Categories
David Meldrum Video Watercolour

Watercolour Demo – Painting the O-Torii Gate [ EP. 6 ]

I just published my latest video on YouTube!

This is the final watercolour demonstration video from my trip to Japan earlier in the year. It was the last 24 hours with my son so it was a special day.

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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
Sketch Watercolour

Urban Sketching is so much fun

I am currently editing my latest video, Meldrum Art – Watercolour Journeys (Hiroshima). It was therefore lovely to get a break at the weekend and meet my Urban Sketching friends on Djurgården to sketch a little.

Saunders Waterford sketchbook, 28 x 19 cm

Gröna lund, Stockholm
Gröna lund, Stockholm
Categories
Sketches Watercolour

Watercolour sketches from the archipelago

All sketches on Saunders Waterford fine grain sketchbook 300g 28 x 19 cm

Categories
Sketch Watercolour

Last sketch from a Paimpol

Ah, I had to leave. My last sketch from Paimpol in Brittany. Back home now and planning for midsummer.
28 x 19 cm Saunders Waterford sketchbook

 

Categories
Sketch Watercolour

A simple sketch

I realise it is just important to paint or sketch every day. The other day was difficult because of my poor health but just doing a quick sketch makes such a difference to one’s day. Just a simple watercolour can lift the the greyest of days. I feel a lot better now which is great 🙂

Sketched on Saunders Waterford fine grain, 300g 28 x 19 cm

 

Categories
Sketch Watercolour

Sketching in Brittany

It is beautiful here in Brittany. I am staying at my mother in law’s house in Ploubazlanec which is not far from a Paimpol where I painted this plein air sketch. I come here every year and love it every time. The weather can be unstable but I am used to that growing up in Ireland. It is actually hard to create a successful watercolour when there is a blue sky, this is something I have learned over the years.

meldrumart
meldrumart
meldrumart
meldrumart

 

Categories
Sketch Urban Sketchers Watercolour

Painting with Google Translate

Plien air painting with Daniel Luther and Pavel Pugachev earlier last week. We painted the view towards the parliament buildings here in Stockholm. It was fun meeting Pavel, he couldn’t speak much English and no Swedish, and my Russian sucks so we communicated through Google Translate. It worked most of the time!

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Categories
Sketch Watercolour

Not quite home.

I feel so strange in Northern Ireland, my family live here but I never did. I grew up in the south. The cultures are very different, surprisingly so because Ireland is a smallish island. So coming home is not quite coming home, my parents moved here just before the beginning of the new millennium, that was 19 years ago. Like I said, it’s a strange feeling. Anyway, where is home? It’s in Stockholm of course! So homes move – mobile homes, I like the sound of that.
To be fair Northern Ireland is a beautiful place and there is lots of great scenes to paint and sketch. Today I drove to Groomsport not far from Bangor and did a quick painting of a house that I have painted before. I have put a link to that one here. It was a lovely day, it felt nice to smell the sea air and hear the seagulls sing. Yes, I know they don’t sing very well but it was enjoyable anyway!

 

Click image below for full size version.