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Tag: urban watercolour

Spring is on the way, it makes me feel good.

I was out for a walk last week when I saw an abandoned Volvo by the side of the road. I took some photos for reference and painted this watercolour yesterday. I am very happy with it because I am trying to create interesting compositions from everyday, mundane life. I want to avoid the cliches that litter watercolour groups all over the net. My main source of inspiration at the moment is Lars Lerin, he is so good at capturing everyday moments with a wee touch of Swedish melancholy.

I can feel new energy slowly seeping into me now after the long winter months, I am becoming productive, it feels good to be painting landscapes again.

Title: Spring is on it’s way. 36 x 26 cm
Click the thumbnail below to see the full-sized image.

Kvarnholmsvägen

2021/02/24
Sketching Stockholm

This week I am home and I tend to spend too much time in my studio. I therefore make sure I go for a walk or cycle each day. I always bring my sketch bag with me. The weather has been really amazing lately so I am doing a lot of light studies. Watercolour for me is about capturing the light, it’s amazing how hard it is to catch. I just practice and practice and hopefully one day I will master it.
The sketch “Södermalm” is 13 x 17.5 cm on 300g Saunders Waterford paper.

Click the thumbnail below for full sized image

2020/06/24
A sketch a day keeps me heading the right way.

I try to sketch everyday but of course life keeps getting in the way. This last week has been really busy, mostly seasonal stuff like getting the boat ready for launch and putting summer tyres on the car etc. The seasons are very clear here in Sweden. Half the year is dark and cold and the other half is light and warm(ish), simple.
I continue to do some urban sketching. I painted this from a fuzzy iPhone photo I took while I was walking, I never bothered to stop, I just snapped off a bunch of pictures. It’s not a bad technique really, I got some interesting angles.

2019/05/05
Watercolour of Kungsgatan, Stockholm

I am finding this street scene a real challenge. I am enjoying it though, I basically have to paint kungsgatan several more times before I can be fully happy. This isn’t a bad watercolour, I just want to do it better. I guess that’s the artist’s curse, never totally content – always trying be better.

For Sale: €350

Title: Kungsgatan
Technical information: Painted on the backside of Saunders Waterford Rough. 26 x 36 cm. I use W&N, Holbien and Daniel Smith paints.
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2019/04/04
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.
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2019/03/27
Watercolour practice

This is part of my ongoing effort to become better at painting people, be it portraits or just urban scenes like this one.
I bought a new camera recently, it has a mega-zoom capability (Nikon Coolpix P1000). So far I feel a bit like a voyeur but I guess I’ll get used to taking pictures of people without them knowing it after a few months of practice. It’s all about practice, that’s how you become a good artist or a skilled voyeur.
I painted this sketch on an Arches paper block, 31 x 23 cm – rough.

Click the thumbnail belong for a full-sized image.

Watercolour Practice

2018/12/26
Capturing light in Paris

I love Paris, with it’s museums, cafes and the sketching opportunities.
I am currently trying to improve capturing light. It is all about having the correct tonal values. It’s quite difficult and it is going to take me a while before I master it. I visited Paris a few years back, I would love to return and spend a week cramming French culture into my head – especially the Impressionists. It’s an expensive town though. If anyone has a bed for me in Paris I would be very interested!
26 x 36 cm

Full-sized image below:

Paris Street

2018/11/22
Stockholm

I was playing with contrasts today, in the end I was quite happy with the way it turned out. More urban paintings on the way I feel.

See full sized image here:

Stockholm by Meldrum

2018/10/31