Art Questions, Art Tutorials, Painting

How to avoid muddy colours

Some watercolourists seem to find it hard to make the difference between neutral colours (especially browns) and muddy mixes. There is a huge variety of browns that are clean, transparent and without a hint of mud in them, not even the detoxifying cleansing spa kind. Unlike primary and secondary colours that are found on the… Continue reading How to avoid muddy colours

News, Painting

A postcard from 1923

I have a new hobby: I am painting plants and insects on the back of vintage postcards, from the Victorian era up to pre world war II. Some are still blank but others were written and sent. I love reading the faded words, inspecting the old stamps, imagining the people writing soft and loving words… Continue reading A postcard from 1923

Art courses, News, Painting

Hampshire Artists Open Studios 2017

Hello everyone! It is the time of year to open studio doors and welcome people to see my work and have a chat! My studio, house and garden will be open from Friday 25 to Monday 28, with a preview on the Thursday evening. I will be painting most of the time so you can… Continue reading Hampshire Artists Open Studios 2017

Drawing, News, Painting

The Ethical Artist – New article in Artists & Illustrators Magazine

The Artists & Illustrators Magazine May issue is out! I have another article in there, and this time it's not about botanical art: it's called "The Ethical Artist" and it's about looking at where our art materials come from and what they are made off. I did quite a bit of research and got in… Continue reading The Ethical Artist – New article in Artists & Illustrators Magazine

Art Questions, Drawing

How to transfer a drawing

If like me you do a lot of erasing before you can be happy with a drawing, then drawing straight on watercolour paper is not really an option. Because botanical painting is cut to white, any trace of erasing, smudging, or marking on the paper will stand out and completely ruin the feeling of freshness… Continue reading How to transfer a drawing