Categories
watercolor Watercolour Watercolouring Watercolours

Experimenting with light

After weeks of illness it is so nice to be watercolouring again. I was very frustrated not being well enough to paint but I am recovering and I feel a lot better now.
I am very focused on improving myself these days so I throw myself into areas that are uncomfortable. Zones like portrait painting and urban scenes, I also feel I can improve a lot in the painting light. This what I am focused on this week.

Become a Patron!
Categories
Edsvik watercolor Watercolour

National Watercolour Exhibition – Edsvik

I was very happy to have one of my paintings excepted into the annual National Watercolour Exhibition at the Edsvik Art Gallery. The watercolour is entitled, Västan – which is the name of the Stockholm ferry featured.

It’s interesting for me as this watercolour is two years old and as I am still developing as an artist it is very much from my past. It has a strong composition which is good but my technical skills have improved a lot since 2017. Another interesting fact is that this painting was exhibited at The Salamanca ECWS exhibition of 2017. I was so proud that I was chosen to represent Sweden in this European watercolour event.

Become a Patron!
Categories
Uncategorized

Just practising

I am getting better at just sketching for fun. I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to improve which is good but at the same time I know it’s not recommended to be deadly serious all the time. So, yesterday I had some fun. It’s fun having fun. Sounds like I am trying to persuade myself that relaxing is a good thing.

Become a Patron!
Categories
Sketch Watercolour

The good day continued …

I painted this watercolour at the Maritime Museum in the afternoon with my Urban Sketchers buddies here in Stockholm.

Click the thumbnail below for full-sized image.

Maritime Museum - Meldrum Art
Maritime Museum – Meldrum Art

Categories
Sketch Watercolour

Watercolours from my trip home from Ireland

I had an 11 hour journey home to Stockholm from Bangor, Northern Ireland so it was important to have something do. Luckily I had a good book (The Book Thief) and my watercolour sketching kit with me.

Become a Patron!

Categories
Watercolour

A winter watercolour of Grönalund in Stockholm

 

Gröna lund, Stockholm
Gröna lund, Stockholm

The winter months before Christmas are so dark here in Stockholm. The clouds tend to get tired and seem to rest on the ground. It is nearly always grey in November.

I originally sketched this scene with Stockholm Urban Sketchers in August, I really liked it so I decided to paint a large version of it now. I was of course influenced by the time of year I was in.

 

Click the thumbnail below to see the full-sized image

November light. Grönalund in winter
November light. Grönalund in winter

 

Categories
Watercolour

Working with values

Even though this composition is relatively simple the placement of the Stockholm town hall is very important to the success of the watercolour, it’s the rule of thirds. The tonal values are even more important as the sky wouldn’t pop if the building and bridge had a lighter tone.
Personally I am on a little crusade to improve my understanding of tonal values, I enjoyed painting this scene.

Click image below for full sized photo.

Stadshuset / Town hall
Stadshuset / Town hall

 

Categories
My Life Drawing

Life drawing bliss

Yes, it was so nice to go to somebody else’s life  drawing class yesterday evening. Since I’ve been running my own class I have not really been relaxed enough to draw with any real commitment.
So last night I could get my fingers dirty with charcoal dust and have a ball!
Most sketches were completed in 5 minutes on A3 paper.

Categories
David Meldrum Watercolour

Watercolour of Stockholm – Storkyrkan

It is hard to paint urban scenes I think. I wrestle with keeping the watercolour alive and fresh. I need straight lines because houses are built of them, but they are also my enemy. Too straight and I loose my battle.
This was a good fight, I nearly lost it a couple of times but in the end I am happy with the result.

Title: Storkyrkan (The Big Church)
Size: 26 x 36 cm

Click the image below for full-sized version.

Storkyrkan-akvarell
Storkyrkan akvarell