December 2018 - Aquarelles

 Celina worked on christmas cards with zentangle-inspired patterns. She finished the tree...

 ...and started some lovely Xmas baubles. I hope to present you the finished ones next post - they are wonderful even when it isn't that time of the year!

In the last watercolour session of 2018 in the Hangar, some excellent work was created - and started. By a small group of utterly motivated watercolour artists.

 Hélène works on a painting that is inspired on a very colourful photo a family member (I think it was her son) took. This is the first layer in blue, with masking fluid, and it is so abstract and interesting! It will change completely - I'll show you more next time...

Katherine worked on the fireworks, with bright basic colours, then masking fluid and then a dark colour. I love the effect!

Same recipe for Jutta, what a festive and wonderful new years' card!

Judith created this absolutely amazing lovely painting using masking fluid and shades of ochre and umber.

Maud started an impressive moon over the sea. She painted the reflection in gold, which unfortunately shows yellow in the picture.

Snowflakes in watercolours (& Zentangles & Christmas card ideas & more)

The snowflake Judith created has it all - the cold, the transparency, the imperfection of the real (not plastic) crystal and the smoothness of freshly fallen snow in the background

Snowflakes or Ice Crystals was the subject of this week. Good for interesting watercolours, with possible use of making fluid, candles, fatty pastels (white) and salt. But also great subject for Christmas cards, and zentang-ling. Results as always creative, original, very different and hopefully inspiring!

Celina's imaginary snowflakes - wonderfully zen and good composition with a lot of depth!

The beautiful snowflakes by Hélène - the amazing background is achieved with different shades of blue and then adding salt

 Michèle C. used a little bit of masking fluid for this fantastic crystal that shines like a star and wll be even more delicate when it is finished...

Here a combination of candle wax, salt and different shades of blue paint, spontaneously combined by Marie-Claire. Next time she will add a couple of stars in white ink to perfect the picture...

Diana combined the snowflake with zentange patterns and created a lovely looking square...

 Diana's crystal is the bridge with the Zentangles that were produced and finished - a great way to spend the last 10 minutes for instance like Judith did last Thursday:

  

The start of another Zentangle by Judith, so early stages that  it is not yet completely abstract! 

 Marie-Claire's production. Her zentangles - although very different, both in colour and pen - look like aquarium- or deep sea pictures, very zen and inspiring!

  

Michele C.'s funny zentangle cats now have some starrs and balls in the background to make it all come together...

 Of course there are also the aquarelistas who paint their own subjects. Here's what they achieved this week, we start with the animals:

Carol is looking for 'bleak skies', something we don't have here in the South of France, where the sky is (almost) always blue. These Norfolk seals are so gorgeous - even when they don't have a sky yet! Watch this space for the next stage...

And how about Cathie's sheep?! Two strong and independent characters well-painted with a lot of humor - and the one-hair-brush 😊. Fantastic Cathie!

 

 Maud wasn't happy with the cat she painted last week, and started over. She was right, this one (below) is so much better & cuter! Above a portrait of Hedwig, Harry Potters' cat. Special is the use of gesso on the wings, which gives an interesting structure...

 After finishing her first robust Chess Game painting, Liz felt like doing another one. More about that next time. The large, stone pieces on the rocks are finished and the addition with a part of the black and white fields is excellent

Sandra has created these tulips in a freestyle way with a big brush. lightly inspired by Carol Carter (who will come back in this blog one day- an interesting artist!)

 Vanessa has started the portrait of her granddaughter, the lovely and funny Esmé. Drawing is the difficult part and that's now done! Very well done even . Can't wait for the next step: Adding the colours!

And last but not least: the ongoing Christmas cards-production is going pretty well ...

 (The first batch of Jutta's cards)

Michele  - Vanessa - Violet and  Diana created  some good-looking cars

Like Jutta, Leonie started a whole series of cards with different ideas...

 

Zentangle - Aquarelle version

 Michele C

Most of you are doing it, or have done it: 'doodle'! While you are on the phone, in a meeting, having a lecture - you make simple little drawings. A very 'right half of the brain' thing, very personal and often looking surprisingly good. That doodling now has a name and a lot of official websites, classes, youtube channels and blogs!! It's called 'Zentangle': Creating beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. 

The Aquarellistas gave it their own swing: we start on a base of colour. As you can see we love doing it - and we love the results, they are so original!  It is a good thing to do when you are fed up with copying from photo's or other paintings, but don't exactly know what to do instead....

NB: if you want so see the lines and patterns in their full glory - click on the picture to make it bigger!

 Vanessa created 3 Christmas cards, the first a delightful one with zentangle baubles

Judith finished her fantastic version. It is inspiring to look at it -you keep discovering new stuff!

Katherine did an absolutely awesome job on her first zentangle set! Not finished yet, more later!

This amazing work is done by Ilse- in the real zentangle, the green is darker and more varied, but it works even without that...

Celina's zentangle feather is so delicate and dreamy... Could be a successful series...

Marie-Claire has filled her Zentangle in a much more open way. Very original, it is as if the objects float. Next one with an even thinner fineliner!

Diana's wonderful Zentangle with such interesting patterns... love it.

Aquarelle Chess

In last week's sessions (we also own the Thursday afternoon now 😊) the Aquarellistas used Chess pieces and boards as their inspiration... As always, the difference in everyone's styles makes it very interesting to look at the paintings.There are so many ideas, interpretations and perspectives - and everyone gives their best!
I am very proud of our group, and here's the work - for you to enjoy:

Celina's Knight, Tower and Bishop, on an unusual board. (The marble effect is achieved by sprinkling a bit of coarse salt on the wet paint) It is somehow very calming to look at and I am curious about how it will look when finished!

This still and determined set is painted by Anna-Karin and her big pointy brush. She also used salt and the effect (always a surprise) is awesome!

 Glen had to leave earlier so she must have worked hard on her chess board, it is almost finished! She will paint the background a soft blue so that the highlights are the only white and will come out a bit stronger.

This is the subtle start of a beautiful painting by Michele C.The white pieces in the background have blue masking fluid on them and that creates an interesting effect! When they are black it will be a different look -- but no doubt very good.

Liz is going for a huge stone chess game, not placed on a board but on pebbles. Still a lot of painstaking paintwork to do, but knowing Liz she will pull it off!

 Judith carefully constructed her chess pieces using masking fluid for the light parts. She came back on Thursday and finished it. Best she's done up to now! It has great volume, light and shadows on and below the pieces. Perspective improved and salt on the black for a marble effect. Well done!

 

 Helene's Queen - a monumental shiny chess piece. It is obvious that it is not finished - and I look forward to seeing the reflection of the black and white on it!

Jutta first finished one of her soap bubble paintings, but I want to show you the drawing, because of the exciting perspective. The colours will come next week!

News from the 'bubble' project:

  Both Jutta's soap bubbles now finished!

 Celina's soap bubbles - and where they come from - now completed. The girl is not the focal point - but she is so cute - and there's a story there...

 Judith's soap bubbles finished and I think we can say she nailed them!

No painted soap bubbles but marbles - and how! First exercise, well-done by Katherine

And here some inspiring 'other creations'.

 Isa works on the background (bluish)- foreground (reddish)-and-details-tree.

Inspired by the 'lonely houses', Carol started this lonely mill. It is not yet finished, but it already has so much character. As does the painting of the girl with her brothers - version2!

 

Sylvie M could make it last Thursday, we were happy to see her again! Her arm is still hurting but that doesn't keep her from making wonderful watercolours. How about this girl with the pearl earring!

  Maud a terminé son Bouddha. C'est une commission pour une salle d'attente et je suis sûr qu'il va jouer un rôle important pour réconforter et calmer les personnes qui attendent ...

Reminder: a Zen Watercolour session will also be organised every Thursday from 2 - 4.30, same subject, same structure...