As my garden is completely organic, slug pellets are prohibited. The organic status makes sure we have plenty of birds and lots of happy bees, but we also have a healthy population of snails and slugs. We also heard from the Hampshire Wildlife Trust that hedgehogs are dying by the thousands, killed by second-hand poisoning,… Continue reading A list of slug-proof plants
Is there a right side to watercolour paper?
This question is from Beth and is about watercolour paper: Is there a right side and wrong side to paint on? The answer is… not as such. I like “Not as such” because it means “no” but kind of “yes” but not quite. The reason I am not-as-such-ing you is that both sides are paintable… Continue reading Is there a right side to watercolour paper?
Pigment Spotlight- The non-granulating French Ultramarine aberration
When I heard that there was a new, Non-granulating French Ultramarine, my heart missed a beat. It definitely didn’t feel right. I had that feeling you get when a long trusted and beloved friend does something so bad you didn’t even know they were capable of it. My favourite blue had stopped behaving like it… Continue reading Pigment Spotlight- The non-granulating French Ultramarine aberration
The Birdbath Coup
“It will never work” “They will completely ignore it” “It will always be filthy” That was Mr. Flora’s Patch’s verdict on the general usefulness of a birdbath. Eventually he gave in, probably because it was easier. On a sale day at the garden centre, I got my birds a bath and proudly installed it by… Continue reading The Birdbath Coup
Pigment spotlight – The Perylene family
The Perylene family is relatively new to the exclusive pigment neighbourhood. The first Perylene was discovered in 1912 but didn’t move in until the 1950’s. Even then, it was not widely seen and only became part of the artist community in the 1980’s. Even today, their position is not as prominent as other families, such… Continue reading Pigment spotlight – The Perylene family