I used both ink and watercolour this month - they play so beautifully together. Of course, each is perfectly adequate on their own. But when they work together there is less to be expected of each one - the load is shared. There is a message in that for all of us, to be sure.
Is it time to shake things up?
Series of the Month
This month I took a slightly different approach. Usually I decide on not only a subject and a medium but also a particular approach or style to follow for each painting in the series. However this month I felt feeling a little wilful. I wanted to explore a few different ways of painting tulips. (Want to paint tulips with me?… keep reading!)
This got me thinking about routines and habits. I enjoyed giving myself a little more freedom. How often do we contain ourselves a little too much?
Routine is all well and good but sometimes it is good to change things up. We are always being encouraged to establish good habits, begin each day with a 'power hour' morning routine.
We have a seemingly infinite supply of books and blogs and podcasts that advise on how to do this and things you must do for that. With so much research at our fingertips it seems like we ought to find out exactly what to do before we begin. In moderation of course this is all well and good, but what about the joy of exploration and discovery?
And do too many instructive resources leave you feeling a bit paralysed?
Scared to begin in case you do it ‘wrong’?
There comes a point when you have to stop researching and just do.
By the way, if you want to have a go at painting a vase of tulips in a loose and liberating fashion, you might want to have a look at this.
Of course we can learn from each other but we should not undervalue our own creative possibilities.
Just because someone else does something a particular way doesn't mean that you have to or that your way won't work.
Because someone else did a b and c before d doesn't mean you cant get to d earlier in the piece.
Or later.
Your own path is valid too.
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Build your resilience with self care
Series of the Month
Do you remember that wonderful line in Wind in the Willows, when Ratty talks about how worthwhile it is to spend some time simply messing about in boats?
How right he is. It is becoming increasingly clear to me just how important it is to make some time away from the busyness of all those things we have to do in our beautiful but full, modern lives.
We have to make the time to do those things that replenish us in order to maintain the capacity to keep doing all those things that fill our schedules. And the fuller those schedules get, the harder it is to find the time to do the things that are important but not urgent.
It is that lack of urgency that Ratty alludes to when he is explaining his view to Mole. (Do you remember it? you can read it here if you like!) He talks about how it doesn't really matter if you get somewhere or you don't, he seems to thinks 'messing about with boats' always gives you something to do without requiring much of you.
And how rare that is. Think of all the tasks on your to do list. So many demands are made of us, consequences of not performing them well abound. We owe it to ourselves to find the things that we like to do, that can engage us gently enough to transport us from the everyday but without overburdening us. It is these self care practices that build our resilience.
For each of us this is something different.
A long walk.
Perhaps a quiet cup of coffee in a cosy cafe where you can watch the world go by.
Gardening, baking or sketching (yes art making... definitely try that!)
In fact, why not start your painting adventure with a free class?
Beginner’s Guide to Watercolour Supplies
A glass of wine in an indulgent bubble bath or spending time with a loved one.
What replenishes you?
The more of these boats that I painted, the more I came to see them as symbolising our personal space and resilience. As we move through the physical space of our world we should not ignore the mental and emotional space that we occupy. We can't control what happens in our environment but we have utter dominion over our mental and emotional space.
Investing the time into replenishing ourselves is as wise as the captain keeping his boat in good repair. We have to tend to the vessel that holds and carries us through the water of our lives. We don't know what is ahead of us. It may be choppy waters, it may be still as glass. For sure, it will be full of colour and texture, fun and excitement, but also challenging and testing at times. From the comfort of your well maintained little boat you can take it all.
Are you on your own painting adventure?
Beginner’s Guide to Watercolour Supplies
Watercolour Tutorial Starter Bundle
Better Beginnings in Watercolour
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Cultivate your butterflies
Series of the Month
Brightly coloured flowers are irresistible ... not just to painters.
Did you know that the blooms are particular colours in order to attract what they need? Most flowers need the help of pollinators to reproduce. Bees are attracted to blue and violet flowers, while butterflies prefer bright pinks and reds, or yellows and orange shades.
Just as it is with us, the way the flower presents itself to the world attracts its tribe. The energy we put out influences what we receive.
Painting blooms and their bugs got me thinking about relationships. Blooms and their pollinating bugs need each other. These are the best kind of symbiotic relationships. Biologists call this mutualism - each party benefits from the relationship - just like the best friendships.
Every gardener delights at the sight of a ladybird in the garden. The little ladybird in her quiet unassuming way does a great deal for the plants. She can munch her way through many an aphid and her bright orange and black markings are actually a natural deterrent to some birds that may harm the flowers.
There are other relationships in nature known as commensualism where only one party gains from the relationship. A tree orchid for example, gains support and partial shade from the tree without causing it any harm. It made me wonder if it is possible to have a human relationship like that.
Can we have an exchange with another person that does not affect us in any way... or is it true that there is no such thing as a truly unselfish act?
One thing I do know is that not all our relationships will be beneficial. Just like in the garden - not all the bugs will be ladybirds. The odd pest is inevitable.
Most of us can identify the relationships we have that deplete us. At best we can remove ourselves from them completely. Unfortunately this is not always possible. But every garden can cope with a pest or two - so can you.
As long as we have enough of the positive, supportive relationships around us we have greater resilience to cope with the challengers. Like a butterfly in the garden, a good friend will brighten your day. Her warmth can lighten your heart and nurture your soul.
Sure, your best friend might not chomp the head off your foe - ladybird style, but she will buoy you up to handle what comes your way. Her support and understanding is enough to give you courage and strength when you need it.
So have a look around your garden today.
Identify the relationships that do not serve you well so that you can eliminate or minimise them.
And always cultivate your butterflies....
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Seeking tranquility? Surrender control
Series of the Month
I was rather uncharacteristically brave this month and leapt out of my comfort zone. Doing something a little different - even a little scary, is a way to shake things up and breath new life into old habits.
We stretch and grow at the edges of our comfort zones.
This is the first series I have ever done that does not begin with a pencil sketch. I began with paint and water and let the first washes dictate the way the painting would be. As it turned out this month, I had things both on and off the easel over which I have little or no control - don’t we all?
As always, art seems to mimic life. Or perhaps it is the other way around...
I have been feeling rather proud of myself for undertaking a whole month of direct painting. It is a great exercise. It forces you to see a subject in a painterly way - as a collection of coloured shapes. To pay attention to how those shapes relate to one another to judge their relative proportion and position, to build one on top of another until an image appears.
The first brush stroke is the hardest. But like starting anything new, it is best to just begin. Be bold. Let it unfold. With a pencil sketch you have the opportunity to erase and a line and make it right. With direct painting, for the most part, once the mark is made it is made.
That's not just the case in painting. Most of what we do in the world we can't undo. We have to continue to move forward because there is no going back. This is not a bad thing. Second guessing past decisions and wanting to undo them is pointless. No need to waste energy on the past, use it where it counts - in the present moment.
Each day is a new day. It begins with a clean slate. We cannot change what already is but we can build upon what is already there.
This month has also been a lesson in patience. Once the first washes are down you have to wait. You can't paint over the top of watercolour until it is dry. I really enjoyed coming to the studio in the morning to see what had happened to yesterday's washes and to see if today's eyes saw anything different in the painting compared to yesterday’s eyes. Since there is no going back or undoing much in this style of painting, it is better to take your time thinking about what mark will best bring out the subject you are starting to see on the paper.
It certainly requires a great degree of surrender and faith in the paint, the water and your ability to make something of what is there. It's rather like finding things in the clouds. There is a great freedom to splashing on those first few washes. So exciting to watch the paint and water work its magic. And a terrific lesson - the more you interfere the more you spoil the magic effects. It is better to trust the medium to do what it does best and blend and merge and flow in the best way possible. Now that's a life lesson too, I'm sure.
Much like life, you might start out with a plan - you take some sort of action. In the studio, it is choosing the paint colour, the brush stroke, or dropping on the water. In life, we make choices like stepping outside the front door, starting a new job, striking up a conversation with a stranger. But once we have taken that first action we have little or no control. It is time to see what happens next, to trust in ourselves that we will respond appropriately, handle what comes next and make the best of whatever may be.
Whether it is painting or life there is a balance to be sought between effort and surrender. Effort is required to begin anything. Thereafter we can find far greater ease and tranquility in our lives by accepting what we cannot control. Allow what will be to be - trust that the universe is unfolding as it should.
Let go.
Let it flow.
“Try something different. Surrender.”
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Dance in the Rain
Series of the MonthThis month I have been playing with an entirely new medium - Brusho. New art supplies are an inspiring treat and always offer something new to learn. I always feel as if the medium and the subject work together to bring me a message. As is so often the case these days, this one seemed to be about control.
Happy little trees age gracefully - just like you
Series of the MonthPaint a happy little tree in autumn and you notice a thing or too about ageing gracefully. Fresh young shoots of spring are all very well, but here is what a little maturity can offer…
Are you ready for an instant vacation?
Series of the Month
It came as something of a surprise to me that I chose to paint bicycles this month. I am not a cyclist myself - not by any stretch of the imagination. Even so the idea of doing a whole bicycle series has bubbling around in the back of my mind for ages. I thought it was because the bicycle presents a good challenge from a sketching point of view. All those spokes and angles and lovely round wheels.
But of course there is always more to it. As I drew and painted bikes I kept finding myself describing it as a ‘romantic notion’. And it is. The bicycle represents freedom. An independent way to propel yourself to a location of your choosing and not miss a thing along the way.
Fresh air and bright skies. Grassy fields or beachside tracks. The world can be your oyster.
To be totally honest, the idea of this alone is enough for me. I am happy to pedal through the world vicariously, by paintbrush. Freedom and escape are a state of mind. If you can’t or won't venture out you can still take a little mental vacation.
On the subject of romantic notions, I can't go passed the blossoms that are just as important to me this month as the bicycles. Flowers have always been one of my favourite painting subjects.
Actually, they are just one of my favourite things. To me they are a symbol of joy. A radiant, fragrant expression of delight. Their energy and colour testify to the simple beauty of everyday things.
Natural, extraordinary but fleeting things to be appreciated before they fade. So if I were to ride around on a bicycle, one of the best things I could think of doing would be to gather blossoms wherever I saw them. In the words of Robert Herrick,
“Gather ye rosebuds, while ye may”.
I love the idea of riding around with a bunch of blossoms embellishing the bottom of my view, framing whatever appears before me.
The basket on the front of the bicycle feels like a childhood delight. I picture streamers on the handlebars and the basket filled with childhood treasures. Teddy bears, bits of string and interesting seedpods, perhaps?
While my adult mind has retained the basket I choose to mentally fill it with blooms. An abundance of blossoms that remind me to gather the small joys in each moment before they fly by.
May you pedal through life with your heart a full basket of joy.
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Learning to be present takes less than a minute
Series of the Month
The first animal I wanted to paint this month was a happy little squirrel. I love their busy energy. I love the way the scamper so playfully about their business. Like all little animals they live so completely in the present.
They are fully focussed on what they are doing right now. They scamper up their trees, they bravely fetch a tasty morsel left on a park bench.
And all that they do is done in the spirit of play.
They don’t waste time or energy worrying whether their tree is as large and fancy as their neighbours. They don’t compare today’s weather with yesterday's. They don’t procrastinate, they just do.
There is a good reason why we are drawn to tiny little critters. We ‘aww’ when we see them in the park, we choose to keep them as pets.Part of it is the cute factor - everyone knows anything small is cute. But it is more than that. Watching a tiny little creature is a lesson in being present.
Look at this bunny. I can just imagine him on a dewy morning, enjoying the gentle breeze on his soft still fur. Sunlight glints off the tip of his nose and every blade of grass around him. The scent of a sweet daisy was irresistible and now he chews on the juicy stem savouring its taste and texture. His life is joyfully simple. So is ours, if we let it be so.
There is such wisdom in that. For if you surrender completely to the present moment you are liberated from guilt, shame and regret. These things are born of the past. Of course, reflecting on the past is not always a bad thing. Reviewing things that happened in the past and reflecting on how we responded to them is an opportunity to learn and grow. But it needs to be a temporary visit to the past. Whatever happened, happened. It is gone. What you have right now is really all there is.
If you are anxious, worried or afraid, you are focused on the future. What you feel is a message from your inner wise self. It is a reminder to consider if there is something you can do to prepare, some way that you can maximise an opportunity or event that is ahead of you. Consider it, acknowledge your inner wisdom for bringing it to your attention and then return to the present moment.
Trust yourself to deal with what will come when it comes. Take the action that you can right now and no more. Everything has its time.
Each day we have the chance to be just as busy, happy, playful and present as these little critters. All it takes is a little awareness. Try this.
Take a breath and use each of your senses in turn.
What do you see?
What do you smell?
What do you hear?
What do you feel?
What can you taste?
Perhaps you are at work. What about the flowers that are on your desk - have you really looked at those velvety petals today? Can you detect their subtle fragrance mingling with the aroma of the tasty coffee you are sipping? Can you hear the clatter of your colleagues keyboards, the background hum of the air conditioner. Notice how soft your favourite cardigan feels against your skin.
All of this is takes just a moment but is worth so much to your well being.
Get in the habit of running through these five senses as often as you can. Set an alarm on your phone at random times during the day. Or whenever you feel yourself starting to worry or complain use that as a trigger to stop and be here, now.
Surrender to the current moment and you might just find that your shoulders lower, your breath slows and you have a peaceful smile. At the end of the day you will know that you have really lived the day. Just as it is.
Are you in the car with the kids?
What about that gorgeous tree on the corner that you drive past every day - did you see how lovely it looks today?
Feel the grooves in the moulding of the steering wheel under your fingers and the way the seat presses against your back. Inhale and catch a whiff of that salty, buttery popcorn that the kids are eating in the back of the car. Listen to their sweet, young voices laughing and singing together.
Ok. They are probably fighting. But before you yell at them to stop arguing and dropping popcorn on the floor calmly resolve their issues, take a moment to pause and savour the now.
Yes, even this. Noisy, healthy, argumentative children. It’s all part of today’s experience. Tomorrow it will be gone. So experience it to the full.
We live in a world of overstimulation. We have notifications beeping at us, technology puts just about everything we could wish for at our fingertips all at once.
Remembering what it is like to do only the task at hand with your full attention will bring a sense of relief.
Experiencing every aspect of the present moment will offer you the chance to gather the small joys of every single day before they disappear into yesterday. That is where real happiness lies.
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Embrace imperfection - like a rambling rose
Series of the MonthRoses can be one of the most challenging flowers to paint - intimidating!
But they are so beautiful, how could I not give it a try?
If you can approach it with a glad heart and a brave brush, painting offers an opportunity to embrace imperfection. And I am learning that the subject often chooses the artist, as it usually carries a message - a lesson not only in painting, but also in life.
I would be lying if I said I didn't worry that my loose watercolour style would not do all those immaculate layers of petals justice. A careful and accurate botanical drawing was my first instinct. However … careful and accurate… not exactly my way!
But one of my beliefs is that even a loose approach to painting should be able to capture the essence of a thing.
In fact, to me, that is rather the point.
And if you would like to try my loose approach to painting flowers and other ideal watercolour subjects I have a collection of tutorials currently available in a juicily discounted bundle - click here to find out more.
So if it is true in painting that you don’t need to be perfectly precise to achieve an outcome, is this true in life?
I very much hope so. It means that if you fumble over your words when you are trying to console a friend, the chances are she understands what you mean anyway. You gave her some comfort even if you didn’t find the perfect words, or get them in exactly the right order.
Some of our parenting moments are prouder than others... it's not just me... is it?
A child does not need absolute perfection in their parents to grow up happy and healthy and know that they are loved.
Sometimes I think we fool ourselves into believing that you have to do something brilliantly in order to do it at all. That level of perfectionism stops us from trying anything new and limits our avenues for joy.
Where would we be if if we didn’t allow ourselves to write a bad poem or bake a cake that sinks in the middle. The joy is in the activity, the process not the final product. It is still fun to play with words and ideas, and I bet that cake was still tasty, sinkhole notwithstanding.
In the process we capture the essence of the experience - that is what we are really after anyway. Like the haphazard tangle of rambling roses, they are joyful expression, and truly beautiful.
Do you delight in the wildness of the rambling rose?
I do. Its long-stemmed cousin might be the florist's choice, and it has an elegant beauty too, of course. But there is such joy and abandon in the informal branches, leaves and blooms.
It might be an imperfect jumble and even have a thorn or two but it is always growing. Always striving. Ever reaching for the light. A chaotic thorny tangle does not preclude an exquisite bloom or two. In fact, it probably makes them seem even more lovely.
True for roses, true in life. Even when our lives get to be especially busy, messy or difficult there will still be at least one tiny bloom of joy somewhere.
The persistent rambling rose will continue to reach up any structure it can. Such a symbol of hope and perseverance.
I love to see a wild rose climbing a man made structure. The contrast of cold, strong steel and gentle blooms and petals seems to carry a message.
Find your strong support.
Let it hold you.
Be flexible enough to embrace imperfection in order to grow.
Follow the light and keep reaching (and painting 😉).
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What have you achieved so far?
Series of the Month
If you are feeling in need of a little calming, reflective time then drawing mandalas is just the thing. One of my new rituals is to spend a month with mandalas at the close of every year. There is so much about the mandala that feels apt at this time of the year.
The circle is the perfect symbol for a time of reflection. Its gentle even curve will hold whatever you choose to put inside - a safe container.
It brings me no end of delight to be able to start with a little seed of a shape in the centre of the circle and then watch it grow into something bigger and more complex.
I love that just by surrendering to consistent repetition of a simple shape something significant appears. Just like all those tiny, seemingly meaningless repetitive tasks that we do everyday. Considered on their own they seem so banal, perhaps even tedious. Beds need to be made repeatedly. Counters wiped down. Again. Mothers repeat their endless refrains:
Pick up your towel.
I love you to the moon and back.
Feet off the sofa.
But each of these tiny things plays its role in making up the complex pattern of our lives. There is reliability in the repetition. They form the structure within which our children (as well as ourselves) find a sense of security. Certain things in an uncertain world. These things provide some stability - a backbone to support the fluid organic expansion of their little lives, the framework on which to pin all the colour and interest that life has to offer.
Once a soothing trip all the way around the circle with one shape has been completed there is a sense of closure. To close up one round of shapes brings fulfilment. There is a feeling of achievement in reaching the end. However one of the joys of a circle is that every end is also a beginning. The end of one day is the beginning of another.
My process for drawing mandalas is circular in so many ways. Aside from the obvious shape of their overall design and the repetition of the shapes within, there is a cyclical nature to the process itself. I begin in pencil and complete each concentric circle of shapes, usually beginning in the centre. Having repeated that process to fill the whole mandala I begin again going over the pencil lines in pen.
And then a final return to each concentric circle to add the colour. As is so often the case, the process of creating art mirrors life. The first time we try something new we may be a little shaky, uncertain - the pencil version. As we repeat this action we are more confident, we probably refine our previous work - the pen stage. And now that we are more confident with this new thing that we have learned we find even more joy and execute the task with flair - the colour stage.
At each stage, we have the chance to improve or amend our previous decisions. The more we persist, the more our new project begins to collaborate with us in its creation. We can choose to take feedback from what we have done so far, to work with what is working and let go of what is not.
In mandalas, as in life there is comfort in the repetition, and the opportunity for growth. If we persist to completion there is the chance to experience each new thing in all its glory. Every so often we need to pause, stand back and see how our small repeated daily actions contribute to the glorious mandala of our lives.
Take a moment to observe what you have achieved so far. Acknowledge your efforts and contributions. Be proud of how much you have learned and grown.
And then begin another round.
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An easy lesson in mindfulness
Series of the Month
Have you ever spent some time watching little birds go about their business?
This could just be about the easiest lesson in mindfulness.
Everything the little bird does it does with all of its being. They are so earnest in everything that they do. All of their energy and attention is focused on the task at hand, and only that. That single point of focus makes them efficient and effective. It comes so effortlessly in the natural kingdom.
Creatures like birds know no other way to be. Any yet, we humans, apparently more evolved have lost this ease in life for the most part.
This I believe is the mindfulness lesson we can learn from out feathered friends.
It is not that they are not busy. Just like us they have multiple tasks, demands and needs. Watch a few little birds hopping about over the cafe pavement collecting crumbs. They so remind me of busy mums, bustling about the shopping mall.
They need a good chat. Domestic budgies require 'socialising' to remain in good health. Like their wild relatives nattering in the trees they need to talk to someone - just like us.
They need alone time too. Is there a more peaceful sight than a little bird sitting alone, surveying the world? There is such calm in their stillness. We can find that too, if we are prepared to just sit still for a moment.
When a bird goes to work, it shows us how it can be if you know your purpose and fulfil it with conviction. Take the kingfisher, for example. A bird like the kingfisher is a remarkably talented huntsman. Swift, yet quiet. Ruthless, yet graceful. He knows who he is and every fibre of his being carries out that purpose.
And of course, everyone needs a bit of love. We all need a hug at some point.
So just like us, our feathered friends lead busy lives with many roles. It is not that you need to be less busy to find peace and calm. It is not being busy that is the problem. It is not even having multiple roles that is an issue.
Stress does not come from having too many things to do in our lives. It comes from trying to do them all at once.
We can be friends, parents, partners, homemakers, high achieving career people, and zen-like loners.
We can be all these things we want to be.
We can complete the multiple tasks we assign to ourselves.
Just not at the same time.
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A celebration of hot air balloons - in watercolour
Series of the MonthEvery so often, on our early morning school run we see hot air balloons.
It is just the sort of extraordinary sight in an ordinary day that makes me happy to be alive. Even in the most routine tasks there is the odd touch of whimsy to be found.
It makes you breathe a little deeper and a smile a little more.
What to do when you long for spring
Series of the MonthWhat should you do when you long for spring? Try these suggestions to bring joyful spring colour into your day no matter what time of year it happens to be
Painting farm animals with spirit (and watercolour)
My art journey, Series of the MonthI know we understand each other. It means I can talk freely about my online class addiction. Phew. So this month, I took another class with Miriam from the Inspiration Place. It was called 'Farm Animal Spirits'. I'm not sure I really got what Miriam meant by this initially. I was more than happy to just start painting cute little farm animal babies... like these adorable little balls of fluff
The essential art supplies you won't find in the art store
art tipsShock! Horror! The manufacturer of my favourite pickles changed the shape of the jar! I know... first world problems.
But you see, these pickle jars are an essential part of my painting process. They hold the water for my watercolour painting and I usually have a selection littered across my desk.
I need two really, one for clean water and one that I can use for rinsing off my brush. But they seem to multiply. It is funny how such a small thing seems to be important in my painting process.
It’s a matter of ritual I suppose.
It got me thinking about all the other essentials that I wouldn't be without in my art studio - the ones that you won't find in an art store.
I love that!
It makes me feel all resourceful and thrifty.
Here's the list:
Pickle Jars
Ok. I won't go on about these any more. (But I don't think I could paint the same without them.)
Vodka
If it is a bit later in the evening and you have it to hand, you might see your way to sparing a drop of vodka into your watercolour wash. You can get plain alcohol from a pharmacy, I believe.
However.... painting in collaboration with a spot of vodka.... how can you not?
A drop of alcohol spreads in a perfect circle. Sometimes they turn out like dandelion heads. Delightful.
Salt
On the subject of getting texture into watercolour paints, we cant ignore what the kitchen has to offer. Salt.
Drop salt into a nice juicy wash of watercolour and leave it to dry completely. The salt soaks up the water pulling the pigment with it. This leaves little star bursts in the colour when you brush the salt off. For a slightly different effect you can tip the paper at an angle when you drop the salt on letting it slide down the page a little before you let it dry.
(Now it occurs to me that if you had tequila you could substitute that for the vodka and since you have the salt out you may as well make yourself a Margarita. For the good of the painting.)
By the way, if you are looking for a fun step by step watercolour tutorial that uses salt I have just the thing…
Candles
You are going to need an actual candle stick or some such (I use a floating candle because that is what I had to hand). Before you start painting with watercolour you can rub the candle across parts of your paper. The was will resist the watercolour and preserve the white of the paper. You can do this rather purposefully to put a bit of texture into something like brickwork or as highlights on water, for instance.
Wax is one of my favourite watercolour tools. I use it quite often in my tutorials like the Palm Tree Paradise tutorial which is part of the Beach View Bundle .
Chux Eraser
These are those little white abrasive cleaning blocks intended for removing marks from walls and that sort of thing. Where I am, the available brand is Chux but I bet you will find something like it in the cleaning aisle of the supermarket wherever you are.
If you rub these little blocks (slightly dampened) over your very dry watercolour painting you can actually remove a bit of the paint revealing the highlight. Go carefully. It is scratching off the top layer of paint and paper - don't be too aggressive or you could end up with a hole in your painting.
Molly the Dolly
Now, I know that you can get a proper mannequin for the purposes of figure drawing but they are not terribly approachable creatures, I find. It's an intimate business this figure drawing lark, you know.
Much easier to have a sweet face smiling up at you regardless of the awkward pose you are requesting. Molly the Dolly sits with me on my desk with her fully articulated joints and a very patient disposition. She even has the prettiest little fingers for me to draw as opposed to the mittens that artist mannequins usually come with.
By the way, if you fancy painting figures this collection is for you.
If painting figures 😱terrifies😱 you, then you’ll prefer this.😉
Old Credit cards
So these I seem to have plenty of! Old store cards are also good. I love them as scrapers for spreading gesso or acrylic paint over my art journal pages.
They are part of my watercolour kit too. You can cut them up into nice sharp shapes for the purposes of scratching into wet watercolour paint for some lovely effects. In fact you can sometimes get them sharp enough to scratch out white marks on paintings that are completely dry to make details like highlights in eyes. Of course you can use a craft knife for this, but doesn't a shard of credit card sound a lot more fun?
Old hair spray bottle
I think that when I first had need of a bottle to spritz water about it wasn't so easy to find them such a thing in the stores. I found a bottle of hair spray in the back of my cupboard. It was surprising because I don't ever use hairspray and also because it was not the aerosol kind but the one with a removable top attached to a long straw that goes into the inside of the bottle.
Clearly it had been sitting there waiting to be emptied, well rinsed and repurposed as a water spritzer in the art studio. Essential for waking up the watercolour palette in the morning or spritzing over the acrylic palette once in a while to try and extend the drying time of that beautiful buttery paint that is squeezed out onto the palette.
And if you spray it directly into a watercolour wash you can get some lovely effects.
Toothbrush
Speaking of watercolour texture, how about getting an old toothbrush (ok to be honest that seemed a bit yucky so I used a fresh toothbrush for this) and dipping it in watercolour paint, watered down acrylic paint or ink and flicking it across the page. Lovely!
It's best to hold the toothbrush with your thumb over the bristles and then pull your thumb nail back over the bristles releasing the colour in delightful random splatter over the page. With a bit of practice you can learn to control this at least a little bit and then use it in particular areas to indicate things like stars in the night sky or a field of flowers in the distance.
But filling journal pages with nothing but abstract toothbrush splatter is a charming way to spend a lazy afternoon too.
Cotton buds
Now these are just fun things to have around. I wouldn't dream of sticking one in my ear somehow but I use them as mark making tools - cute little dots they can make.
They are also handing for dispensing things like mineral spirits/ blending solvent/ Gamsol when you have your colouring pencils out.
What is this blending solvent you ask? Well, before you rush off the to art store you might want to see if you have any .... vaseline.
Vaseline
Yes, vaseline. This can be used to transform your colouring into something more like a smooth painting. The vaseline reacts with the coloured pencil and smooths it out giving some lovely blending effects. Similar to what you might achieve with something like Gamsol which is made specifically for this purpose.
Don't believe me?
Look!
Tea
Ok maybe this isn't essential for you but it is for me.
I am seldom without a cup of tea and painting is no exception. A word to the wise though... it is best to move the teacup a safe distance from the water jar.... that could end tragically...
Woo hoo - it's World Watercolour Month!
world watercolour month arttally
Woo hoo - it's World Watercolour Month!
For me, pretty much every month is watercolour month, but starting this year July is World Watercolour Month.
In honour of the official theme I did consider dropping the monthly series just for this month and opening up the subject matter to a whole world of possibility. But it turns out that I am a creature of habit. Also I could end up paralysed by indecision and thus not painting at all. That would not do....
So I am sticking with tradition and going with the theme of Farm Animals for July. I can't help but want to paint in the loose wet in wet style I grew to love last month. But at the moment I am taking another of Miriam Schulman's classes entitled Farm Animal Spirits. It was very interesting to me to see how both Miriam's influences and Andrew Geeson's interacted in the painting process.
This is the way an individual style develops according to conventional wisdom. Each of us draws on aspects of every teacher, book, and environment that we discover. By melding these individual elements that resonate with us we end up with our own, very personal, unique blend. A perfect reflection of our own world and how we relate to it.
The first in my series for this month is the little lambs from Miriam's class. Aww... lambs are cute...
world watercolour month
World Watercolour Month is all about celebrating the glorious medium of watercolour. There is also a good cause to get involved in. The Dreaming Zebra Foundation and Doodlewash have teamed up to support children and young adults to explore their creativity.
There are many ways to get involved - even just supporting a watercolour artist is a fine way to celebrate. You are reading this so you can tick that box already... and thank you!
Even better you could get out some watercolour paints and make a painting some time this month. For the very keen the ultimate challenge is to complete 31 watercolour paintings in July. Normally I'm totally up for that sort of thing but it is school holidays, so we will just have to see what we can do. Whether you do 1 or 131 paintings, don't forget to share them with #worldwatercolormonth to join in the fun.
Don't know what to draw?... Try this
Series of the Month
One of the things that always used to trouble me was what to draw. Of course it is in part down to the inner critic who would shout down almost every suggestion. Too difficult, too boring... no end of excuses to avoid trying. I have seen many drawing books and courses that include fruit... usually an apple or a pear. It made my inner critic yawn. But after a month of fruit paintings I have proved her wrong.
The biggest appeal for me is that it is one of those small simple, everyday things that we don't perhaps fully notice or appreciate in the ordinary course of modern life. Sit down and observe it well enough to draw and paint it and you can't help but admire the colour, form and texture of nature's gifts. This for me is a good enough reason to draw anything.
But even setting that aside, fruit has much to recommend it as a drawing subject:
it comprises simple shapes such as spheres and ovals, however
these are imperfect shapes - no two fruits are identical - which means they are very forgiving to draw
fruit is colourful and textured offering sufficient scope to provide the open minded artist with an interesting challenge which is still manageable
fruit is readily available in most kitchens (although I have to admit I have a bit of a leaning towards working from a photograph)
if you eat your subject when you are done, who is to say you didn't capture it perfectly?
I do think that part of my delight in painting fruit this month was the approach I took with watercolour. I was waxing lyrical about this at the start of the month, when I began the series.
I have been approaching watercolour painting in a liberatingly loose way that makes me excited about almost any subject. It celebrates the thing that sets watercolour apart from other media - the water.
It is quick and fresh and allows for the capture of the essence of a subject rather than the slavish representation of every realistic detail. It embraces the unpredictability of the interaction between pigment and water.
So if you don't know what to draw - please don't discount fruit as a dull subject matter. It presents more opportunities than you might expect from an everyday item. And if you are still stuck for something to draw or paint perhaps taking a new approach such as incorporating a different technique or a new medium will be all you need to breathe excitement into what feels like an old, tired subject.
Are you on your own Painting Journey?
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Your 7 best excuses for avoiding your creative project
art tipsI know what it is like. There is that tiny little voice inside. It is like a small child tugging at your sleeve. There are things she would like to do. Paint. Draw. Bake cupcakes. Write that novel. Start learning to play the guitar. (I'm kiddding... obviously its a ukulele she wants...) She gets quite excited about these things. It we are honest, she has been wanting to do these things for quite some time. But you always have an excuse for her. Do any of these sound familiar?
That little inner voice that tells you to write that novel or paint won't go away, will it? What are your best excuses for avoiding your creative project?
We don't have time
Yes, you are busy. Of course you are. But you still have some control over how you spend at least a portion of your day. If an emergency arises or a friend pops in to visit unexpectedly you will probably manage to shuffle things around and still get everything done that you need to. And if we are honest, even 15 minutes a day doing this thing that your inner voice won't give up on can be enough to make significant progress on your project if you can be consistent with it.
We have more important things to do right now
By important, you mean not fun, right? There is a danger that we can start thinking that life is hard, that important things are difficult, that the good things in life are only acquired through struggle. So if you are doing something that is easy and fun, it must therefore not be important or worthwhile.
best excuses for avoiding your creative project
We need to spend our time doing something more useful
Discounting a project on the grounds that it is trivial and time wasting is an easy trap to fall into. The thing is, that little voice is still nagging you, isn't she? Even if you avoid your project in favour of something practical (like the laundry, shopping around for a better insurance policy, or some other tedious, grown up, but very 'useful' chore) you are not fully present to it. Part of you can't shake the doubt that you are letting yourself down. Is this thing going to be on your list till the day you die?
We could, but we don't have the right supplies
Ah yes. You would start that novel, but you just need to wait until you get a new notebook from Typo.
You already have all you need.
Just start. You will be glad you did.
We are a bit old for that, aren't we?
So is that it then? It's all over? If we didn't start this thing young or get it out of our systems before we grew up it's too late?
Did ice cream stop tasting good because you stopped being a child?
If it was fun then, it is probably still fun now. And it is never too late to learn something new. Better do it today, because tomorrow you will be even older...
We are not very good at that
Now we are getting to the heart of the matter. This is fear.
We tend to think that we will be judged, scorned or humiliated if we attempt to do something that we are not totally adept at. This still seems to be the case even if we are doing something totally private like drawing in a sketchbook that we have no intention of sharing. We are protecting that inner child from criticism. But we are also eliminating the chance of new experiences and the acquisition of new skills not to mention the fun you might have in the process.
We are not really 'creative'
Oh yes we are. Just look at how many imaginative excuses we came up to avoid having to face our fears and do this creative project (which we actually really want to do).
No matter which one of these excuses you tend to use, or how many you combine, you have not managed to dismiss that little voice. So you may as well just heed that creative calling.
Life is finite.
Don't miss your chance to do these things that you can't stop thinking about.
best excuses for avoiding your creative project
Which watercolour paper should you choose?
art tipsIf you are anything like me you have a box of watercolour paint and you can't resist splashing a bit into your sketchbook. This gets you thinking about 'proper' watercolour painting. Is sketchbook paper good enough?
Yes and no. It really ….