough, Full imperial)

Click the thumbnail below for full sized image

Sergels torg by meldrum
Sergels torg by meldrum

 

Categories
Sketch Watercolour

Groomsport

I am visiting my mother in Norther Ireland at the moment. The other day I borrowed her car and drove to Groomsport, a small town close to Bangor where I am staying. I sat in the passenger seat of the car and painted this sketch. I am fascinated by the sky here in Ireland, it changes so quickly and can be so dramatic.
I painted in my current favourite sketchbook which has Saunders paper and is 38 x 28 cm in size.

Click image below for full sized photo

Groomsport, NI by David Meldrum
Groomsport, NI by David Meldrum

 

Categories
David Meldrum Watercolour

My first live demo

The other week I had my first watercolour demonstration. I was honoured to be asked by the ATG Art Society here in Stockholm. It was a small group that I painted for but for me it was a perfect start to something that might develop in the future.
I still see myself as a student so it is amusing when others ask me to show how I paint.

 

 

 

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Sketch Uncategorized Watercolour

Urban Sunday

Urban Sketching is just so much fun. This month we visited Lilla Wien which  I have walked past everyday going to work and never once thought, “Oh, I must visit that pub!”.  Every Sunday it seems, elderly jazz fans gather to listen to live music and to dance. They really looked like they were enjoying themselves.

I sat down at the long table that was reserved for us sketchers, I wasn’t facing the band but instead I had a good view of the bar. I am reasonably happy with the watercolour sketch, it would have been nicer if I had fewer hard edges. The bottles behind the bartender should have been out of focus, also the light on his shoulders should have been soft too.

 

 

Categories
Sketch watercolor Watercolour

From my sketchbook

I am having a lot of fun playing with light and shadow right now. These two photos show a little of the technique I use. It’s sketched on Moleskin watercolour paper which really sucks because it doesn’t if you know what I mean. It doesn’t matter though, I use the sketchbook for learning porpoises. 

Today, I cycled around Stockholm for hours taking pictures of buildings in the autumn sunlight. I think the more technique you learn the more interesting watercolour becomes. I am totally fascinated by it.

Categories
Sketch Watercolour

Stortorget puzzle.

The name of the square is called Stortorget, the big square. Not much imagination was used in giving it a name.
Anyway, I am trying to find a way of painting it. I have used a typical tourist picture as reference and I have tried to make it interesting from a watercolour point of view. It’s a sketch, so it has lots of faults but I think I am moving in the right direction, even if it is painfully slow.
Looking at it now, I find it is a pity I followed the bright colours of the reference photo, it would have better if the colours were more dampened in tone. Yeah, yeah, the journey of improvement continues…

Watercolour sketchbook Saunders Waterford 28 x 19.