The Watercolour Log

Saturday, 17 April 2021

Latest Paintings

Here are my latest efforts, all either 16" x 12" or 11' x 15"

'Black-Tailed Godwit"

Pueblo Man - This went down like a lead balloon.

North American Porcupine - I thought this might do better than it has.

"Firecrest"

Most of the reactions to my paintings are disappointing in that they get few likes. The exceptions are mainly Squirrels and Hares but I don't want to paint just them. There have been a few exceptions. A lot of people like to see the whole of the paper covered with paint otherwise paintings are "unfinished". I prefer unfinished ones and try and follow my late guru Charles Reid's mantra of not finishing a painting but at a certain point just 'stop'. It suits my temperament I suppose. Of course if I had a "name"😀

Thursday, 1 April 2021

Watercolour paintings 77

Here are the latest batch for April. Hope you like them.

Janet Rogers - Top American

Gerard Hendriks - The Flying Dutchman.

Jan Weeks- a good friend of mine

Heather Withers -Love the mix of colours

Sylvia Farrow - excellent study of a blue tit.

Lars eje Larsson - I love his very offbeat work

Corneliu Dragan- Targoviste - Love this

Tilen Ti - Wow!

Jen Buckley

WOW!Terrific..

Lars eje Larsson

His portrait work is quite abstract.

Boon Kwang - amazing

Gerard Hendriks - fantastic movement

Lars eje Larsson - enough said

Jen Buckley - great use of colour

Musa Celik - very colourful

Guus Ong - fabulous artist

Elena Lobovikova - great expression of light.

Wednesday, 24 March 2021

Latest Paintings

Here are my latest efforts

Thursday, 11 March 2021

Schminke Liquid Charcoal

You may wonder why, on a Watercolour Blog, Liquid Charcoal is the subject of this piece? The following will explain why.

This new product from Schminke isn't a watercolour or is it? There are three variations. Grape Seed Black, Cherry Pit Black and Peach Stone Black. The paints are produced by "charring" the ingredients listed above and combining them with gum arabic. The result is something similar in texture (and smell) to gouache.

The reviewer states they can " be added to a watercolour palette". When I checked the price on Jacksons website I noticed they stated the pigment used was "Pbr8". I then went to the pigment database and this is what it said. "Pbr8 Vine Black is an impure carbon of organic and mineral origin.....It can contain substantial impurities, is very staining and has high tinting strength". Are the "substantial impurities' a problem? `What this means in terms of final result I don't know.

The article introducing this product is on Jacksons - Art in the Studio" blog. This is an excellent blog from Jacksons with regular articles, including much of interest. The article is question is by Evie Hatch followed by a review by a Russian artist called Anna Zadorozhaya. I don't know what her connection is with Jacksons or why they regularly have her reviews, which include Jacksons own brands.

Finally price. This product is available in 35 ml tubes at £17.80p currently discounted to £16,02p. Unless someone can explain otherwise it seems to me this is a form of watercolour paint. My friend Zvonimir considers the Nitram Liquid Charcoal similar to a watercolour when he looked at the composition and - to me - this seems even more so. I am very tempted to try some.