Watercolour Seascape: Lesson 1

Washes

1) Lay paper flat in landscape orientation (longer sides top and bottom). Put in horizon line with masking tape. Watch tape doesn’t take the paper up when removing. Place tape a third down from top. Dividing the page into thirds makes a good composition.

 

2) Place a small bit of ultramarine on palette. Use a big soft brush. To make a wash add lots of water so it becomes just coloured water. If you get streaks use a little clean water to blend it.

3) Wet top third (background) with clean water, work from tape up using large clean soft brush.

Paint ultramarine wash over wet area, work from tape up. Brush strokes in one direction across the page. Don’t worry if colour is faint, you can always give it another coat. Move paper to roll paint around.

 

4) Peel off tape and turn paper 90 degrees and repeat steps 2 and 3. Don’t worry if the 2nd wash overlaps. Use cerulean wash to lower two thirds and violet around the horizon line (violet will give the picture depth) Leave to dry.

5) Turn picture upside down so the bottom is at the top, paint thin burnt umber wash down towards horizon and leave some areas not covered. Repeat 5) using thicker paint darkest round the edges covering most of the lower third, the foreground. 

6) Select a smaller flat brush, turn picture the right way up.Use burnt umber wash to put in distant bay near or along the horizon line and add texture to the foreground. Over lay washes to get darker areas. Lines going across the page will help the landscape sructure.  Make use of the flat of the brush when painting lines.

7) Use sap green to add grass to foreground and background. Use Vermillion over the green to give darker areas. Use opposite colours overlaid to tone down colours.

8) Add lemon yellow flowers in foreground and try putting in detail in other colours. Reds and yellows in foreground, blue and purple in background, blue and green in the middle. Try making different types of mark with a piece of credit card, sponge tissue etc.

9) white clouds and the wave crests can either be put in in white after( you may need acrylic titanian white) or use masking fluid at stage 1)

My Bottle garden contiues to grow

areas of bottles and pots helps keep down the bind weed 

gives the garden colour light and texture,

also some interesting patterns and shapes

 I gave the local kids chalk in exchange for CDs if my project is to survive I need them on my side

and make this piece truly community based

bottle front garden, the story so far; using my resourses in a different way

After several trips to collect bottles, I realised I had to do something with them

About this time it occurred to me I was ignoring a major resource;

my font garden.
 I rather euphemistically called it my wild life area. I live on a main road running south out of Leamington Spa. It is a natural gathering place with a large pavement all round and can be viewed well from the road.

 when I moved in a 4 years ago groups of teenagers use to hang around cause trouble and a lot of litter. I have gradually discouraged this.

bottle front garden, the story so far; finding a time machine

 I found a old bottle dump, when grieving my father who died june 2011. I walked over a patch of industrial wastegroud that I had been looking over (during my tea breaks), whilst lecturing at Warwickshire college. I had a reocuring dream I am blissfully happy finding buried houses containing bottles

hiden away I discoved I found bottles everywhere, I was in heaven.
It was like a time machine instantly transported to my childhood in worcester.
At the time it took me away from the ever present grief for a few hours very healing and relaxing.

I have visited this site every month or so ever since removing hundreds of bottles.

my jam jars break health & safety

2 ladies from the council came round today to ask me why, I have bottles in my garden 

they took photos and said my jam jars break health & safety regulations.

I have removed them and I will replace with CDs. I like how exterior forces such as the neighbourhood, the weather and the council help shape my installation

 I explained that 1)bottle trees are very popular folk art in the USA.
2) I'm an artist expressing myself in my own garden for the Jubilee.
3).my work has been stolen from my back garden, my workshop blows down regularly and I have no funding so, I have used the only resource I have.
4) my garden looks a lot better than it has ever done, better than most of the neighbours,
5) there was a lot more vandalism and antisocial behaviour happening on the corner next to my house when I first moved in 4 years ago. I feel I have had an influence in the area

If they say I can't have a bottle garden I will have to protest.

Bottles in the rain

This week I have been give some beautiful blue bottles

  (ta Trish)

I've been trying out patterns and design for my jubilee display

Dark blue glass contained in a broken fish tank.. I like the combination of colours &; shapes, both man made and natural.

dome at end of garden is looking curious, I've been trying out threading wire through broken bottles with limited success. I will cover it in old Cd's. Anyone got any let me know Ta

learning to weave

I attended a local workshop on weaving
 this simple piece I call" the mother of all spikiness" its just a bit of fun that I will develop slowly

I learn some basics on traditional basket making and working on large structure

I'm slowly getting a feel for the materials developing a less random way of weaving
my 1st attempt at weaving a cocoon
 my latest structure is a mix of withy & wire to create a dome in my jubilee front garden, after it can become a little space to sit