My Blog

st peters project final stages

05/11/2012 12:29:00

More washes of light red with a tiny touch of ult blue were used over the brick buildings on the left and I used the burnt sienna/ ult blue mix to paint in the windows etc. remove masking around windows.

Adding light washes of the same colour over a previously dried surface with help strengthen the colour gradually. I used this method to adjust the colour of the buildings throughout the painting.

The water has to be painted wet in wet to start with to get the reflective colours going into the water. after that surface marks and ripples are added to give the water a surface. You can work the water instages if its all a bit daunting for you, starting at the right hand side with your lightest colours ..the water in teh distance has more light on the surface...so less colour is needed.

As you pull in the reflections through the main section of the painting, use horizontal lift outs to break up any heavy looking reflections and add light to the surface.

Paint in the fence and lampost with your black mix try and create a little light on the top of railings by sucking a little colour back out before paint drys.

Add your shadow mix across the walls ( ult blue & tiny bit of light red or burnt sienna & crimson depending on colour brands as prevoiusly mentioned) Shadow mixes should be transparent and glaze not cover the under-painting.

Hope this helps complete the project for you. see you in class for the finished results.

st peters blog 3

05/11/2012 12:06:00

After painting in your trees using wet in wet methods and blocking in the walls and the buildings in the riverside with a mixes of raw umber, the masking can be removed from the tree trunks a little raw umber and rawumber/blue mixes were fed into the damped trunks from the left, leaving the right sides to catch the sunlight.

The bridge has a base coat of weak yellow ochre applies and then using the stone technique I showed you in class add more texture to the bridge. This will be built up with stronger darker colours as this is in the shade. I used black & grey (add water) made from burnt sienna and ult blue to add strength and a little detail to the top stones of the bridge and shadow to the underside.

st peters project 2nd blog

04/27/2012 08:46:00

Next stage.(3)

I Started in the far arch painting in the trees. Painting greens can be an issue with new painters...I have some very simple rules about painting greens so come along to one of my groups or workshops and I will show you how to mix hundreds of greens & browns very simply. ( and NO tubed greens or browns required)

As I progressed forward I increased to brightness and strength of the colour. Keep your greens Bluish and weak in the distance. Ligtly painted the little building under arch two..not too much detail here..its in the distant sunlight!!

Using light red and Ult blue to give me greys I painted some of the roof spaces and some shadows to the buildings. ( beware some cheaper brands of light red dont mix grey they mix purple..add a touch burnt sienna to correct this.)

end stage 3 .

St Peters Project DURHAM

04/27/2012 08:30:00

This is our painting project from St Peters group South Shields, who meet on a Wednesday morning for 2hours . It is of course Durham City.

First we did the drawing and that took all of our first 2hr session.. it's a lot of drawing but we decided it was important to take our time and get it right...or as right as possible..we wre allowed artistic licence. Art NOT technical drawing class LOL! end of lesson 1

stage/lesson 2

Then after masking one or two tiny bits like lights white railings couple of tree trunks etc...we used washes of yellow ochre, light red and then Colbalt blue for the sky..giving a warmth across the bottom left of the sky, it creates the effect of warm morning sunshine.

We then added a light wash of yellow ochre and raw umber to the sunnyside of the buildings and then using my distant stone painting technique( you learn that in my workshops and classes) we painting the shady side of the stone buildings. Washes of Light red and light red/ult blu mixes were put over the brick buildings to the left.

end of lesson 2..

angel 5

04/05/2012 10:52:00

Ooh Dear! this is the thing about spontaneuos splashes of colour.. its a split second decision...a reaction of that second really..but my aim was a COLOURFUL angel.!! LOL At least it was FUN to do. you could say it brightened my day!! Not sure what to do with it now?

angel 3/4

04/05/2012 10:47:00

Stage 3. better try and find my angel in this lot. ( want to keep the colour running through it though!! Its certainly COLOURFUL!!! YIKES!!!!! LOL! FUN!!

the angel 2

04/05/2012 10:43:00

stage 2 It looks like I tripped and spilt my paintbox all over my paper!!

the angel in colour

04/05/2012 10:41:00

stage 1 the drawing. The Angel with signpost NORTH ( just incase you don't know where that is) and the scottish coastline further north.. my plan to make this colourful !!

Easter Painting sessions

04/04/2012 10:04:00

So...I really must paint.I'm supposed to be an ARTIST!!! I have just finished two little Northumberland landscapes at the weekend ready to make into prints ahead of Alnmouth Festival..and for summer exhibition in the Gallery...but!!..thats commercial painting and work!! When I paint for me..I like to be a bit more creative about how I tackle normal subjects. I like to express myself....lol!.. in creative colour!!

My first subject is...well..something we see alot of around here...but it always looks the same...and is not particularly pretty either...so Im going to make a big dirty looking object and make it pretty...can you tell what it is yet???

Eldon Garden Workshops

02/01/2012 08:13:00

Eldon Garden workshops are underway and into week two... thank you to my lovely new learners at North East Art Collective for their patience while I juggled the room to get it right for your comfort... first workshops at any venue often have teething troubles. Looking forward to many more in the future. Happy Painting!