meldrum artI wanted to practice my watercolour figures so I chose that rather famous picture of James Dean walking in the rain in New York. I completed these two paintings in half an hour. Speed helps me, I don’t have time to think, when I think everything goes wrong. Each watercolour is 8 x 11,5 cm in size on Arches rough, 300g.
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| James Dean on a lunch break. |
It’s amazing how hard it is to get back into a routine. Today, I finally started painting again during my lunch break. I mean, it’s been at least two weeks since the last one! I’m such a slacker.
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| Lunchtime archipelago. Paper: Arches rough 17 x 12 cm, 20150707. |
I painted this while on holiday in Greece. It takes longer than a photograph but the memory of the occasion is so much stronger because of it.
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| Corfu, Greece 20150628. Paper: Arches rough 12 x 17 cm. |
We are not having the best of summers here in Sweden this year. Last week was great though and I took full advantage of it at the weekend. I set up a hammock by the water’s edge and lay there looking at all the boats going by. I live quite close to the city centre so the traffic on the water is intense at this time of year. I later did this watercolour in my sketchbook, I’m happy with it although I wish I had access to better watercolour sketchbooks than Moleskin, I like Arches Rough and so I always find it disappointing when I use the Moleskin. Still, it’s a sketchbook and it will do fine until it’s finished, I will use small Arches blocks in future. If anyone knows of good watercolour sketchbook, please let me know.
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| Sketchbook painting of Waldermarsudde, Stockholm. |
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| Waldermarsudde |
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| First wash |
My boss asked me to paint his summer house. I have a number of orders now, I have to admit it’s hard to paint something that has no personal value, this is a new frontier for me. Still, I was happy with the result. My boss didn’t fire me after I presented the watercolour to him! 😉
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| Summer house, Arches Rough paper, A3 |
The scary thing about painting a nice sky is that one has to have the nerve to finish the rest of the picture.
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| Lone Sailor. Arches Rough 300g, 31 x 23 cm. |
Not happy with one watercolour during my lunch break I attempted three. Each was painted on different paper. I wanted to see how the pigment reacted on each. Arches rough, Fabriano fine grain and Fabriano satin. I enjoy working at speed but this was pushing it a bit! 😉
A lttle watercolour completed during the lunch break.
I cycled along the waterfront as I do each day. The temperature has improved enough to stop and sketch. It’s beautiful.
