Weekly Watercolour Class

I will be starting a new 10-week class on Tuesday 5th February - 'Watercolour for Beginners'.
For full details, visit my website

'Painting Animals in Watercolour'

I was at Margam Discovery Centre, Port Talbot, last weekend, for a 'Painting Animals in Watercolour' course for the FSC. I concentrated on drawing first as, with subjects as complicated as animals, getting proportions right is so important.
We then went on build up the paintings in about three washes, using just 5 colours (just sepia for the Tiger). These are some of my demonstration paintings from the course.

Demonstration for Seaton Art Society

On Monday I visited Seaton to do a demonstration for Seaton Art Society. 'Watercolour Impressions' was the theme of the demo, so I painted this street scene of Totnes. The photo I used as reference was taken only last week on my phone. I'd travelled to Totnes in the evening to meet up with fellow artist Richard Thorn. I got there early and went for a walk as the sun was going down. It lit up the faces of the buildings and cast long shadows. 
Thanks to Roger Mance for taking the step-by-step photos during my demo.

Beginners' Watercolour Class in Paignton

BEGINNERS WATERCOLOUR CLASS in PAIGNTON:
I'm putting together a 10 week watercolour class starting in October. It's at the planning stage at the moment and I'm gauging interest so, please get in touch.

Maximum class size will be 15.

Here's a recent demo painting from my course at Margam Discovery Centre, Port Talbot - 'Aberdulais Falls'.

'Watercolour Basics & Beyond' - Part 6

The July issue of Leisure Painter is out now and includes Part six of my series of watercolour articles 'Watercolour Basics and Beyond'. In this edition I discuss how to use multiple washes to build up your paintings.

On 12th July I will be tutoring a workshop for Leisure Painter at the Patchings Art, Craft & Design Festival in Nottingham:
http://www.painters-online.co.uk/cours…/reader-workshops.htm

'Watercolour Basics & Beyond' - Part 5

The May edition of Leisure Painter is now in the shops. Part 5 of my series 'Watercolour Basics and Beyond' is all about dry-brush technique. It features a step-by-step exercise and also a painting of Broadsands beach.

Demonstration for Epsom & Ewell Art Group

Last Wednesday I did a demonstration painting for Epsom & Ewell Art Group. The subject was 'Boats and Reflections' and this was the end result. This is a scene from Dartmouth and features a couple of Brixham trawlers. I ran out of time towards the end but I managed to complete most of what I wanted to get across in about an hour and a half.
Painted on a stretched half imperial sheet of 200lb Bockingford NOT paper.

Demonstration, West Dartmoor Art Group

Yesterday, I did a demonstration for West Dartmoor Art Group, at Peter Tavy. 'Seascape in Watercolour' was the subject, so I did this rocky coastal scene of Lundy Island.
Thank you to Dick Brown, who recorded my progress in these photos.

'Watercolour Basics and Beyond' - Part Three

The April edition of Leisure Painter is in the shops now. It includes part four of my series 'Watercolour basics and beyond'. This month I talk about the wet-in-wet technique, which is a tricky but exciting way of working with watercolour.
The main painting, which I did as an example, is 'Braveheart', one of the steam locomotives at Dartmouth Steam Railway, Paignton station.

Ongar Art Society

I visited Ongar Art Society, in Essex last Thursday for a watercolour demonstration. Still life was requested so I took along these few items and set them up on a little stage. I lit the arrangement from above with a lamp.
Painted on a stretched sheet of half imperial Bockingford 200lb NOT watercolour paper.

One-day Workshop ~ 'Boats in Watercolour'

Had an enjoyable day at Kingskerswell Art Group on Tuesday. A one-day workshop on the tricky subject of 'Boats in Watercolour'. Everyone was enthusiastic and worked pretty hard to achieve some good, loose impressions.
Here are a few of my demo's from the day.

'Watercolour Basics and Beyond' - Part Three

Part 3 of my year-long series of 'Watercolour Basics and Beyond' is in the March issue of Leisure Painter. This month I am talking about the graded wash technique.

'Watercolour Basics & Beyond' Part One

The January issue of Leisure Painter is out now and includes part one of my year-long series 'Watercolour Basics & Beyond'. The series will cover different techniques over the year but the first part covers the basic materials you need and the first technique - flat wash.

Demonstration at Exmouth

I was at Exmouth last night, to do a demonstration for Exmouth Art Group. I painted this one on a half imperial sheet of Saunders Waterford 200lb NOT, which I had stretched onto a board the previous day.
Thanks to Paul Gosling for the photo of me with the finished painting.

'Loosening Up Your Watercolour'

'Loosening Up Your Watercolour' was the theme of this demonstration painting for Kingskerswell Art Group yesterday. I decided to paint another view of the boats at Charlestown, Cornwall. Although quite a busy scene, especially in the background, I simplified as much as I could and put most of the emphasis on the boats themselves. I used my mop brushes to paint fluid, loose washes. The boat hulls and their reflections were painted wet-into-wet in one go.

'Boats and Reflections'

I was in Essex last week, to do a demonstration for Galleywood Art Club. They wanted me to paint 'Boats and Reflections' so I did this painting of a scene at Charlestown, in Cornwall. (painted on 22x15in Bockingford NOT, stretched on a board)

'Take Three Washes'

Part two of my article on using my three-wash technique, for watercolour, is in the latest issue of Leisure Painter. Last months article was concerned with working in monotone but in the latest edition we add colour too.
'Take three washes' is in the September issue. Available now, as they say.

On our final day at Port Talbot, we visited the Maritime Quarter at Royal Victoria Dock, Swansea. A good place to visit on a showery day. My demo painting, shown here, is unfinished as we had to grab paints/easels/chairs and find cover when the rain moved in.
However, we took cover underneath some plane trees and continued. We were spotted by Gigi Gao, proprietor of the Shang Restaurant and Club who was kind enough to make us some tea (she even got her staff to bring us tables and chairs!). It was a lovely thought and a good end to our painting trip (photos: Sue Collingridge and Stephen Stocks).

Also from my Port Talbot course, a sunnier day at the Mumbles.

From my recent trip to Margam FSC, Port Talbot. I set up my easel and painted this demonstration of the ruins. I had to shield the painting a couple of times, to save it from the odd shower (photo by Eva Rybicki).