A lavender haze this week.
Purple, purple everywhere!
Hello everyone, and welcome back to another watercolour week! A slightly later edition this week, but no less packed with painting!
Last week’s live broadcast was ‘Window Floral,’ and, as always, it was great to see so many of you there. It was nice to imagine a pop of colour on the windowsill, especially with all of the drab weather we’ve been having lately, but if the temperature this week has been anything to go by, spring is just around the corner! Toby and I can’t wait.
This week’s live broadcast is ‘Lavender Table,’ and it’s on at 8pm GMT tonight, so pretty soon! If you’d like to join in the fun, get yourselves over to the website sharpish - follow the link here to join in the fun.
If you want to experiment a little with your painting this week, why not try out the new tutorial on Patreon? I’ve seen from the Facebook group that a few of you have tried it out already, and I must say you’ve had some cracking results. This tutorial, ‘Bursting Florals in Wash and Line,’ has lots of fun combining ink with the watercolour medium, and we have some great laughs along the way. If you’d like to try it out for yourselves, you can find my Patreon here.
Speaking of the Beginners Facebook Group, why not join in if you haven’t already? It’s a great place for you to join in on the Loose Watercolour fun, with over 2,500 budding artists posting tips, tricks, and lovely paintings as part of a painting community. Plus, it’s a good spot to find me and ask any watercolour paintings you may have! You can find the group here.
In other news this week, I’ve been working on a loose mantra for improving your painting skills. We’ve had a lot of new faces in the loose Watercolour community over the last few months, so I thought it might be a good idea to stop and take stock for a moment or two, and really go back to basics. After all, sometimes the best way to improve is to simplify what you’re doing and really practice, and of course - have lots of fun along the way! So here’s some tips for a fantastically loose life in watercolours!
I’ve also managed to get some plein air painting done this week - something about the weather being slightly warmer? For those of you that don’t know, plein air just means painting outdoors, in the fresh air, but sometimes it can be a little brisk, depending on the time of year. I was in town doing some shopping this week (Toby not included - he’s not a fan of Marks and Spencers), so I had a go at painting a street scene in Leicester city centre. Famous for cheese, and, well, cheese, Leicester has some lovely old streets which are a nice little paint.
Speaking of Toby, he’s been doing a little bit of modelling this week. Someone at Dog’s Trust said he looked quite fluffy, and I think he’s taken it to heart, the little chap. Several of his walks turned into miniature photo shoots, it seems.
That’s all for this week, folks, as I’ve got some dinner plans that involve me and some fish and chips. Delicious. In the meantime, though, there’s an exclusive video below for all of you paid subscribers - after all, it’s your support that keeps this Substack running. This week, your tutorial is ‘Lavender Delight,’ so I hope you enjoy painting some lovely lilac fields.
As always, I’ll be back next week, and until then, happy painting!