North American Bison

The North American Bison once roamed the plains, and up into Canada, in the millions. They were nearly exterminated by the Buffalo hunters in the mid to late 1800s, and only a few survived. Fortunately conservation efforts mean there are a  few moderate sized, protected herds. The plains Indians, the most numerous and warlike who were nomadic, in particular relied on the Buffalo for almost all their needs and this loss brought them to the edge of starvation, and was the key factor in their eventual subjugation. Not all Indians relied on the Buffalo to such an extent, such as the even more warlike Apaches, however other tribes would venture onto the plains to hunt them, although this was dangerous given the hostility of the plains tribes to intruders.

Male Bison - 16" x 12" Strathmore Aqua Cold Press 140lb.

As readers of this blog will know I like animal subjects and continue to look for interesting subjects. My approach here was to do the drawing first, as well as I'm able. This involves much rubbing out and study before I get it completed to my satisfaction. Not perfect but then I don''t aim for a very realistic to super-realistic image. Studying the subject the only areas of real detail were the eyes, mouth and horns so they were painted as carefully as I'm able. The rest was completed over two or three days after leaving time for reflection at each stage. The final few touches were done today trying to avoid over working. I'm quite happy with the result.

Colours used were Ultramarine Blue  full strength or mixed with Translucent Brown in various combinations, more blue,  more brown.  Burnt Umber, Raw Sienna, Cerulean Blue, Turquoise (Lukas PB16), Quinacridone Gold (Daniel Smith PO49), Quinacridone Burnt Orange (Daniel Smith PO48) and a little Raw Umber and Gold Ochre (W & N PY43). Various brushes, all round sables, apart from a Rosemary comber, from size 14 to 4.

You may note the paper is the highly acclaimed Strathmore Aqua. Claims that this is the 'best' watercolour paper are a little over the top. I like it a lot but -in my opinion - Waterford High White is just as good. The prices per sheet are similar, at leat in the UK.

African Wild Dog

Finished this yesterday at stage three. First stage do the drawing, next day initial painting, mainly the face, then finished it yesterday. I watch a lot of wildlife programmes and have seen several on these wild dogs. Fascinating animals much misunderstood.

Afrikan Wild Dog - A3 Moldau 280gsm

I know my paintings are not to everyones taste - actually a small minority it seems judging by the way I get few likes on Watercolour Addicts, while others get hundreds. The only one that did get a lot was my painting of an eye. Still many artists were only recognised after death  - only joking I'm well aware of my limitations. 

As you can see there are lots of strong colour. Raw Sienna, Quinacridone Gold (PO49), Burnt Orange (Daniel Smith PO48), Cerulean Blue, Burnt Umber, with the darks various mixtures of Ultramarine Blue and Transparent Brown (Schmincke PBr41). Slight touches other yellows.

Latest Paintings

I keep going with the painting although the session at m AVA group this week was a disaster (for me) . Anyway I finished off the Hare painting after scrapping the effort for this weeks subject 'City Buildings' - just not my thing. I do try to tackle the subjects we are given even though some are very challenging but overall it is a good practice as you are pushed out of your comfort zone and the results are often  better than expected., not this week though!

'Hare' - A3 Khadi Rough

I quite like painting Hares and they do seem to be a popular subject, not just in paintings but also figurines. I've seen several in galleries I've visited.

A6 Khadi Rough

Blue Tit Feeding

I like painting birds. This was a quick 15 minute sketch as I had a little spare time towards the end of the last AVA session.

New Maimeriblu Watercolours

After sticking with the existing range for over 20 years Maimeri have done a massive revamp of their popular Maimeriblu artist quality watercolours. Maimeri have always been highly rated with Handprint comparing them favourably with Daniel Smith and Winsor & Newton. I used them initially when I was able to buy them from a company at Swindon at very favourable prices. Unfortunately they were then discontinued for 'lack of demand'. They are available from several of the mail order specialists although never really pushed by them. The main criticism I had was that the pricing policy was skewed with series 1 and 2 very reasonable but series 3 and 4 less so.  Some things were difficult to fathom. For example Permanent Magenta, the rose form of PV19 was in series 1, but Rose Lake, the red form of PV19, was in series 3. Golden Lake, supposedly Quinacridone Gold PO49, said PV49 on the tube, and was replaced with PY43 with the tube details unaltered.. The original paint was poor nothing like as good as the Winsor & Newton version. When I contacted them I received no reply.

The new 12ml Tubes

What  has changed? First of all there are now 90 colours instead of 72. Oddly they have dropped the 15ml tube size and replaced it with a 12ml one. Half pans are also available as before. Also EVERY paint is now a single pigment. This is unique amongst current ranges. It's difficult to define exactly what is new as they seem to have changed (reformulated?) the names of some of the existing paints, and changed the pigments, so my interpretation may be incorrect in some cases. For example Dragons Blood is now PBr25, previously a two pigment mix. A few of the colours as now constituted. Cerulean Sky Blue (PB35), Green-Gold (PY129), Golden Yellow (PY183), Gamboge Hue (PY139), Potters Pink (PR233), Permanent Violet Blue (PV23), Naples Yellow Medium (PBr24), Sap Green (PG17), Cobalt Blue Green (PB36), Hookers Green (PG17), Paynes Grey (PrN/A?), Magenta Quinacridone (PR202), Quinacridone Lake (PV19), Yellow Vanadium (PY184) and so on. Many of these pigments were in the original range under different names! Some of the names of paints in the existing range are the same but the pigments have changed. Confusing isn't it. On the Maimeri site the colour chart gives pigment details so that's something as some makers seem to be backsliding in this respect or making it even harder to find them.

 Have I any gripes? Yes indeed pricing. There are still four series and taking Jacksons discounted 12ml tube prices we get £8.00 Series 1, £9.20 Series 2 , £10.40 Series 3 and £12.80 Series 4. Bear in mind this is 20% less paint than in the previous 15ml tubes. If you ramp this up to what 15ml would be for Series 1 £10.00 and £11.50 for Series 2. This is a substantial price hike. I honestly don't know how much more us amateurs are expected to pay. I've no doubt these paints will be good because Maimeri are but .......

When on the Maimeri site I tried to look up Venezia, the budget make, to see if anything was happening there. I could find nothing referring to it despite them talking about two colour ranges. Venezia have 36 colours, many very good, in 15ml tubes. I wonder if anything is going to happen there.

Product Test - Daler Watercolour Board

I first heard of this product when Catherine Beale came to my art group to do a demo. She uses these boards for her 'gravity painting' technique. Several of the group have since tried them and indeed bought blocks. They come in A3 size, there is also a smaller version, with 10 boards costing £15- £19, depending where you buy them and what offers are current. The price is similar  for a single  sheet in a 20 sheet Waterford block.

The boards are thick and absolutely rigid. The surface has a slight tooth, somewhere between fine grain and not. It struck me they might be worth trying on portraits. They come as already said in a thick block of ten boards.

'Fish Hawk' Cayuse Indian 1905 A3 Watercolour Board.

This is the result. I actually used only two or three colours, the main ones being Perylene Maroon and Ultramarine Blue. There is a little Burnt Umber and Raw Sienna but the figure is mainly the first two colours with some Transparent Brown (Schmincke PBr41) to darken the blue. It's early days yet but I shall definitely persevere and see where (or if!) it leads me. It is very monochrome but I like it - not perfect as my stuff never is but there you are.

The brushes above are synthetic mixes apart from the white Neef that is pure synthetic. Neef are what Robert Wade uses.The redoubtable Zvonimir recently pointed out that sables were damaged quite easily on rough hard surfaces, papers like Arches or Khadi. He recommended synthetic brushes for those papers.  I have quite a collection of sables but also the three above, not previously used. I'm also concerned at the escalating and eye watering prices of sable brushes, especially when you get past size 4. So as well as the board I tried out the Da Vinci 5530 Cosmotop B size 8 and the Rosemary 401 size 10. I used a smaller older sable brush for the smallest detail. The Da Vinci brush is a mixture of animal hairs with a small amount of synthetic. Viktoria Prischedko and Piet Lap both use these Da Vinci brushes in a range of sizes and types, not just rounds. Jacksons current price for the size 8 is £11.00. Rosemary is a mixture of red sable and synthetic, and offers two round series (plus other types) 401 and 402. The size 10 401 is £10.40p or £10.70p with a longer handle., the 402, a longer slimmer brush, £11.25p. Size 8 is only £7.95p.

To be honest I don't see much difference in the above result - if any - between these and the dearest sables I use. Possibly that's just me so don't take it as gospel. How they will last is something that only time will tell. I won't be buying any more expensive sables as I have plenty. There are now a mass of new synthetic brushes on the market and possibly they are finally living up to the claims that they 'emulate sable'. Otherwise try sable/synthetic mixes - the best of both worlds.

As said these are provisional comments based on just a little experience. I will post again when I've further to report.

First Painting of 2019

Actually I did the drawing prior to Xmas, and finished the painting on the 1st, having started it a few days before BUT it was finished on the first. I have been collecting a series of references in three main categories, Birds, Animals and Native Americans.  I go through them from time to time and select ones to be painted. They all come from Pinterest.

'American Bison' 16" x 12" Cornwall 450 gsm Rough

This paper is one of the extensive Hahnemuhle range. It's a heavier weight so doesn't buckle. The surface is fairly pronounced and quite hard so the paint does not sink into the paper nor spread much. These features can be  both an advantage or the reverse depending on what sort of outcome you want. The original animal is mainly a darkish brown colour although there are hints of other colours. I approached it using Charles Reids dictum of arbitrary colours. Cerulean Blue used for cools with a mix of Ultramarine Blue Light (Lukas) and Transparent Brown (Schmincke) for the darks, sometimes more blue and sometimes more brown. Also used was Raw Sienna, Quinacridone Gold (Daniel Smith or Winsor and Newton). I still have some of the original paints made with PO49 not the current multi-mixes. Also Quinacridone Burnt Orange (Daniel Smith PO48).

I was reasonably pleased with the result although not perfect by any means. As Charles says 'mistakes are part of it'.

Watercolour Paintings 50

To start 2019 - and a Happy New Year to everybody - here is a bumper collection of watercolour paintings from a wide range of old and new artists. This is No 50 in this series of watercolours from wonderful artists  around the world.

 Marie-Claire Moudru

The wonderful Shirley Trevana. One of the leading British watercolour artists.

Trevor Chamberlain, along with John Yardley one of the 'masters' of British watercolorists.

Trevor Lingard another top British watercolour artist of more recent vintage

Stan Miller American 'Master, especially  Portraits

Janine Gallizia -  Brilliant Australian

Minh Dam - Another of these wonderful Asian artists

Lelie Abadie - A French artist producing very 'dreamy' portraits.

Chien Chung Wei - I may have featured this before It's a wonderful painting from a fine artist

Lars Eje Larsson

I love this mans work.

Genevieve Buchanan

David Taylor - Brilliant Australian

Bijay Biswaal

Gerard Hendriks - A quite different approach from the versatile Gerard

Beth Jozwiak - a typical figure study

Milind Mullick - 

Joseph Zbukvic

Arthur Melville 1855 - 1904

I recently became aware of this Scottish artist. His watercolours are superb and he also painted in oils, as do and did others like Seago, Wesson, Yardley and Chamberlain.

Another from Arthur Melville

And Another

Janet Rogers (?)

Luen? Amazing painting.

Catherine Rey - See her trademark clocks or watches

Edo Hannema - A  master of the minimalist approach

Chien Chung Wei




Genevieve Buchanan

Genevieve, who I met on a Charles Reid workshop, has recently been featured in 'The Art of Watercolour' magazine, specifically her flower paintings.

Annemiek Groenhout

That's it folks a bumper lot for the start of 2019. I hope you find lots to interest you.