Wester Ross Lochan, Watercolour Landscape Painting

Wester Ross Lochan, watercolour and felt pen on watercolour paper

This is one of my favourite watercolours. I love the way the browns (my least favourite colour) worked and the way the felt pen spread when I wet it.

Oh, and if you're wondering how to pronounce lochan, it's that Scottish ch sound from the back of the throat, like loch - a lochan is a tiny wee loch, by the way.

Loch Assynt Winter

Loch Assynt Winter, watercolour and felt pen on watercolour paper

I decided to do a bit of experimenting with this wintery painting, and used a water based felt pen to draw out my image first. As it wasn't permanent, as soon as my watercolours hit the pen, it spread in all sorts of directions and in different shades of blue and purple. I loved working this way - it was so unpredictable.

I took this painting into my framer to frame, and he promptly bought it. I still have cards available on Etsy and Folksy.

Introduction to Traditional Media: Watercolour

I will freely admit that I find painting in watercolour extremely difficult. Even so, I've written an article on the subject.

Wildflowers by Tracy Butler

I do use watercolours, but I decided to interview several artists in order to gain different points of view and experiences. Their contribution to my article was invaluable; so a big thank you goes to Alma Wolfson, Jessica Wolfson and Sheila Gold.

You can read the article here.

Culzean Castle Bluebells

I thought I would show you a painting at a number of different stages from start to finish.  It is of a bluebell wood at Culzean Castle, which I photographed last spring.  I tend to work in watercolour and gouache very much my own way, breaking rules right, left and centre, but it works for me.

Image 1

Image 1: The painting is gouache on watercolour paper, and as the painting was going to be mainly green (despite the subject being bluebells), I covered the whole of the background in a contrasting purple (my favourite colour, by the way).  I then sketched out the image using a pastel pencil and began to block in shadows, with hints of the green foliage that was yet to come.

Image 2

Image 2: I used a variety of blues, yellows and browns, including Prussian and ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow, burnt sienna and burnt umber to mix my greens, while painting more detail into the background and introducing colour and light to the foreground.

Image 3

Image 3:  I love using blocks of colour, letting the types of brushes I am using dictate the shapes on the paper; I started to illustrate the trees this way and added more depth to both the foreground and background.

Image 4

Image 4:  I worked on the detail here, trying to bring light into the background through the trees as well as on the leaves of the tree on the left.  As I painted in all the foliage on the floor of the wood, I allowed the original purple that covers the paper to show through, especially on the bottom left - this helped me deepen the shadows.

Image 5:  Now the fun bit - adding the bluebells with a mix of cobalt blue, white and purple.  I dulled down over zealous greens and yellows, and added final details to the tree trunks.

I use Chinese calligraphy paint brushes as well as western square tipped and pointed sables.  As I said before, when it comes to watercolour, for me, anything goes.

So Much To Do...

It's January (I'll assume you've already noticed), and I've been painting again, at last. I can't believe how much I missed it over the festive period. But I'm having difficulty concentrating as I have so many things that need to be sorted for this month and I probably should have finished them before Christmas.

I have been asked to send paintings into Smithy Gallery for their handing in days from the 21st-23rd January. They are holding an Affordable Art Fair, where all paintings are under £500. I have one done (you can see it at an early stage in my Experimentation blog, and now finished in the image above). Another one is just started and I'm messing about with it the same way as the one below, but I'm not at all happy with the way it is looking at the moment. I think a bit of sanding down of the guache is in order, then I'll use some chalk pastels.

I have also been asked to donate a painting to The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice, based here in Glasgow, for sale in their "A Celebration of Burns" charity auction (that is, Robert Burns, the Scottish poet, not a party for those who got frazzled while cooking the Christmas dinner, thought I should clear that up). This painting has to be handed in by the 15th January.

Regardless of how many canvases I need to have finished this month, I have to have paintings that I am happy with. And then I have to get them framed which can take up to 2 weeks.

Of course, that's not taking into account all the competitions I want to enter, so I have to think of work for them too. The exciting part is that I never know what I am going to produce, but whatever it is I'll be happy with it for a while (just a wee while).

Image: Beinn Damph, mixed media on board, 41 x 25cm (16" x 10")

Experimentation

I decided to try experimenting today and have been working on MDF (I had it cut to size at B & Q).
     In my studio, I coated it with purple acrylic (no reason, really, it was to hand) and then drew a landscape with a pastel pencil; I then blocked in colour with guache, putting details  in with chalk pastels and pushing the colours around in both media with water. I liked the effect but decided the textures created by the initial acrylic layer are too rough and took sandpaper to them.
     I worked for a while longer into the sky, and now think I've ruined the painting altogether. The only answer is to use water to effectively rub out the clouds and start on that bit again.  
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I wrote that yesterday and when I came in this morning, having allowed time for drying, I was relieved to see the sky looking much better.  A little bit of fiddling about, and I think I have a finished painting.  Chalk pastel mixed with water is rather fun.  

Above: A rather messy table with an experimental painting, guache, chalk pastels and pastel pencils (www.tracybutler.co.uk)