New Floral Canvas Painting

Acrylic Paint, Acrylic Pens An Soft Pastel On Polyester Cotton Canvas

100cm x 76cm

Hi there😊  I finally finished this floral painting which I seemed to have been working on for a while.  I was distracted, mostly by health problems but that’s life.  I am happy with how it turned out in the end but there were more than a few worrying moments.  I did have a lot of fear because I’m painting in a process driven way and part of me is still scared to trust and let go.  It is a lot like riding a horse in so many ways.  By process driven I mean that the painting gets made up as I go, kind of like improvisation.  I do make preparation sketches in Watercolour of flowers that are difficult and that I am unsure of but I don’t plan much.  I think I have talked about this before.  So I am pleased with the colours and the life in the painting.  I know the composition isn’t perfect but I like it like that.

So the weather is cooling here and it will be winter soon.  I hope wherever you are that life is treating you okay and you are all feeling okay.  I am not sure what is next painting wise but I will post about it.  I will do another floral, I have a vague idea of what I will do.  Thanks for looking and reading.

(Description:  two images of a large vertical canvas painting of flowers and leaves in a grey coloured square vase with white polka dots.  The flowers are in a big bunch in blue, pink, orange, yellow, brown, light pink.  The style is almost loose and there are little details added with acrylic pens of different colours.  The background is a very light yellow/gold colour.)  

Girl Illustration In Sketchbook

Gouache, Watercolour and Fountain Pen Ink On Handmade Paper

A5 sized Journal by Nero

I painted this girl recently and so enjoyed it.  I used Lady Rose In Gold, Ferris Wheel Press fountain pen ink for the dress and I was so happy with the colour.  Fountain pen ink has a real luminosity about it.  The blue flowers are Diamine fountain pen ink.  I like making these little paintings as they are no or little stress and help me to be relaxed, which can be a problem for me.

Hope your day is okay, bye til next time.

Animal and Floral Painting

Hi there again!  So here are two more floral paintings, one with a bunny and another with a puppy and I was happy with how they turned out.  They are both painted with Gouache and Watercolour on Arches Hot Press paper and they are about 7 x 5 inches.  I am really having fun with the florals because I have really been able to loosen up and not worry about getting details correct. Although there are artists I admire who are much more loose with their painting and I would like to get to a point where I am not worrying about the painting being correct at all and just letting it come out of me and onto the page but I guess that will come with time.

I have another painting to share but I haven’t scanned it yet so I will show you next time😊

So Cold

Christies Beach, South Australia

A sketch made with Schmincke Watercolour and Gouache in a handmade paper sketchbook.

More Portrait Illustration

Watercolour/Gouache on A5 Arches Hotpress

Gouache/Watercolour in a handmade sketchbook with handmade paper.

Winter Now and Indigo Portraits

Just some girls painted with Watercolour and Gouache.  It’s winter now and it has been raining a lot lately but I am glad of the water because it was so dry for so long.  I do like all the smells in the air in winter.  I find so much to love about all the seasons.  Winter is a good time to watch all the surfers at the beach in the late afternoon.  I will be back soon with some more paintings😊

Portrait Illustration

Some art made with Watercolour and Gouache made mostly on A5 Arches Hot Press paper.  I hope you enjoy it.😊

Girl With Dahlias

Watercolour/Gouache on Arches 300gsm Hot Press Paper

I really enjoyed using this indigo colour for the girls clothing.  I’m not sure why, I think it has a luminous night sky quality about it.

 

Girl With Salvias

Watercolour/Gouache on Arches 300gsm Hot Press Paper

I am no closer to solving my naming problem.  My girls are like all actual people to me, with their own personalities.  But still I am unsure whether to give them names.  I like the mystery of them not having a name and I like not interfering with how the viewer might see them.  Naming my paintings has always been hard for me though for some reason.  I’ll sleep on it again :)

 

Naming My Paintings

Watercolour and Gouache on Arches Hot Press 300gsm Paper

I am happy with this one.  I am having trouble naming these paintings of girls, I’m not sure how to go about it.  I thought of giving the girls names as I have seen other artists do but that doesn’t feel right.  I used to really labour over names for paintings when I was a less experienced artist.  I thought the title of a painting was all important.  But now I feel that the title or name I give a painting is not as important as the actual painting.  I feel like the viewers perception or experience of the painting should be not distracted by any perception I might have of the painting in creating an elaborate title.  If I had gone to art school I might have learned this stuff much earlier😊.  

Thanks for reading and looking. 

Flowers

This artwork was made with Watercolour and gouache in an A5 Moleskine Watercolour Journal. 

Sketch

For this one I used a thick paper by Khadi who make handmade paper.  It has quite an uneven surface but was smooth at the same time(if that makes sense?).  I like how this paper feels and the deckled edges, also it doesn’t buckle so much when I use a lot of water.  I’ve had this paper for a long time and was a bit scared to use it but I think I will continue with it.  It really encourages me to be looser with my painting.

Hair

 This one was painted in my handmade journal with smooth, deckle edged, handmade paper.  I was thinking of 1980’s hair and celebrities for some reason.

 

Spring Inspiration

 

Both of these artworks are about 8” x 10” and were painted on Arches Watercolour paper 300gsm, using  Schmincke, Winsor & Newton Watercolour and Art Spectrum Gouache.

Emotions

Gouache and Watercolour in Moleskine Journal.

I wasn’t going to post these paintings but I thought I would just to show when things don’t go to plan. I wasn’t feeling great when I made these and it kind of shows.  Not everything can be pretty and happy all the time and I should value these more instead of seeing them as a reminder of how crap I was feeling at the time.  These paintings just tell a different story.

Hand Made Paper

Both paintings are Schmincke Watercolour and Art Spectrum White Gouache on Khadi Paper(I think).

I have these beautiful handmade journals which are filled with deckle edged Khadi Paper which is made from recycled cotton in India.  I really like working on it and even though it is only about 150gsm the paint doesn’t bleed through to the other side.  I have to work lightly though as the paper is very delicate.

 

Indigo

I generally use Schmincke Watercolour pans with some Winsor and Newton and Schmincke make this indigo that I really love.  I want to use it more I think.

Time Out

I have been away from the blog awhile.  I have been a little under the weather physically and mentally and needed some time out.  I thought I would post these two small paintings(A5 size) that I really enjoyed making.  Whenever I make these portraits I never know what or who is going to come out and I kind of like that.

Mushrooms

Girl with Mushrooms

Gouache/Watercolour/Graphite Pencil in Moleskine Journal

So I don’t really know why I decided to draw mushrooms with this girl.  I think I was feeling a safe childhood place where there are fairytales, woods and yes, mushrooms. 

I hope everyone is doing okay.

Girl And Cat II

Girl and Cat II

Gouache/Watercolour/Graphite Pencil in Moleskine Journal

I’m slowly getting used to isolation, I’m trying to make different routines for myself.  When I do get out to go to the supermarket I feel all this anxiety about the wide open space around me and just want to go home again.  I am missing my favourite places though.

I really enjoyed making this picture.  The colour of this girls dress was a kind of happy accident which I was glad about.  I enjoyed drawing the cat too.  Stay safe everyone.