#68 ‘Little China Clog’ 6×6″
I started out with three pieces in the composition, but changed it as I wanted the clog to be the star.I'm pleased with the blue flower pattern, I left some orange of the ground colour showing it seamed to work better than just blue and white. The little clog is...
‘Yachts, Port Solent’ Pen & Ink
This is a marina and shopping complex near to Portsmouth where I used to live, a lovely spot when it was sunny like today.I wasn't up to painting it but hopefully will get back there and do it another day.
#67 ‘Quality Street’ 4×4″
I have been poorly this week (with a nasty cough) , so I was only up to doing a small painting today. These chocolates were surpringsly tricky to paint. The colours are quite intense, I used my artifical colours like Pathalo Blue & Green and Magenta. Lots of...
‘Skies 1 & 2’ Pastel on paper, 10×15″ & 8×10″
Gorgeous sky again had to draw it. I haven't really used pastels much before, so I experimenting with what they can do. I need to invest in some more colours and surfaces. I had a look online and got rather overwhelmed with the 400 colours I could choose from in...
‘The River Wey, Guildford’ Pen & Ink
My car was having a MOT so I had an hour to spare, not enough time to paint but I liked this narrow boat scene so I drew it in pen and ink. The pens is supposed to be water soluble but the ink didn't move very much when I painted it over it with...
#66 ‘Magnolia’ 6×6″
I used a deep dusty pink ground base colour (see pic below) which allowed me to see the white petals of the magnolia.Broad strokes were used with not too much fussy detail. The tonal differences were very small, I did light the flowers from the side to create more...
#65 ‘Rhododendron’ 6×6″
A tricky subject! Painting the flowers so they are defined but not overworked. Simplyfing the pink tones and shapes otherwise its confusing to the eye. I did paint in a blue background thinking it's like the sky, but it looked dreadful! It's now a creamy...
‘Bramshott Common’ Sketch
Having taught the oil painting course this morning I didn't have enough 'quality' energy to do a painting this afternoon but wanted to get out as it was a lovely day. This view is just down the road from us (in Surrey.) I loved the sky and endeavoured to capture...
#64 ‘Sugar Pot’ 6×6″
I'm happy with this little pot a lot of thought went into it.I rumaged in my husbands workshop for some wood for the pot to sit on. I winched my tripot holding my light box as high as I could, see pic below. The composition is eye level so there is very little table...
#62 ‘Black Down Sunset’ 6×8″
My painting trip last night was a learning curve... Even though I have pared down my equipment to the essentials it all still weights a tonne! I walked about 20 minutes from the car park to this view, but I stopped after 10 as I thought I'd found a good spot...
‘Sky Study’, pastel on paper
We have been drawing our hands in my painting class this week, so I was inspired to do some more drawing. The sky has been glorious the past few days so its great to do a sketch of it, I did it from my studio window and made up the land to go with it.It's in...
#61 ‘Cup of Tea’ 6×6″
It's the first time I have painted a cup and saucer and I couldn't resist putting some tea in the cup!My students will be tackling this soon, a good subject to practise graduating tone as it wraps around the cup light to dark. The spoon and tea will be optional for...
#60 ‘Pomegranate’ 6×6″
Pomegranates seam to be a popular 'daily painting' subject, this is my first attempt at one. I can see why they are painted as the shape is good with the fronds at the top and lots of colours with a good sheen. I thought I'd try a more traditional dark...
#59 ‘Sailing on Frensham Pond’ 6×6″
I painted at Frensham Little Pond a couple of weeks ago (in the fog!) This morning I painted Frensham 'big' Pond which is nearby. They were doing a touch of Sunday sailing, the wind was good for them not so good for me. I had fleeting spells of calm where I could...
#58 ‘Rose Cupcake’ 6×6″
I was given this cute cupcake by Mirabelle Cafe in Haslemere. I painted one of theirs before and thought I'd have another go. Some tough elements like getting the swirls of buttercream icing right and the red paper case. The background is often harder than the...
#57 ‘Aubergine’ 6×6″
This is the second time I have painted an aubergine, the first was back in January. I thought it would be a good subject for my students to try as it is very dark in tone but richly coloured and very shiny as well. I enjoyed painting it I hope they will too...
#56 ‘Courgette & Tomato’ 5×7″
I am pleased with the vibrancy of the greens and reds. The colour charts I made last week were helpful in the colour choices and mixing.This painting is an aid my students when they will tackle a courgette next half term. I enjoyed painting the different greens...
#55 ‘Camber Docks, Fishing Boat’ 6×8″
I really enjoyed painting this little fishing boat, it's in Portsmouth where I used live. Being a sunny day there were many people milling about I was on a walk through so lots of people stopped to chat. Behind me were houses, a couple were out in their garden and...
#54 ‘Two Pink Jugs’ 6×6″
I finished my colour studies this morning and wanted to use some of the lovely pinks and violets I had mixed. So this is the result of it! I didn't have many pink pots or jugs in my supply so adapted what I had, see photo below to what they really looked like!They had...
Colour Mixing Studies ‘Green & Violet’
These two sets of colour charts took me two and a half days to complete! Very labour intensive but worth it, as it tunes up my mixing skills and I will use the charts for years to come for my own practise and in teaching.They complete the Secondary colour mixing using...
#53 ‘Terry’s Chocolate Orange’ 4×4″
This is my "Easter Egg' from my husband so I thought I'd paint it! - and of course eat it later :-)Some tough areas to work out, simplifying the silver foil wrapper but still showing the complexity and tones of the crimples. I haven't painted chocolate before, to get...
#52 ‘Yellow & Blue Jug’ 4×4″
A small painting today as I am looking after my dog who had an op on Monday. Loose brush and emphasising the shape of the bellied pot.I used Blue-Violet and Cadmium Yellow Pale, plus some Cad Red, limiting the colours helps to add harmony.Matte in my studio with...
#51 ‘Adidas Boots’ 6×6″
These boots were a challenge to paint especially the laces! But I enjoyed all the different elements. I set up a casual composition as though they'd been taken off and left. The material is suede so there wasn't a shine or highlights. I worked on the...
#50 ‘Earthenware Pots’ 6×6″
I like the chunky earthen ware feel to these pots and not colours I usually choose.They not fine china so I painted them quite loose and brushy. I decided on the blue background as a last minute after I'd painted the inside of the yellow pot, it seamed a good colour...
#49 ‘Bramshott Common’ 4×9.5″
I was out early painting this scene, it's one I see when I walk my dog. I did a sketch of it a while ago.I was hesitant when I first arrived this morning as the scene was quite subdued with muted colours and no direct sunlight. See the photo below. I decided to...
‘Waggoners Wells’ Sketch 7×9″
It was such a sunny day I had to get out and enjoy it. I didn't have the energy to do a painting after teaching this mornings class so I thought I do a sketch in preparation for a painting later.Waggoners Wells are down the road from us, some lovely reflections in the...
#48 ‘Mushrooms’ 4×6″ and 4×4″
These paintings are an aid for my students in next weeks class. They will be painting mushrooms and practise mixing greys and browns from the 3 primary colours - Red, Yellow & Blue and focusing on tone, the light and shade of an object.They were a good...
#47 ‘Frensham Little Pond’ 6×8″
I waited till the fog had cleared where we live and drove the 15 minutes to this pond. It was still foggy but actually looked really atmospheric and pretty. By the time I was ready to paint a lot of the fog had cleared but I still kept it quite tonal. I simplified the...
#46 ‘Turquoise Pots’ 6×6″
I love these colours! I decided to harmonise with a similar colour background. The composition isn't one I usually do from above, I will experiment from the side view too. I used a colour I haven't tried before 'Phthalo Blue' a very strong turquoise great for...
#45 “Red Onions’ 6×6”
This one is for my students and our class next week. We'll be working on Complementary colours of Red-Violet and Yellow-Green they go together well and tone (light & dark) in colour.I peeled one layer off the onion to revel a shiney richer surface. I like the top...
#44 ‘Sky Studies’ 3×4″
These two little studies I painted from my studio window. Great light, with scudding clouds across the sky, although each time I looked out to observe them they had moved! I quickly sketched the main shapes in with the lightest tone and then built from there.Fun to do...
#43 “Devil’s Punch Bowl’ 6×8”
I started this with bright sunshine and fluffy clouds and as I finished it started to snow! (V. Bitter!)My emphasis was on the sky today, so I made it a bigger proportion of the painting. I did the clouds first and then the sky around them, see pic below. I...
#42 ‘Mary Janes’ 6×6″
I enjoyed painting these shoes. Although I felt a little daunted in the beginning as I have not painted shoes before but I just broke them down into shapes and didn't think of them as shoes! And then as I'm painting the shoes appear - and the're so cute...
#41 ‘Vinaigrette Bottle’ 4×6″
With each painting I do I try and challenge myself, whether it is with composition, colour, being outside...today I decided to do my first pattern on my subject. There was a pattern on the bottle but I took it sa a starting point. I painted the pattern first (so there...
#40 ‘Emsworth Harbour’ 4×9.5″
I stood on the mud flats as close to the water as I dared. I checked the tide times and knew I had a good 2 hour window before the water would be lapping at my ankles. It was bitterly cold again but I was dressed for it with ski trousers and thermals, hand and feet...
#39 ‘Three Little Jugs’ 6×6″
I found these jugs in a charity shop yesterday. A great find as they were all small and complemented each other in their blues and creams, I like the varied shapes as well. I kept the colour palette limited to give it harmony. I also painted a ground colour using...
#38 ‘Old Copper Teapot’ 8×8″
A tough subject, I usually don't have trouble mixing a colour, in this painting I mixed lots of options as there are many colours that make up this old teapot.The oxidation on the base of the pot gave me the the colour idea for the background. The shape of the...
#37 ‘Orange Studies’ 4×4″
I started the top one on a natural coloured board but decided I would do two studies at the same time to experiment with background colours, composition and to compare with a white ground and a coloured ground (see pic below)I was aiming for the orange to be luminous...
#36 ‘Little Jug’ 4×4″
I have had the 'lurgy' the past few days, bad cold and cough with no painting. So it's good to get back to it today.I like the shape of this little jug, reminds of something in the Dutch masters time - Vermeer, 'Girl with the Pearl Earring'.I tried a different board...
#35 ‘Comice Pear’ 6×6″
One for my students, we will work on planes (surfaces) of a subject and harmonious colours. It was surprising how yellow the pear was, you think a pear is green so to truly see it I cut out a little hole in a piece of paper and looked at the pear, this isolates...
#34 ‘Lisianthus’ 5×7″
These flowers were in my bouquet I had on for Valentines day :-)I like the wispy delicate buds and rich deep flower heads. I had a go at drawing it before thinking it would work as a coloured drawing. But the colours were so wishy washy compared to oils I had to then...
#33 ‘Happy Valentines Day’ 6×6″
I brought this rose for my husband for Valentines Day. It's the first time I have painted a rose, it's not easy but I enjoyed it. Its called a Naomi rose, with soft velvety petals.I painted it being totally unsure as to how it would turn out, I used lots of rich reds...
#32 ‘Large Mint Teapot’ 7.5×9.5″
I elevated this teapot to see the squat rounded shape. It was fun to paint, broad painterly brush strokes and the gorgeous mint colour. I changed the board 3 times before I was happy with the preliminary drawing. It needed to fit the parameter well. It's on a...
#31 ‘Pine Tree, Devils Punch Bowl’ 6×8″
A glorious weather day! It was wonderful to be out and painting in the Punch Bowl (Surrey.) Rather chilly though and as I'm not used to working outside yet it takes me ages to do even a small painting 6x8". I was there two and half hours and by the end I couldn't...
#30 ‘Strawberry Cupcake’ 6×6″
I brought this tasty looking cupcake from a local cafe in Haslemere called Mirabelle. I've never painted something like this before, and it was a challenge! Getting the detail without loosing the freshness and making the colours work together as a whole. I...
#29 ‘Bramley Apple’ 6×6″
This cooking apple is another one my students will tackle. We will focus on the Edges, Shadow and Background. I propped the apple up high so I could see the shape of it - lovely and fat. I wanted to convey the weight and size, especially compared to the...
#28 ‘Orange on Blues’ 6×6″
This painting is for the oil painting course I run, it's their next lesson after half term - Orange and Blue Complementary Colours. My students will do a similar painting and some colour mixing see chart below.I did an orange back on Daily Paint no. 2 I had a look at...
#27 ‘Two Boats, Emsworth’ 6×8″
I met a friend in Emsworth, Hampshire today so I took the opportunity to paint this morning. Shame about the weather! Windy and drizzle. I tried standing with my pochard but my head was above the sea wall and got the brunt of weather so I tucked myself down and...
#26 ‘Bramshott Chase’ 5×7″
This is my first landscape outside for a very long time! Painting 'en plein air' is not something I'm practised at and it's my mission to change this! I was desperate to do a landscape after lots of still life's. My usual method would have been to use an sketch...
Daily Painting #25 ‘Little Red Teapot’ 6×6″
Broad brush strokes on a little pot! I enjoyed painting this, I mixed a few tones of red before I started and then went for it, making every brush stroke count. The red, white and blue combo really zing.I found this teapot on eBay, I will have to control myself with...
My plein air experiences, insights, battles and painting life blogged as often as I can.
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