I have started painting nudes again. It’s a real challenge, human skin-tones are so fine, so delicate. I am enjoying it though. It takes a lot longer for me to complete a nude, I’m not used to that. I don’t really have the patience for it so I spread the painting over several days, I work for an hour or two each day until it is finished. This is the best way for me to work right now, I hope I can improve my concentration with the next watercolours that I plan to paint in the coming weeks. Nude: 36 x 26 cm
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The autumn is here, the days are getting shorter, I take lunchtime walks to get as much light as I possibly can. It’s that time of the year when it’s totally natural to spend more time in the studio. I have sketched all summer and I feel I have improved a great deal due to all the practice. In a way I am looking forward to the winter, I want to see if I have really developed – painting larger studio watercolours is a great test of this. I do not want to stop sketching, I will do this too but less during the winter months.
And so, here is my latest sketch after saying all that. I sometimes drive to Hellasgården which is close by for one of my lunchtime walks. I take myself around the lake and it relaxes me from the day’s stress. There is a small island called “Lilla holmen” which means little island funny enough. I decided to try and paint it, insanely difficult to capture on paper and even harder to make it interesting. This is how I improve though, I am forever putting myself in these uncomfortable situations, I enjoy it. Lilla holmen, Hellasgården 13 x 17.5 cm
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Last weekend I met my life drawing friends. We’ve known each other for years so it has been tough not meeting them due to the pandemic. It was incredibly nice to meet finally, we sketched a little, I chose to paint the Vasa museum, a must see if you ever visit Stockholm. The high point of yesterday was not the sketching really but the coffee afterwards and the hours of happy chatting with the autumn sometimes reminding us it was on it’s way. Later in the evening I finished the sketch. I am experimenting more, it’s a lot of fun. 13 x 17.5 cm
If you would like to see my latest video click this link: https://youtu.be/h00hf9xXV7o Sketching watercolours while cruising Ep23
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I was in my studio at home when workmen started drilling into the outer wall of the apartment. After 15 minutes of painful noise I gave up grabbed my sketch bag and jumped into the van. It was grey and wet but I told myself to go to the local waterfront (Nacka Strand) to paint a watercolour sketch. A plain white ferry contrasted wonderfully against the greyness of the sky and sea. This was enough to inspire me and I am happy with the result – a simple composition that captured the day pretty well. 13 x 17.5 cm
In this video I paint a watercolour scene of islands in the archipelago while on holidays. My goal with these demonstrations is to help others who are trying to or thinking of sketching outdoors. My tip for this episode is that there is rarely a perfect sketching location to be had. Just sit down somewhere quiet and start, that’s the hardest step.
The watercolour to the left is the one featured in the video. 13 x 18 cm
Today is an exciting day, I will be streaming my first life drawing class using the popular app Zoom. I will continue using the Dieselverkstaden studio and will live stream from there every Thursday evening stating tonight. I have plans to reach out internationally with my class but the first step is to try it locally. The biggest problem I have with international participants is accepting payments. Locally we use a service called Swish here in Sweden. I am developing a way to accept payments from abroad and hopefully that will be fixed in the coming weeks.
If you are living in Sweden and have a Swish account then I invite you to the premiere of Meldrum Kroki on Zoom this evening. Please join Meldrum Kroki on Facebook which is private group to gain access, click the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/378766722540122/
Like I said already, I am really looking forward to offering life drawing live.
See you soon I hope whether you are international or Swedish.
Please note that my actual (physical) life drawing classes are on hold until the pandemic is under control.
It was a hot summer’s day in Stockholm when I decided to sketch the Town Hall, a building I just adore. I have condensed two hours of film into 15 minutes, some may still call it “Slow TV”, … It’s true in a way, you are watching paint dry after all. I don’t say a lot in this episode, I let the painting do the talking.
I painted this sketch from my van down by the water close to where I live. If I ignore all the scrubbing and scratching I think it has a nice feeling to it. Maybe it’s the simplicity of the composition, maybe it’s the sunny vibe or the girl looking out to sea. I would like to develop it further, do a studio version during the winter months when the warmth and the sunshine from the watercolour will be most welcome.
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How I saved an outdoor sketch. This video isn’t for the sensitive watercolour painter, no this is probably the crudiest watercolour rescue hack on YouTube. Let me know what you think of it. Feedback is always welcome.
If you would like to see the actual watercolour sketch, click the thumbnail below
My name is David Meldrum, I love painting watercolours. Another passion I have is life drawing, I run a class called Meldrum Kroki. I was born in Ireland but since 1990 I have lived in Stockholm, Sweden.
You can join the Meldrum Art supporters club, visit my Patreon page by clicking the link below.
(Thank you! 😀 ) www.patreon.com/meldrumart
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