This post was written on 30 July 2020 but is only being released now that the program has aired. Now, this is more like it. Not that I was ever...
Posts that are not about paintings
Lady Churchill’s Rose Garden, Chartwell
This post was written on 30 July 2020 but is only being released now that the program has aired. I've had an amazing day today as a wildcard at...
Life Drawing For Artists, Chris Legaspi – Book Review
This is a 176-page paperback and one of three books on figure drawing that I got for my birthday. I tell you, those other two are going to...
Inktense Pencil Swatching
It's looking grim outside, so I thought I'd try out those inktense pencils. It's hard to make a mess with these, so I think I’m OK with them in...
Painting Expressive Landscapes, Carole Robson – Book Review
On the face of it, this is a very similar book to the Jane Betteridge in my collection. It has artwork like that in the Ann Blockley books but...
Palette Cleaning And Setup
Actually, my sister messed up and ended up buying me two of those Winsor & Newton Professional 24 half pan palettes. So I've thrown away my...
En Plein Air Watercolor, Ron Stocke – Book Review
With all this painting I'm currently doing out and around the villages, I thought I'd start my birthday reading with this book. It's 128 pages...
Birthday Stash 3 of 3: New Books
Two more books just arrived in the post. That makes eight in my birthday stash and there may be a ninth on the way in a couple of weeks but I...
Birthday Stash 2 of 3: 24 Winsor & Newton Professional Halfpans
More birthday stash. This was from my kid sister. A tin with 24 watercolour half pans. I've talked in a previous post about how I wouldn't buy a...
Birthday Stash 1 of 3: Inktense Pencils
It was my birthday yesterday, and there was some stuff in my stash that I need to show off here. First up is this set of inktense pencils, which...
Marker Portraits Poll Results
So here are the results of my latest poll. Only a handful of surprises there. Bernardine Evaristo did better than I expected, James Coburn and...
The Artist’s Guide To Painting Water In Watercolour: 30 Techniques, Ron Hazell – Book Review
This one had been on my list for a while and was starting to look difficult to find on Amazon, so I had a hunt around and found a website that was...
Marker Portraits Poll
It's time for another poll, this time on my marker drawings. If you have a couple of minutes to spare (honestly, that's all it takes) please could...
Another Experiment
I've been taking another look through Ann Blockley's Watercolour Workshop over the last couple of evenings, so was in the mood for another of those...
What to buy a potential new watercolourist
I've been meaning to do a post like this for a while. Say you've been to CenterParcs, your other half went to one one of those watercolour classes...
I’m Cuttin’ Up Here
It's time for a long overdue project. The folder that I keep all my artwork in is full and I need to make some more room. So I've taken 14 pretty...
Drying Brushes
I thought I was being clever using old unpaired socks to dry my brushes while I was painting but found that they just got wet too quickly and...
Summer Swatching
The weekends are getting warmer and, although I did some painting a couple of weeks ago, I don't think the painting season has really started until...
Draw People Every Day, Kagan McLeod – Book Review
Time for another book review. Today it's Draw People Every Day by Kagan McLeod. It's a hefty feeling 196-page paperback. It's a strange book...
Urban Watercolor Sketching, Felix Scheinberger – Book Review
This is a weird book. I went into it open-eyed, already aware that, despite its name, this wasn’t a book on urban sketching. I mean, you only...