Being creative on these short Winter Days

This time of year can be difficult with low light and short days, however, its nice to realise that I am not closing the curtains at 4pm now but 5pm! Hooray! 

Since having my super duper new studio built last Summer with its lovely day-light lights, the lighting is now fantastic which extends my day, and on these grey days I supplement the daylight with artificial. It still means photographing art work is a bit dodgy, but its great for painting indoors.

If you have similar problems, day-light bulbs can be really useful however, a good tip for you is to put the light on during the day, don't switch it on as it begins to get dark in the afternoon, because the lighting is different and by working with it all day you won't be tempted to alter any of your colours once you switch the light on! Its a simple tip, but I learnt a valuable lesson a number of years ago, working into the evening on a painting which I was so enjoying but when I came to view it in the morning I was SO disappointed, it looked so much duller than I had expected.
A bit like looking at a view with Polaroid sunglasses on, all that fabulous aqua blue which seems to vanish if you lift your glasses off!

I have been working on a series of loose watercolour paintings, well, when I say loose, I mean, I let the watercolour do its own thing and encourage it to flow by tilting the paper, flicking in colours, and dropping in stuff. I still like to know where I am going with things and what I'm hoping to achieve. These techniques I will be offering in workshops later in the year.

If you are curious and want to have a look at some more, I have just added eight new watercolours flower paintings to my website gallery. 

Winter is a good time to set yourself tasks, so why not challenge yourself and paint a series of paintings. Its all too easy to let these days slip by so try the following-

• Choose a subject to work from and select either one photo or alternatively buy one type of flower to concentrate on.
• Begin by selecting just one flower, using a soluble coloured watercolour pencil (something like pale green or ochre) lightly position the flower shape onto your paper. This will dissolve if you keep it pale enough. Consider where you want the flower and how much space you want to leave around it.
• Think about the colours you want to use and make a few colour mixes to check they work well together. Choose a limited number of colours - a maximum of 5
• Think about the brushes you will use and the techniques you will try.
• Your first painting should be totally experimental. Expect to discard it, and learn from it, avoid thinking it may be a winner, then go for it and have some fun.
• Be prepared to paint that same subject at least 3 times and try something different each time.

Let me know how you get on!

New Spring Workshops available

This year is proving to be incredibly busy once again, but I have three Saturdays I am dedicating to those of you who want to paint with me this Spring.
Due to the limited number of workshops available, I am offering three very different subjects and all with different techniques, once I get an idea of which are the most popular I will then begin to plan some Autumn days.
I have decided that I really must get better at keeping in touch with you.... an emailing list is now something I think I ought to do, not that I want to bombard you with emails, its just sometimes when I want to share something exciting with you, I can just ping an email off to you, so if you would like to go on that list, do email me and I will add you to it  fiona@fionapeart.com 
You can of course unsubscribe if you change your mind.

I am working on some exciting watercolours at present, really pushing boundaries and having lots of fun, its using techniques I would love to share with you in the future.

mid-way through my exciting workshop example 

keeping things simple

I have just noticed a circular blurred section in my figures photo, (near the boys face) when I took a closer look at my camera there is a spot of dirt on it...  

minus 4 today

It has been -4c here in the Cotswolds for the last few days and very misty (what we call atmospheric in painting terms) now I realise that -4c is nothing to what some of you are experiencing, especially in Canada and the US, but its quite chilly for us Brits! 

The countryside is especially beautiful, and it takes on an eery atmosphere, the ground crunches underfoot and it means walking Maggie is a lovely clean experience! I love it.

The mist however has been instantly freezing.... and this is the result...

Maggie needs her little coat in this cold weather

Merry Christmas to you all

I would like to wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a big thank you especially, to those of you who bought one of my paintings this year. Its lovely to know that my painting is being enjoyed in a new home.
Thank you also to those of you who came on one of my workshops in 2016, I hope to paint with you again next year.

But to everyone who enjoys painting and takes the time to read my blog I wish you a healthy happy 2017.

  Pick your own 8 x 10 inches

            

Up for a Challenge - part 2

I know its just before Christmas and you are not really thinking about painting perhaps, but after the festivities when things all quieten down, you might find yourself at a loose end? Once the house has emptied?
If that is the case, you may want to see my interpretation of the challenge I set you in the Leisure Painter magazine in last months issue.
Now I can't show you all of the images of how I did it, because those are in the magazine, but I can show you my final version.
If you look at the reference photo I provided you with is the past blog post, you will be able to see the changes I made.

This uses techniques featured in my Water-soluble Media book, so if you have it, you will be able to follow this article and compare it with tips from the book.

 If you would like to take part in this challenge, please submit images of your finished painting to dawn@tapc.co.uk and she will show the results on the project area of 'Leisure Painters' website www.painters-online.co.uk

I shall select a group of paintings to critique over the coming weeks and these will appear in a future issue of Leisure Painter magazine. If you would like to see your work printed in the magazine then get out your paints and have a go.

Up for a Challenge?

If you fancy a bit of a painting challenge, you might like to read the January 2017 issue of the Leisure Painter magazine. I have set this challenge which is all about looking for 'shapes not details' 

If you can't get the magazine and you would still like to do the painting challenge then this is what you need to do - 

This is the reference photo for you to use.

I would like you to work from this photo, be as creative as you wish, use any medium or a mix of media, monochrome or colour, work from all or part of the photo, remove anything or indeed add anything and work in any size. The only proviso is that you concentrate on shapes and avoid details.

I will also use this photo and in the February edition of the magazine will be my interpretation of the photo.

If you would like to take part in this challenge, please submit images of your finished painting to dawn@tapc.co.uk and she will show the results on the project area of 'Leisure Painters' website www.painters-online.co.uk
I shall select a group of paintings to critique over the coming weeks and these will appear in a future issue of Leisure Painter magazine. If you would like to see your work printed in the magazine then get out your paints and have a go.

It is obviously better if you read the article that goes with the challenge, the Leisure Painter magazine is available in the UK and subscriptions are world wide.

A Lovely Summer

This last few weeks has been wonderful for painting, we have enjoyed such glorious sunshine and high temperatures that there has been no reason not to go out and paint, especially with these lovely light evenings. I have also enjoyed lots of family get togethers and am working on a series of studies and paintings since the arrival of the newest little family member (who has just started walking) its now not so easy to draw her as she moves about much more quickly these days. 
I know some of you have asked to see some photos and I may post some sketches or paintings in the future, but for the time being I am sticking to less personal subjects here on my blog.

This is the most recent painting I have done. Its done plein air in my local allotments, I particularly like this one, I think its the lighting I like so much, it has been on my mantle piece for the last few days and although I could add more details to the foreground I feel that would spoil the simplicity and economy of strokes.
Its a funny thing painting, sometimes you paint something that really 'sings' this is one of those for me.

I began with my canvas already prepared with a sort of ochre, warm beige ground. I like to have a colour all over it before I begin, I would never take a white canvas with me to paint on, it would always have a base colour of some sort on it.

So this is how it all started.

Perhaps I should say, this is when I remembered to take the first photo!
I try and place everything I want to include in my composition, scrunching up my eyes so I see blocks of colour and tone. I sometimes get carried away in some parts and have to stop myself before I become too engrossed in 'part' of the painting rather than looking at it as a 'whole' so the painting slowly emerges out of the canvas.
That way I can alter the compositing as I go.
I always find it amazing when I see people working on a tiny section of a much bigger painting, all in splendid detail and the rest left white. I can't think like that, I need to see how the whole things will look rather then just a tiny bit at a time.

This was the middle stage, before I added any details.

I can now add things like posts, grasses, flowers, any clutter I see... the tricky part is knowing when to stop.
I really think I will leave it alone and not be tempted to fiddle!!