Tag: northern ireland

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Watercolour

Just doing it

Boat season
Boat season

It’s Monday today and like everybody else right now I spend most of my time indoors trying to avoid the Corona virus. This morning was the start of a new week but it was hard to know because I was still in my comfort clothes, you know, sweatpants and an old t-shirt type of thing. So I sat at my desk and luckily I have that wee hand-written sign on the wall in front of me which simply states, “Just Paint!”. It’s so damn useful sometimes to be told what to do.

I am still going through my photos of Ireland for inspiration. I might paint outdoors tomorrow. There is a rumour it might be getting warmer. I would like to visit the archipelago, but still on the mainland. I don’t want to take a ferry at the moment with the pandemic still very real. I wonder when we will be all safe again?
The featured painting is from a photograph I took in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland last year.
Title: Boat season 36 x 26 cm.

Click the thumbnail below for a full sized image.

Boat season
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watercolor Watercolour

Not every painting is a masterpiece

I am trying to paint everyday and I want to be challenged so that I can learn and develop. The original photo reference I used was snapped while I was walking along the coast in Bangor, Northern Ireland. This wasn’t a strong composition to begin with but I liked the shadows and the angles created by the pathway and tree. I had a go and this is the result. Like all of my paintings there are somethings I like and there are thing I am not to fond of.
Tomorrow is another day and a new challenge awaits.
Click the thumbnail below to see the full-sized image.

Bangor walk

Categories
watercolor Watercolour

Playing with lights and darks

Groomsport
Groomsport

I have painted this Groomsport scene before in one of my sketchbooks. Today I felt like playing around with lights and darks so I chose this to basically practice or play, I can’t remember my mood when I started. It’s a weird time with this Corona virus threatening us all. The most important thing for me was just to paint something. I didn’t want to just spend Monday reading the news and surfing on YouTube.

For the watercolour enthusiasts out there this watercolour was painted on Saunders Waterford 300g Fine grain and the size is 36 x 26 cm. Click the image below if you want to see the full sized watercolour.

Groomsport
Groomsport
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demonstration Video watercolor Watercolour Watercolouring youtube

The Giant’s Causeway [ Ep.7 ]

The Giant's Causeway by David Meldrum
The Giant's Causeway
Meldrum Art – Watercolour Demonstration

The subject of this watercolour demonstration is The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland.
Last May I arrived there at sunrise and was excited to use my drone to film for the very first time.
Later, back in Stockholm I really enjoyed painting the scene I chose and I hope you enjoy watching it too. As I paint I explain my thought process and how I approach each stage of the watercolour.
The film is longer than my previous videos, this is because I want to show the full process and not to be frustrated trying to squeeze it all into a typical 20 minute YouTube film. Let me know what you think, I always welcome critical feedback that helps to improve my watercolour demonstrations.

I hope you find this watercolour demonstration educational and a little inspiring.
You can support this project for as little as $1 a month. Join my wonderful supporters at Patreon.com. Click the link below to find out more: https://www.patreon.com/meldrumart

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My Sketches Sketch watercolor Watercolour

Importance of a preliminary watercolour sketch

The Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway

I am preparing to film my latest watercolour demonstration which features the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. This watercolour ( is the third and final sketch that I have done. I have reference photographs but I need to translate those images into a watercolour that is emotive and therefore interesting. I think I am nearly there, I will be using a half sheet of Saunders Waterford paper for the final painting it will have a widescreen 16:9 format, wider in other words.
Keep an eye out for my new episode of Meldrum Watercolour Journeys on YouTube, it should be ready by the end of the week. Cheers!


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Click the thumbnail below for full-sized image.

  • The Giant's Causeway
    The Giant’s Causeway
Categories
Uncategorized Watercolour

Life Boat watercolour sketch

meldrum art - life boat
meldrum art - life boat

I am spending a week with my elderly Mum. I find where she lives very claustrophobic, a small dark cottage in a maze of small houses that look exactly like hers. I really look forward to the afternoons when I bring her dog for a walk.
I usually drive to Donaghadee further down the coast from Bangor, it’s a nice small village with a lovely harbour complete with lighthouse, I sketched the latter many times. The open horizon outside of the harbour relaxes me and I have an enjoyable walk with Misty, the dog.
Afterwards I sit in the passenger seat and paint a watercolour sketch of something that catches my eye. Today it was the old Life Boat that was up on land and needing some love. I hope she gets it, I thought it was a beautiful boat. She was on the hard as they say, in fact she was in the car-park which made it very easy for me to sketch from my car.

Click the thumbnail below for the full-sized image.

meldrum art - life boat
meldrum art – life boat

Categories
Sketch Watercolour

Watercolour painting on a grey day

Grey day in Donaghadee, Nothern Ireland
Grey day in Donaghadee, Nothern Ireland

Yeap, it was a very grey day in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland. I walked my mother’s dog and then sat in the passenger seat of the car and painted this quick sketch of the boats that were on land for the winter.
It’s been grey since I arrived, I hope it clears soon, it’s quite depressing.
I love to be beside the sea, I like Donaghadee but I never feel at home, I’m uneasy here.

Click the thumbnail below for full-sized image.

Grey day in Donaghadee, Nothern Ireland
Grey day in Donaghadee, Nothern Ireland

Categories
Sketch Watercolour

Trip to Northern Ireland

Donaghadee harbour, N.Ireland
Donaghadee harbour, N.Ireland

I visited my mother last week to celebrate her birthday and spend a few days with my sister too. Visiting Northern Ireland is always a little strange for me as I grew up south of the border so visiting my mother is not the same as coming home. Actually, where is home? I have lived in Sweden for 27 years so Stockholm is I guess. Ireland is where I come from and Northern Ireland is where my mother and sister lives. France is where my parents in law live and my oldest son lives in Japan. Between the age of 21 and 26 I lived in London. With this kind of background it is impossible to be a nationalist, I’m very happy to be a person who has to travel the world to meet his family. It saddens me that countries want to close their borders, what is the benefit of such a thing?

The watercolour and pencil sketch were done when I had two hours to myself during my visit, I drove to Donaghadee which is one of my favourite places that is close to my mother’s home. The pencil sketch is on A5 paper and the watercolour is painted on Arches and is A4ish in size.

The harbour front – Donaghadee, Northern Ireland by David Meldrum
Donaghadee harbour, N.Ireland