More wild watercolour skies

Continuing to experiment with skies after Uma Kelkar's tips on Vivify. And also looking at Adrienne Pavelka's art. And trying to love Indigo, but I don't think Indigo is one of my colours! Some of these were done on small scraps of paper, others on quarter sheet cold press paper. It's all about water control. But you know I love to splash with lots of water!

 

One Week 100 People Day 4 part 3

Day 4 of #OneWeek100People was intense. I stayed up until 11pm to sketch with Suhita and Nina, from photos by Ukrainian artist Alexandra Bolotina. My bedtime is normally 10pm. I might read until 10:30, but that's my absolute latest. Still, the energy that Nina and Suhita brought to this session kept me going. I am not used to drawing children, and there were three in this set. They're a bit scary, in my version anyway. 

I worked in a mix of graphite pencil, Ecoline markers, highlighters and Arrtx acrylic markers. I abandoned my Sailor fude after the first sketch.

Pencils 4 Tea 12 March 2026 (One Week 100 People Day 4 part 2)

Incorporated my Pencils4Tea into the OneWeek100People challenge. Busy day!

 

One Week 100 People - Day 4 part 1

People queuing this time. And the camera was very low for one of those shots. The hardest part for me was the high heels! 

Thank you Suhita for organising these sessions, and Liz Steel and Marc Taro Holmes for #OneWeek100People (9-13 March 2026)

One Week 100 People - Day 3

 A mix of done from photos and done from real life (moving people!). You can see the difference!

One Week 100 People - day 2

Another quick session with Suhita Shirodkar. Running people this time!

 

Wild Watercolour skies

Had fun trying this idea for glowing skies - Idea and technique from Uma Kelkar on Vivify.ai. I worked on cheap quarter sheet cold press paper. The pushing of the clouds worked really well when I used some pigments, not so well with others. Worked well with Hansa Yellow Medium + Holbein Vermillion. Not so well when I used Monte Amiata Natural Sienna and Naples Yellow. I think my mix was too heavy, or those pigments are too dense, and they didn't flow down as well, no matter how much water I flushed on top. And yes, I did get impatient, and I used a water spray to push some of the pigment further, rather than letting it be!

As if I don't have enough watercolour tubes

Trying a few pigments, new to me, except for Holbein's Vermillion, which I love (it's a bit dirty in this swatch)

One Week 100 People - starting on 9 March 2026

After a wobbly start, I got into it. So glad Suhita has set up these free half-hour sessions!

 

How to get those lines?

Oil pastel can be a bit too skippy on rougher paper. So I tried a few other options. Unison soft pastels win, hands down. Even after spray-fixing.

Sketching Dublinia

It took me a while to find the spot I wanted. There were too many tourists at the front, big groups blocking the footpaths and the views.  A few dodgy characters at the back - the city council really needs to develop that space - it would make a lovely park for all to enjoy. So I went to the little park across the road. I couldn't see Christchurch Cathedral, but I had a good view of the building that hosts Dublinia (the Viking experience - can't believe that in all the years I've been in Dublin, I've never been). 

I was nearly finished with my drawing and painting, adding a bit of pencil here, some marker there. And then the sun came out. And the shadows. We had shadows!! On the 9th of March! After 2 months of solid rain. It was so exciting. I got a bit carried away!

Then I went to have a look at the back of the Radisson Blu hotel. There's a new Convention Centre there. It would be a great location, tucked right at the back of Dublin Castle.

 

Abandoned

Sometimes, it's best to let watercolour do its thing. I had a lot of water sloshing about on this one. But I wanted to go to bed, so I just abandoned it. And magic happened.

If you're interested in purchasing this piece, or any of my paintings, head over to my website and contact me.