Watercolours

In 2018, I went up to see my aunt and uncle in Yamba. My uncle, who usually paints in acrylics, was playing around with watercolour, pen and ink. He painted some beautiful scenes of boats at Yamba wharf.

He suggested giving me a lesson or two in watercolour. I was very grateful for the lesson, but it was definitely a little stressful! He showed me some techniques, and then told me to pick an image from a magazine and just start painting it.

I started painting, and every so often, he would advise me on how to approach this or that. I was very happy with the end result, but - as can be seen in my later watercolours, his assistance was definitely important!

Swiss Alps - This is the watercolour I did with my uncle. I love some of the mountains and the shadows in the snow. This was a wonderful lesson in terms of learning how to leave negative space and only paint shadows etc. I also like how I have captured the trees on the sides of the lake, and the colours to indicate the distance between one section of the land to the one behind it. I also like how I have painted the grassy patches on the hillside with the light green. The reflection in the water is ok.

Brisbane Waters 1- This was my attempt of capturing the view from my house, but without my uncles guidance...... Bad.

Brisbane Waters 2 - Apparently a similar scene to above, but for some reason, it looks completely different. Also bad. Gradient in the sky isn't bad.

Japanese lady - I decided to experiment. The black bled over her face, and it was a happy mistake, because although it isn't so good, I quite like the form and the colours.

Experimental face - I tried to experiment again and quite liked how it ended up. I feel it is quite balanced and the colours work quite nicely together.

Mt. Fuji No.1 - Here, I realised that I needed to come back to what my uncle has taught me. I found a picture, and tried to capture the scene. I like the summit of Mt. Fuji, and the cherry blossom over the top is quite pretty, but my colours became muddy and the greenery by the lake is not well done. The man in the boat definitely gives the picture more character. If it weren't there, I don't think I'd like it at all.