newsletter
WELCOME
This is good -
EXHIBITIONS
The solo exhibition of my recent work seemed to be well received. Thanks to all of you who visited, either to the venue or online. Most of the exhibition is online here. Work is also exhibited in the Battletown Gallery, Newtownards and the Dunluce Gallery, near Bushmills. The annual exhibition of the Ulster Watercolour Society will also feature some of my work. See the UWS website for more information.
WORKSHOPS
The first summer workshop was held on Saturday 4 April at the Battletown Gallery. It was a little too cool and showery to paint outside but it was a good painting day. Only a few places are left on the summer workshops and the Drawing and Sketching workshop is full. If you would like to book a place, you can view the workshop program here.
DVD
The DVD is still planned to be ready by late Spring/early Summer.
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
Q: How can I avoid muddy areas in my painting
A: If you mean areas that have lost their transparency then the main reasons are:
1. Overpainting a wash before it has fully dried. This causes the partially dried first wash to lift, destroying the transparency. This will also happen with a fully dry first wash if you “scrub” with the brush on the second wash. Apply the paint gently and with as few strokes as possible.
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2. Too many washes. Even multiple sheets of glass become difficult to see through, so more than two or three layers of paint really start to cause problems.
3. Too much mixing or too many colours in the mix. Try to use as few colours as possible in your mixes and think about mixing partly on the paper rather than only on the palette.
One thing that generally does not cause muddiness is dirty water. Don’t be fooled into thinking that perfectly clean water will prevent mud!
TIP OF THE MONTH
You can’t paint a watercolour without paint. Obvious I know but some people squeeze a tiny amount of paint and expect it to be enough for a painting. Squeeze out enough paint that would cover you thumb nail and use plenty of paint and water so that your washes glide on to the paper rather than scrub on.
TRY IT AT HOME
As it is Easter time, arrange three eggs so that they overlap each other. Make sure
they are lit by light (natural or artificial) coming from one direction only. Having
no edges other than the outside, the structure will force you to look for subtle
tonal changes in order to portray them convincingly as 3D. Try it with pencil or
a single colour of paint and pay close attention to the tonal variations. Aim for
a tonal range from dark to the white of the paper. I would love to see your results
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AND FINALLY
Another light bulb joke.
How many gallery visitors does it take to change a light bulb?
Ten. One to change the bulb and nine to say that their four year old could have done that.
APRIL 2009