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.

Soap Bubbles in watercolours

The lightest, airiest soap bubbles by - Ilse

A big group of Aquarellistas got together in the Hangar last week, to paint 'soap bubbles! It is a truly difficult subject - we painted from photos because the still life doesn't last long enough for us 😜. The results are surprisingly good and we learned so much from it! The great thing about working from photo's, is that you start recognizing the basic 'rules' so with a bit of practice we will be able to do this more spontaneous. But here are some stunning examples to start with!

Liz's truly soapy foamy bubbles

Very strong light in this impressionist bubble work by Michele C

 Interesting bubble with refelcting highlight from Hélène 

 And another set of bubbles by Ilse

 Judith finished her broken plate and just started with these bubbles. You can already imagine how good they will look with highlights and a slightly darker background!

Luckily I already told Sylvie D. that exceptionally, the photo somehow doesn't show how good the painting is! The real thing shines and shimmers and has a beautiful mystery... more next time!

Diana painted this amazing set of bubbles! People were asking, is this a watercolour? YES it is. With lots of Payne's grey and Indigo... Diana then started a next one, with a more transparent approach. Needs some highlights here and there and then it will be very convincing as well!

 

This O-so transparent soap-bubble painting by Jutta was the inspiration for Di and she is right, this painting will be awesome when it is finished!

If Celina pulls this one off it will be legendary!!! I look so forward to the next step & finished painting! Love the little girl - somehow reminds me of aquarellista Bibi.

As always there was other artwork produced next to the 'sujet du jour'! Last week's lonely buildings were finished:

 Glen's 'birds view' on a Tuscan lonely farmhouse - great stuff!

Hélène let the sunshine in! Lots of stories imaginable here too...

And last but not least, Jutta's lonely little building - it is so cute!!

 

 Remote aquarellista Sandra has made real progress with her tangle of leaves, painted on heavy, paint-absorbing handmade paper. Exciting developments - I wonder what this will look like when it is finished!

 Liz also tweaked her silver beads - and they are ready to be picked up! (Maybe as a logo for a jewelry maker?)

The broken plate - now finished. Judith did a good job on the contrast, and I see a story here as well, because brokenn as it is, it looks so complete...

 

Maud a fait un travail formidable sur cette photo de vieille Grasse. Note qu'elle a utilisé du gesso pour lui donner plus de texture, aspect un peu 'antique' reussi!

And last but not least, Marie-Claire put her own beautiful cat in the misty flowy background. It will be refined and detailed next time - but it already looks like a good start!

When there is no 'Sujet du jour'!

Last Aquarellista session I had just returned from a wedding party in Amsterdam, with no time to even think about a nice subject or a still life, let alone both... But the Amazing Aquarellistas don't need that. Have a look below at what was achieved and feel free to let yourself be inspired:

Those Earrings by Diana!!! 

So well done! The blue beads below are also hers.

 And what to think of this 'volume' exercise...The 'rusty' is officially over if you ask me - we're looking forward to seeing much much more from Diana!

Three parts of Isa's volume exercise, especially below left is really cool! She's ready for the 'layers' 😊

 And how about these beautiful, interesting ancient beads by Ilse... Wonderful colours & composition.

Judith started a new project of broken china and tweaked her 'bunch of beads' to perfection. Good job!

 Dans les rues du vieux Grasse...après une photographie ancienne, par Maud!

Other exciting works in progress:

Des livres Molière en cuir et une vieille lampe à huile. Well done Michele C -- that tiny print on the back of the books...! It will be stunning with a dark background... more next week. 

 A lovely Halloweeny still life with pumpkins by Jutta

 

The start of a wonderful Corsican mountainscape -as well as a finished spiderweb by Hélène! Halloween is stll insiring!

Fantastic luminescent mushrooms part II by Sylvie D (remote)

 And let's fnish with a drool worthy bang! Carol's 'Odd one out' is completed and it is So Impressive!! You really want to take a bite, don't you?! Also by Carol a new and improved version of the three kids by the sea, almost finished and telling such a sweet story!!

 

Joy and creativity - Orange in transparent watercolours

 Liz's absolutely awesome patchwork. Loved, no - adored by all! And rightly so.

Last Aquarellista Session we worked with a colour-theme again; Orange. The colour that symbolizes 'Joy and Creativity' - but also stands for Dutch, and 'is the new Black' and is an important colour for Halloween. In short - many interpretations possible, some of which you can admire below! Above the finished patchwork painting by Liz - fits the orange-bill but was actually from last time. I mainly opened with it because I'm such a fan!

We start with flowers - these poppy's are created by Anna-Karin. She's a true master with the big wet brush, look at this fantastic watercolour!

And how about these orange daisies by Liz - she is really on a roll!

Michèle C has returned from Bretagne - and she did a great job on these orange lilies!

Hélène worked hard on the orange Gerbera she succesfully adapted the background to make the image more sunny

This well-painted delicate little branch with orange leaves was created by Glen. Well done!

Jutta is done with the exercises and now belongs to the advanced Aquarellistas. As you can see, she does a really good job with this long haired 'Ginger' girl within the orange theme!

 Same for Judith - she painted this orange veiled girl with breathtaking light green eyes. What an expression... Well done!

And the last orange-themed painting: a big Nemo-clown fish by Celina. Great stuff!!

Non-orange -but fish nevertheless, Marie-Claire's beautiful big and small! I love it.

Brenda water-coloured her outside-sketches, the one above created during drawing class with Pim, below created during our short trip to Tourtour! Both looking fresh and spontaneous.

Nearing completion, Maud's commission! 
The name of the restaurant and some small tweaks and it will be done and dusted...

 Two watercolours were finished, this one is Jutta's, with a black tear on the apple...

 Judith's hand - hesitating to take the apple - which almost looks as if it is moving... So light and carefully painted...

 Ilse worked on the last exercise and did a wonderful job on suggesting the transparency... while that one dried she started on the masking fluid experiment below, and that is looking very good already, almost a shame to take that masking fluid off...