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Colours of Venice

Colours of Venice

Hi Everyone Wet and misty here in Derbyshire, so sadly no outdoor sketching this week.So though I would share some colours with you from my sketchbook, done on my last trip to this most beautiful of cities. Fancy a go using these colours? I've added a how-to sheet on Venice do take a look, and enjoy. Happy PaintingSheila x  

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Sweet Pea Flowers

Sweet Pea Flowers

Hi Everyone. Here's an optimistic thought to keep you going till spring. Last week I planted some sweet peas, following Sarah Ravens advice on getting an early start, so the root system is nice and strong ready to spring into action when the sun returns. I'm really pleased with myself, as they are already up, and showing there little heads. At the end of late summer I painted this years efforts, which were lovely colours, and kept my kitchen filled with lovely perfume for ages. If you want to have a try at painting sweet peas, I've published How to draw flower...

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Awesome Trevone Bay Cornwall

Awesome Trevone Bay Cornwall

Hi Everyone As winter is fast approaching, and not too much lovely autumn colour left thought I would share some more of my sketchbook from Cornwall. Spring is a beautiful time on the north Cornish coast, you can be lucky and get really lovely sunny days, and a real bonus not too many people are out and about yet, it's just you and the sea, with calls from curious seagulls. Bliss. On this sketch, I'm above Trevone Bay heading to Rocky Point the tide really comes in quick here. From this point, you can see the glorious sinkhole formation and...

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Sunny Cornwall

Sunny Cornwall

Hi Everyone I really enjoyed the new Simon Reeve programme covering the more unseen side of the lovely county of Cornwall. It brought back all the scrumptious colours, calls of the birds, and most of all sounds of the sea. What a joy painting outdoors is, so much more memorable than a photograph. The north Cornish coast is my personal favourite, Treyarnon, Harlyn, Porthcothan, Constantine Bay, and Port Isaac are my usual walking and painting routes. All just gloriously beautiful. The painting from my sketchbook is from Port Isaac on a lovely sunny afternoon. It is my habit to record...

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White Hellebores

White Hellebores

Hi Everyone Wet and windy here in the high peak, so this week's blog comes from inside my warm attic studio A really popular question is how to paint white in watercolour?  I start with just water and paint around what I want to remain white. Then drop colours into the wet areas, letting the water on the paper do the mixing for me. DO NOT FIDDLE let the paint do its thing. See the workshop sheet for the colours used. Whilst the first wash is drying I start to observe local colour and shadow areas within the white flower...

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