meldrum art
A late evening sketch from the boat on Nämdö, Skärvassa. I use my gas heat gun to dry the watercolour. It’s been a cool July so far. It means the archipelago isn’t as crowded as I thought it would be, that’s a plus. 13 x 17.5cm
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We are currently sailing along the east coast of Sweden, taking it easy as we always do – which means I have time to do some watercolour sketching. Here is a sketch from when we visited Grisselholmen on the 3rd of July. More watercolours to follow! Grisselholmen 13 x 17.5 cm
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I thought it’s time to show my watercolour sketches. Most are from 2020 and most are painted outdoors but not all. The format I use is roughly 13 x 17.5 cm. I basically divide a sheet of watercolour paper by four and then by four again. (Tip: I tear the paper using a ruler) Feedback is always welcome ?
I just published a video of me painting this view from Kvarnholmen, click here to see it. I simplified the watercolour composition a lot and I really like it. It takes a lot of experience to start seeing what is a good composition and what is not. Believe me, I have made a lot of bad compositions in the past to get to this stage in my development as an artist.
Click the thumbnail below to see the full sized image.
Hello! In this episode I stay local. I paint the scene using gradients and I have a wandering caterpillar to deal with.
I do all this while holding a camera above my head! I hope this video inspires you to sketch and paint outdoors. If you would like to support the making of these videos please visit my Patreon page, there you can follow my weekly vlog, see bonus material, and even receive original watercolours. www.patreon.com/meldrumart
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This week I am home and I tend to spend too much time in my studio. I therefore make sure I go for a walk or cycle each day. I always bring my sketch bag with me. The weather has been really amazing lately so I am doing a lot of light studies. Watercolour for me is about capturing the light, it’s amazing how hard it is to catch. I just practice and practice and hopefully one day I will master it.
The sketch “Södermalm” is 13 x 17.5 cm on 300g Saunders Waterford paper.
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I have been challenging myself to paint better street scenes. This watercolour is of Piampol, Brittany, France – my wife’s hometown. I did this in the studio but I wouldn’t mind being in France for June. That won’t happen of course because of the pandemic. I’ll just have to use my many photo references that I have amassed through the years. Have a nice, and safe weekend.
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I published the YouTube video of me painting this watercolour yesterday. Here is the final painting. Today I am painting something totally different, life is always interesting for a watercolour artist. 🙂
If you haven’t seen the video click this link here: Gustavsbergshamn – From sketch to final watercolour
For a full sized image of the watercolour click the thumbnail below.
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.
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