Germinating plants in Watercolours - and much more

In the first watercolour session of 2024 we had 'Germinating plants' (or plant nabys 😀) as our subjects. It was fun to discover the ways to do a background and one successful way was the 'Anna Karin method' where you generously wet the background except the parts you want to keep white. Then drip in very dark paint and spread it over the painting by moving it...

Two great examples by Roxane, above started with the soil, then plants then background and below background-first, starting by wetting the paper (except the plant shapes) and then flowing in dark green tones, moving the paper around... To be completed and tweaked - but they look fab don't they?!

Charlie's plant babies look so subtle and elegant, with great colours and an amazing background.

Glen used a combination of techniques, one of them a pinch of salt (on the soil) which gives a very natural effect


Laura's plant babies are so playful! She created 2 of them and they are not finished, although especially the one above is actually quite good like this. OK, a bit more green in the missing leaf is allowed. And then stop! Salt here too, in the background...

Thecla's germinating plant looks like a little plowing-machine, it moves through the earth. 

It is funny and I love it

Michèle created a very atmospheric landscape with frog-perspective! It could be another planet. 

The colours are very good and the plants are sturdy and as she says: they will be wonderful when they are grown up 😀

Marina showed the wet-the-paper-except-for-the-plants and then finished it for good measure.

And in the meantime...

WIP by Glen, this is going to be Northern Light!

Thecla had time enough left to paint this abstract that unfortunately and exceptionally doesn't look very good in the photo. It is much richer in colour. But the composition is the same!

Roxane always uses her left-over paint and this time that led to this lovely wet-in-wet tree

Fionnuala, who is coming over from Ireland now and then, started another painting in her Yummy series of fabulous sweets. This time - the challenge is a tower of Macarons

Judith was very much inspired by the travels to South America of a friend, and didn't hold back in the Mayan influences, with a nice psychedelic sauce. Love t!

This heavenly painting was created by Ingrid... Zoom in and imagine yourself sitting there, all quiet and peaceful, and there is light at the end of the tunnel... Wonderful!