ARTIST’S HINTS AND TIPS

• I am a big believer in the use of a limited palette of staining transparent colour. Here are some limited colour schemes that I like to use: a.winsor Blue Green Shade, Permanent Rose, Winsor Yellow b. Cobalt Blue, Winsor Green Gold and Permanent Rose c. Winsor Green Blue Shade, Thalo Yellow Green (Grumbacher) and Permanent Rose d. Perylene Green, Green Gold, Winsor Blue Green Shade and Permanent Rose

• Practice colour washes of mingled colour.

• Practice negative painting (painting around light areas).

• Practice pulling out colour while paint and paper are still damp.

• Be patient. There’s nothing wrong with taking your time. I can feel when I’m being impatient. Things don’t go as well for me then.

• Watch your posture. Sit directly behind your paper. Take a couple of deep calming breaths and relax before you start.

• Wet the palette wells with a squirt bottle about 15 minutes before you start to paint so that pigment will loosen up and be easier to use.

• Keep things orderly.

• Work on one painting at a time, if possible. Sometimes I feel my energy scattered by too many projects.

• Paint subject matter that touches you. If you are not interested in an area or a subject it will show in your finished product.

• Learn about colour. Experiment with different pigments and colours to find those combinations that most appeal to you. Watch the way the pigment, water and paper interact in watercolour. How wet is your paper? The amount of water is just as important as the pigment and paper.

• Using quality materials is important.

• Focus, practice, experiment