Beads in watercolours

 Celina's amazing fantasy beads, I love everything about them! The pattern, the colours, the shape and the shadow...

Last week we had the fullest full house ever - and you can probably believe that it was a very productive Tuesday afternoon! With so many different styles, I can't stop being impressed and enthusiastic. Above and below the subject du jour, 'Beads', followed by a collection of other watercolours:

Totally gorgeous beads by Ilse. What a wonderful take on the subject. Well done!

 a lovely bunch of colourful shiny patterned beads, well-painted! By Michele F.

Judith's challenge: a couple of differently sharpened and shaped glass beads. Not finished - but already working and such warm colours!

A couple of metal beads, with wonderful details visible, and still the recognizable robust style we expect from Liz!

Very beautiful and well-painted, these shiny, contrasty glass beads by Michele C!! 

The starters exercise with  8 strong marbles -and a couple of yummy black olives. By Diana

 

 Isabel D painted 'boules' as a first-ever watercolour and she did such a good job! (and she's in the picture 😊)

And outside of the subject there was a lot going on as well - here are some paintings in random order:

 

 Carol started on these apples - the 'Odd one out' (or L'Intrus -the intruder- in french...) awesome, although we are not jealous of the work on 10 more green apples. But she'll make it happen!l

 SylvieM did a fantastic job on her fish-commission and finished another portrait in the series 'exotic women'

 

Carol's fantastic, achieved, amazing, gorgeous patchwork. We are all in awe!

Anna-Karin's poppies now finished. They have grown into a complete, and utterly fulfilling painting in true Anna Karin-style...fab!

Maud created this harbour view in one afternoon. Great atmosphere! 

Isabelle A. experimented with masking fluid (the spiders' web) and then a bunch of wild colours,thrown on the paper. And the web brings it all together!

 

Jutta is going to practise on this 'Intrus' crocus.. More contrast is needed for a completely achieved image - but she is getting there! And the cute little vase-painting below is also created by her. Loe it!

How to's: Covering a part of your watercolour

Do you like this painting? It a a typical watercolour, with spontaneous, flowing, transparent colours. A simple, graphic image. Would be super as decoration on a white wall.
And believe me, it is easy to make, also for starters, if you follow these guidelines:

Make an outline drawing, of a simple subject.

Cover everything that needs to stay white! This is masking fluid...

Make sure it is a solid layer, with no gaps

The larger surfaces can be covered with masking tape and paper

Let the masking fluid dry completely before you start painting! 

Prepare your paint, carefully choose your colours - and make them strong

Put a wet-in-wet layer of a nice colour mix on the work. 

You can throw the paint, mix, do everything you like, you don't have to be neat or careful...

Let dry...

And then remove the paper, the tape and the masking fluid, to check out the result!

Views and Violets

We had a couple of projects to finish last week, before we started with the "folded fabric". Sandra Seymour-Dale worked on three paintings at the same time, one of those this stunning wave. She set it up with masking fluid, for the foam. One of the things you can hardly paint without a masking product. Using it you can work  impulsive and wet in wet while preserving the movement and spontaneous character of the white parts. As you can see Sandra did a fantastic job here! She also used salt - with moderation- if you enlarge the picture you can clearly see the effect in the bottom left hand corner.

She also worked on the Cinqueterre idea,  and used it as an inspiration for some architectural aquarelles...

Cathie van der Stel finished her version of Manarola - it has truly worked out into a stunning picture! Composition and colours and patience and antmosphere - all great!! 

And Marina Teding van Berkhout painted velvet (see post above) and violets! Note that she first painted the violets, then covered them with masking fluid and painted the background, wet in wet. After removing the masking fluid she balanced the total picture and this is the result