MIND Aberystwyth

So yesterday (after a break of a few weeks while feeling poorly) I managed to make it back to MIND and do some painting. 

RbaArt Protograph: Watercolour with top surface paper removal

This one was completed using Cotman student quality watercolour paint on watercolour paper. The image was constructed with two layers of wet-on-wet paint.  The second layer after the first layer had dried.  Only six colours were used.  Cerulean Blue, Cobalt blue, Light Red, Paynes Gray, Raw Sienna, and a purple thingy. Sorry about the technical term, but I can't recall the name of the last half pan.  It would have been five colours, but alas the singke blue didn't work alone and another one had to be found. Mind you, there were about forty eight half pans in the tin, so I think that I done well in deciding to limit my palette! 

A stiff palette knife was used to indent the paper when it was wet, and the sharp edge if that particular palette knife was used to lift the paper as it dried.  Finally, a scalpel was used to lift more of the paper to expose bits of the clean white layer underneath after all of the painting was done.

Remembrance

This one was painted on Remembrance Sunday 2016 with the poem also written on the same day. 

ArtRba Photograph: Remembrance Poem and watercolour painting

The poem is to the right of the painting

(click on the image to open full size if it is cropped on your screen)

The poem 'Remembrance' has six lines, each with three feet.  The artwork was completed using Winsor & Newton Sanguine Red, Smalt Blue and Aqua Green along with Daler-Rowney Cadmium Yellow, all put down on a 16 x 8 inch sheet of Daler Rowney 300gsm Cold Press watercolour paper.  When the watercolour painting was dry, 'Staedtler' Pigment Liners sizes 0.05, 0.3, and 0.7 were used to draw in the trees and hedgerow.  

I offered the Royal British Legion a watercolour and unique poem a year ago now, but alas it appears that my art and poetry on that occasion wasn't good enough.  I mention that, because the Legion never took me up on my offer.  That watercolour painting was much larger than this one, and consisted of two stretcher bearers carrying a casualty with a third soldier thanking them.  The casualty was draped in the Union Jack and each of the three standing figures were from different military periods.    

That poem that accompanied the artwork was titled  'Poppy Fields', and the first stanza went;

Do not forget the fallen of that war,

The one chosen by Kings for Common Man.

Red Poppies falling neatly in line,

As chopping bullets fell without restrain.

Twilight Colours

I'm fortunate enough to now own and enjoy using a significant range of Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour paints.  But one of my favourite colours is a tube of Sanguine Red from their Twilight Colours range. 

Photograph: Winsor & Newton Twilight Colours 

The keen eyed amongst you may have noticed that particular colour popping up in my recent A5 sized Elephant image.  Sanguine red has a real vibrancy to it.  I'm also using half pans in the main, and I know that half pans are semi-moist.  So I expected tubed watercolour paint to dry out and be unusable.  But for some reason that's not the case, and dried paint on the palette re-works when water is added with the brush. 

Sky Landscape

I don't always get around to doing the things that I should, when I should. This is probably why I've only just settled down to watch the second episode of the second series of the Sky Landscape Artist of the Year Competition.  And I must say, that I wholeheartedly agreed with their final three.

Albeit in all fairness I had my doubts about the stencillist. And those doubts were there before he was declared the Heat Winner.

Mainly because he was (if I heard the dialogue correctly) printing off and cutting out photographs that he had taken.  I would have been more enthused if he had drawn images and made a direct connection with the landscape.  But hey ho, who am I to criticise, especially seeing that my submission wasn't good enough to make the cut. 

Landrover Discovery

I'm about three hours in with this piece, including the longed out coffee and chat when I began on Tuesday and the pot of Assam B.O.P. when I revisited the artwork this afternoon.

ArtRba Photograph: ink pencil on watercolour paper 

It's intended as a gift, so I hope that the recipient likes it when it's done.  I'm using Daler Rowney 300gsm A4 size Cold Pressed watercolour paper.  I drew a grid using a watercolour pencil to lay out the design with an intention to wash away the grid lines as I construct the image. The dust cloud is a tad heavy at the moment, but I'm looking to soften that by applying an Inktense wash using a brush, and or a white Pablo colouring pencil.  It doesn't really matter whether that works or not, as it's all about learning and experience. Art is for enjoyment and relaxation; we mustn't get too hung up over techniques and outcomes.