A Collection Of My Watercolour Paintings
I really am a watercolour newbie. Follow me through my watercolour journey, learning how to stop thinking like an oil painter and start using the paper and water as integral parts of the painting process. As you can see, it's not as easy as I thought it would be to completely change my mindset and deliberately leave white space in my work. These early watercolours will never be snapped up by serious collectors, but I feel they have a place here as an important part of my artistic journey.
Summer Meadow
Medium: Watercolour on 100% Cotton Watercolour Paper.
Dimensions: 29.7cm x 21cm Landscape Orientation
Summer Meadow is taken from a reference photograph supplied with an oil painting course I did. I think the image lends itself well to watercolours. I like the way the distant trees and hills fade away into a hazy, misty, blend of colour.
Different brushwork and varying wet-into-wet with dry-onto-dry work well to bring the foreground closer. I used a little salt to add texture in the foreground, but as you can see in the middle ground, some of it went a little astray.
Calm Reflections
Medium: Watercolour on 100% Cotton Watercolour Paper.
Dimensions: 18cm x 13cm Landscape Orientation
Calm Reflections is partially from imagination and partially from a tutorial video I saw. I love the way the colours of the sky came out in the reflection on the lake. I am also happy with the reflections of the foliage along the far bank. Maybe the tree reflection could have come out a little better, but I don't feel that one thing spoils the painting as a whole.
For the soft ripples on the water and the little wavelets against the far shore, I used an off white soft pastel and smudged it to soften the effect.
Blue Snow Scene
Medium: Watercolour on 100% Cotton Watercolour Paper.
Dimensions: 18cm x 13cm Landscape Orientation
Blue Snow Scene is a study in monochromatic painting, done from imagination. Overall I am happy with how this painting turned out, I especially like the two giant trees watching over the tiny cottage nestling against the woodland - particularly the way one appears to be bending down for a closer look.
I think the distinction between the country lane and the stream running alongside it could be clearer, but we can't have everything can we. I used a Gelly Roll, 08 pen for the snowy highlights in the woodland, along the branches of the giant trees, and in the clumps of grass.
Water Through The Mist
Medium: Watercolour on 100% Cotton Watercolour Paper.
Dimensions: 18cm x 13cm Landscape Orientation
Morning Seascape was painted entirely from imagination. Originally I intended this piece as a monochromatic study, but decided to turn a path into a body of water. I really do like the way the oranges and browns contrast with the blues in the water.
This is my first semi-successful attempt at mist, watercolour certainly lends itself better to misty painting than oils.
Evening Light
Medium: Watercolour on 100% Cotton Watercolour Paper.
Dimensions: 18cm x 13cm Landscape Orientation
Evening Light is painted entirely from imagination.
I love the way the sky turned out in this piece, the wispy clouds and pale blue came out just as I wanted them (for a change). Some of the colours in the body of the painting got a little lost, so I used soft pastels to bring out the highlights along the fence and add a little Autumn colour to the trees.
Misty Sea
Medium: Watercolour on 100% Cotton Watercolour Paper.
Dimensions: 18cm x 13cm Landscape Orientation
Misty Sea Is one of six watercolours I started on the same day. I particularly wanted this piece to be light and indistinct. The waves lapping along the beach could have been a little less uniform in shape and size, but otherwise I am quite happy with how this piece turned out.
I particularly like the granulated effect of the colours in the sky, and to some extent the sea too. The piece has an almost ethereal quality, with the beach being the only substantial element.
The Tree
Medium: Watercolour on 100% Cotton Watercolour Paper.
Dimensions: 18cm x 13cm Portrait Orientation
Morning Seascape is probably one of my least favourite watercolours. I know, I know, an artist isn't supposed to admit they don't like their own work, but this one I'm not a fan of even though it came from my own imagination.
I like concept of a lone tree, I even like the way the colours turned out in the background trees, the grass and the tree itself. There's just something about how the tree turned out that I'm not really happy with. Maybe I'll have another go at this one another day.
Winter Walk
Medium: Watercolour on Watercolour Paper.
Dimensions: 18cm x 13cm Landscape Orientation
Morning Seascape is adapted from a photograph I took during Feb 2018, when the UK was in the grip of "The Beast From The East". The original photograph, below, included my now ex-husband - I thought a parent and child out enjoying a walk in the snow made for a nicer image than a solitary figure.
Morning Seascape
Medium: Watercolour on Watercolour Paper.
Dimensions: 18cm x 13cm Landscape Orientation
Morning Seascape is my second watercolour attempt. Not taken from a reference of any kind, I painted purely from my imagination. While I am happy with the sky, and not entirely disappointed with the sea and sand, I have to say the distant land mass and the sand dune in the foreground did not turn out the way I envisioned. The dune had a mind of it's own and just kept growing until I thought it would take over the whole painting. I didn't get the colours right in the land mass, which messed up the areal perspective.
The reflections of the rocks in the water are my favourite bit of this painting, that's the bit I feel I really got right.
Evening Solitude
Medium: Watercolour on Watercolour Paper
Dimensions 18cm x 13cm Landscape Orientation
Evening Solitude is an adaptation of a photograph my mum took on a holiday in Scotland. That original photograph is around here somewhere, depending on what device you're viewing on it could be anywhere.
As you can see, I gave up pretty quick on getting the colours right. You've probably guessed by now, I'm a fan of colourful sunsets and sunrises. I love the way the colours reflect on water, although I haven't quite got the hang of capturing those reflections on the paper.
The guy in his boat got bigger and the distant land mass is wrong, so the lake itself looks much smaller. I'm really not a fan of this piece, I'm disappointed with how it turned out. I can see I was still thinking like an oil painter rather than a watercolour painter, trying to build up layers and instead ending up scrubbing the paper surface. This is another scene I will probably revisit after more practice to see if I can do it better.
