Tag Archives: beauty

Original Watercolour Sale - This Weekend!

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Art sale this weekend! All prices reduced.

Grab an original now to enhance your space - direct from me, the artist:)

10 of my original watercolours are up for sale - to view more images of each one or to buy click on any of the paintings below.

Easy to frame! Most of my paintings are standard photo size so you just buy a supermarket frame and you’re set!

Here’s the first -

1) original otter painting - 8×10 inches and ready to frame!

2) Luscious Cherries - a rustic kitchen art piece.

3) Majestic Magpie - fab gift for the bird lover.

4) Summer Poppies - big reduction from $85 to $65!

5) Vibrant Beetroots - garden lover art gift - painted in gouache for an arty look.

6) Sunflower Original! Eternally popular - this would make a lovely gift for her.

7) Galloping Horse - make a horse lover’s day

8) Desert Dream - a mystical vision of West Mitten Butte in Arizona for the traveller

9) Watercolour Discus painting - a vibrant nautical for the seaside home

10) Enchanting Emerald seahorse painting - for the mermaid in you…

Want more!? To view my entire watercolour collection click here - https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/eastwitching?section_id=15563603&ref=shopsection_leftnav_8

I can also paint any requests you might have - just email me (Alison) at eastwitching@hotmail.com to proceed!

What’s your Watercolour Bible?

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Most artists I know are devils for getting new art technique books.

Books give us hope and inspiration and impetus!

I have bought many, many books over the years and there are a few that I would never part with as they have become sacred to me.

Below I share my 3 top go to art books; my bibles as I call them. As you will see, I go to them for slightly different reasons but they all add grist to the artistic mill and lord knows we need it at times.

Please post below about YOUR art bibles! We may discover some wonderful unknowns!

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1) More Joy of Colour by David Lyle Millard The loose jewel-like vignettes of Millard throughout this book encouraged me to paint in a juicy way.

In the book David describes his 40 colour palette and I drooled over his descriptions of his exotic hard to find colours - here is the picture

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I envied him sitting there amongst all that exotic fruit and reading about him spending time in the Caribbean and the East coast of the USA - I aspired to do that!

P1150747David Lyle Millard in his element

WHAT I GET from this book

Most of all his encouragement to trust your wandering line of pencil on paper - your place for creative freedom in this world. Here are some Millard inspired mini watercolours in a Super Aquabee sketchbook (that he recommends for travelling artists as I was at the time!). Alas - the book in the link above has a ne cover design and is missing the original silver impressed bee insignia - such a shame!

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2) The Art Spirit by Robert Henri I bought this a couple of months before going on an art trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA in 2005. I tried to keep my hands off it as it was meant to be read once I got to that famous art colony with its desert light. I couldn’t resist, however, and so cracked it open a few days before leaving and was lifted up by Henri’s commentaries about why we are compelled to draw and paint and how to have faith in yourself.

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How this book IMPROVES my LIFE

Reading this book allowed me to experience someone of a different mind-set - one that values beauty and expression and is not ashamed of that. He gave me permission to dream and I read it when I want to escape into the word of art and feelings.

3) Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards This book single-handedly taught me how to see and to draw. With Betty’s clear and encouraging voice I was guided into the joys of pure contour drawing - just letting the pencil doodle along the paper without even looking to loosen you up and enjoy that feeling.

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WHY I read this BOOK

I go to this book whenever I need to feel purposeful about drawing.

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It’s purposeful and enlightening exercises bowl you along and you see INSTANT improvement.

Well that is it from me - I hope you may encounter these books and get something from them - bye for now

Abstractions and Reflections - Watercolour Painting Day

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Today I had Jude and Claire back for their second joint painting day.

Jude and Claire with prints I made from scans of their original reflection painting done in the morning...well doen both!

Jude and Claire with prints I made from scans of their original reflection painting done in the morning…well done both!

They chose to focus on painting reflections.

Jude working on her third abstract reflection piece - I loved the California feel of this one!

Jude working on her third abstract reflection piece - I loved the California feel of this one!

We really got into the nitty gritty with analysis of the anatomy of a reflections and let loose with soem very flamboyant and powerful abstract shapes.

I feel these were just stunning and Claire and Jude were over the moon with their work too.

Claire's atmospheric original

Claire’s atmospheric original

I had to really encourage them to load on the paint though - there were being very restrained until I wore them down!:)

"Miasma Mexicana" Watercolour on paper 8x5 inches - original by Jude

“Miasma Mexicana” Watercolour on paper 8×5 inches - original by Jude

We stopped for lunch when we realised that we had kind of missed it - so engrossed were we in our art!

My Jack Russell Tilly had a social breakthrough - befriending Jude and - shock horror - even letting her stroke her and leaping up onto her lap!

Finally! Tilly is nice to Jude

Finally! Tilly is nice to Jude

After lunch sat out in teh sun we went at reflections in a more controlled and realistic style.

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watercolour reflections

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If you want to try these stages out for yourself carry on and I would love to see your results.

Alison

Breathless - Seeing Rosina Ferrara for the First Time

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I suppose most people know of John Singer Sargent for his highly realistic and incredibly rich-looking portraits of artistocrats which I have come across and admired over the years - but then, yesterday I was stopped in my tracks by this unfinished head study of an Italian girl from Capri - Rosina Ferrara.

Portrait of Rosina Ferrara by John Singer Sargent

It just took my breath away.

The starkness of the head against a plain white ground appeals to me as I dislike fussy backgrounds.

The subtleties of the colouring and textures are sublime and so softly done you stop breathing as you examine them.

The wistful and rustic touch of the flower petals in her loosely fixed hair are the perfect foil to the fineness of her skin and her definite features… I would love to paint a portrait like this.

I love it and am going to get a print of it even though I vowed I would only have originals in my house. Seeing as I am not likely to afford an original John Singer Sargent anytime soon I will have to break my vow - but to have this image where I can see it every day will be so worth it.

Today I am going to research this image further and find out the exact size of the original painting which I believe is an oil.

Update - John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)
Rosina Ferrara, Head of a Capri Girl, 1878
Oil on cardboard
Signed, inscribed, and dated by the artist at lower right, To my friend Hyde / souvenir of / John S. Sargent / Capri 1878
12 7/8 x 9 7/8 in.

Do you have a favourite portrait? Who is it of and by and why do you love it?

Comments welcome below!

Playing about with pastel - an adobe building on Canyon Road, Sante Fe

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"Adobe Bloom"

“Adobe Bloom”

Years ago in 2005 I went on a 3 month trip of the USA. Trip of a lifetime it was and I took so many photos on days spent wandering the 4 corner states.

This is one of them.

A pinkish peach adobe dwelling calling to me on Canyon Road, Sante Fe

A pinkish peach adobe dwelling calling to me on Canyon Road, Sante Fe

 

Heading back from a long hike to Bear Canyon the sun was setting and just casting flecks of light on this dwelling. An old adobe building - peachy cream in the sun framed by cool and dark vegetation. I had to paint it.

I am using Art Spectrum Colourfix sand paper and Unison Pastels.

My fave pastels of all UNISON

My fave pastels of all UNISON

Please see the photos below and click on them to bring the image up big:)

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Here is the final result in a virtual frame (sorry its a bit out of proportion!)

Overall I feel the painting is a bit clunky, lacks coherence and wasn’t planned very well. I rushed it as I was so excited to play with luscious colour. I will no doubt have another more measured, thoughtful go at it when I am calmer! I just had to go at it like a bull at a gate to get it out of my system.

"Adobe Bloom"

“Adobe Bloom”

 

 

 

How to Paint a Watercolour Crab

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Here we go - for those who want to know how to paint a crab in watercolour -

Here I am using a size 3 round brush to add some New Gamboge yellow to his foreclaw to suggest sunlight

I drew the outline of the crab then painted his entire surface with clean water. This gets the paper ready to accept splashy and watery colour to good effect.

Then I banged in some teal blue and let it run - I tip the paper this way and that and let the medium do it.

The first 4 steps…roughly - it is very hard to paint and photograph myself at the same time!

As it starts to dry a I then went back in to darken shadow areas and start to build form. Finally - when totally dry I add the detail work and spatter - viola. Only problem is I forgot one leg!!!!

Here we have a crab with the correct amount of legs created into a cute pillow -

Crab throw pillow

To see my range of crab artwork that I have in my online gallery - please click here - enjoy!

The last 4 steps. Due to being overly worried about taking shots of myself painting I forgot one of his legs.

How to Paint a Watercolour Crab

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Here we go - for those who want to know how to paint a crab in watercolour -

Here I am using a size 3 round brush to add some New Gamboge yellow to his foreclaw to suggest sunlight

I drew the outline of the crab then painted his entire surface with clean water. This gets the paper ready to accept splashy and watery colour to good effect.

Then I banged in some teal blue and let it run - I tip the paper this way and that and let the medium do it.

The first 4 steps…roughly - it is very hard to paint and photograph myself at the same time!

As it starts to dry a I then went back in to darken shadow areas and start to build form. Finally - when totally dry I add the detail work and spatter - viola. Only problem is I forgot one leg!!!!

To see my range of crab artwork that I have in my online gallery - please click here - enjoy!

The last 4 steps. Due to being overly worried about taking shots of myself painting I forgot one of his legs.