Foliage and ferns
With a Christmas twist!
Hello everyone, and welcome to another week with Loose Watercolours! There’s a definite chill in the air, and that can only mean one thing - Christmas is coming! It’s been raining non stop here at Loose Watercolours HQ, and it’s been a windy week, so we’ve all been huddled inside, sheltering from the storm. Thankfully it’s cleared up a bit now, so there’s plenty of time to walk around the village and admire all of the Christmas lights. I’ve never felt so festive!
I hope you all enjoyed painting along to last week’s live broadcast, ‘Lavender at Christmas.’ I really enjoyed this one, with all of its rich, deep purples and complementary blues - I think it created a great effect! I’ve loved seeing all of your versions on the Loose Watercolour Beginners Facebook Page as well - if you’re new to this Substack, and haven’t joined the group yet, you can here: https://m.facebook.com/groups/753969806117098/?ref=share
And that’s not all that’s new this week, as there’s also a new tutorial availible on loosewatercolours.com. ‘Stars & Stripes’ is slightly more detailed than some of the more beginner-orientated tutorials, but it just goes to show that you can still create an amazing amount of detail in the loose style! Do you fancy giving it a go? Don’t worry if you’re not feeling confident - practice makes perfect, after all! Here’s the link to the website where you can find the video: loosewatercolours.com.
Watercolour Basics #6: Trees and Leaves
This week we’re continuing our look at Loose Watercolour basics, and I thought we’d take a closer look this week at painting trees and leaves. Seeing as they both come up quite frequently as either the subject of paintings or just as additional background elements, it can be useful to see exactly how we can make these plants look lively!
As usual, there’s a little help video below taking a look at how we can create simple trees and leaves on branches. So watch it through a couple of times to make sure you understand it, then give it a go yourselves! Your plant life will be looking tip-top in no time!
This week, there was also an additional live broadcast on Patreon, ‘Blue Bottle Fern.’ I hope you all enjoyed painting along! There’ll be plenty more of these to come in the future, so keep your eyes peeled, but in the meantime, I hope you all liked getting in the festive spirit.
You can find my Patreon by following the link here: https://www.patreon.com/andrewgeesonloosewatercolours
Paint Historic Wells & Somerset: September 2025
I’ve mentioned this before, but just in case you missed it, I’m hosting a Loose Watercolour workshop in September of next year - 7th September to the 11th September to be exact - in the gorgeous setting of Wells & Somerset, so you can paint along to your heart’s content in the scenic landscape of the English South.
Painting destinations will include places like Kilver Court and Nunney, as well as Vicar’s Close with its stone buildings, Bishop’s Palace with its moat, and the captivating medieval market.
The cost is £925 for four days, which includes full accommodation at the Swan Hotel in Wells, as well as personalised tuition in both studio work and plein air painting.
If you’re interesting in finding out more information or you’d like to book, feel free to contact Alpha Painting Holidays for more information. You can reach them at www.alphapaintingholidays.com, or on their phone number at 0044 01934 733877. You’re also more than welcome to contact me if you’re interested, and you can reach me at andrew.geeson@btopenworld.com. You can also follow the link here: Andrew's Painting Holiday in Wells 2025
And whilst our minds are thinking ahead to Christmas, maybe you’re be thinking of the perfect present for a loved one with a likeminded painting habit? Or maybe you just want to treat yourself this holiday season? Whatever the reason, the Loose Gang are the perfect gift for any painting fan - and look, they’re all tucked up and ready to post!
The deadline for Christmas post is coming up soon, so you better get your skates on if you want order your very own for the big day.
You can buy a set here: https://loosewatercolours.com/product-category/loose-gang/
In terms of my own painting this week, you can bet that my mind was stuck on all things festive. One thing we always have in our house during the run up to Christmas is some lovely poinsettias, so I took the chance to practice painting the one that’s currently blooming in our kitchen.
I think it turned out to be quite lovely in the loose style.
That’s all from Toby and I this week, as we’ve got some mulled wine bubbling on the stove, and there’s a waft of cinnamon floating through the house. It smells delicious, so I’m off to get a cup!
As usual, there’s an exclusive tutorial featured at the bottom of this Substack, as an enormous thank you to all of you paid subscribers for all of your generous support. I hope you enjoy painting along to ‘Tea Cup Floral!’
Until next time though, it’s goodbye from Toby and I, and have a lovely week. I’ll see you all very soon, but in the meantime, happy painting!