More experimenting

Sometimes, it works out, sometimes it doesn't. All about timing. The one that worked here was on the back of a quarter sheet of Saunders Waterford Cold press paper. Love the granulation. And I wrote down the steps in my studio book. But Claude AI can actually give you a pretty accurate step-by-step account! Scary that! The other ones were an attempt at flushing water and pigment onto the not-so good postcard experiments. Still not so good! (Two Rivers paper, very thick and quite rough for cold press).

2 others looked interesting while still wet, with heavy white watercolour added in swirls on top. But they disappeared as the paper dried. Timing is everything!

zoomed in on the bit I like

Trying to reproduce that effect!

You know when a watercolour does exactly what you want, but you have no idea how you achieved that effect? Then you keep trying and nothing works. Some of these failed experiments turned out ok. Others, not at all. The ones that worked out better were on Hanemhulhe Cornwall paper, with white watercolour dropped in to a mix of Indigo and Bloodstone Genuine. The ones that didn't were on really thick Two Rivers paper. The first one in the series here is the one I am trying to reproduce! I did use Grey of Grey and white watercolour in there somewhere - maybe that is what lifted? There was something in the layering, or the timing, that lifted beautifully when I ran a damp brush with a light wash over it! All experiments are postcard-size. No point in going larger until I can figure this out. And yes, I am very tempted to try different pigments, but I know I shouldn't change the parameters!

Grand Canal Dock

Just as well I brought minimal supplies, as it turns out I partially dislocated my clavicle. I don't know about the partially, actually. It's sitting above one of my ribs, so I personally think that qualifies as a full dislocation. I'm writing this on 30th September, so if you're seeing this on Instagram in November, I haven't dislocated again. Although it's entirely possible that I will dislocate it again, apparently! Anyways, my minimal supplies were not very well thought out. A bunch of acrylic markers, a pink pencil, a thick black Posca, and watersoluble graphite crayons. I did try to apply the acrylic markers on top of the graphite. It gave a nice subdued colour, but made the markers really dirty. I think that if I had brought my black Fude pen, I could have done a lot more with these sketches. 

 

Small experimentation

Sometimes painting large feels like too much. I don't know why. I have painted large for the last few years. But now, it feels like too much. So, rather than not painting at all, I'm back to painting small, postcard sized. Some of these made me happy while painting, watching pigments mingling on the paper. One makes me very happy. But I have no idea how I achieved that effect! All on Hahnemuhle Cornwall paper. 

Sketch with Suhita

Loved this session with Suhita's group, where we were exploring sketching people in front of a background, and how to separate the two while keeping a sense that they are in the same environment. There were a number of images to choose from. I probably picked the easiest one!

Experimenting with dark darks and white pigment in watercolour

Love the sky, hate the foreground. It's ok, this is not how I want to paint, but it's useful to experiment with these pigments (UB, Bloodstone Genuine, Blue Compose, Grey of Grey, Grey Yellow - I think that's it). I want lots of dark granulation - balance of pigment, water on the page, water in the brush and paper of course. This was done on Saunders Waterford cold press (300 gsm I think - must try on heavier paper too!)

Pencils4Tea 24 September 2026

Glad I'm getting back into the groove of attending Pencils4Tea, although the routine will be broken in October. Still, every practise counts. 

Mountjoy Square

Mountjoy Square is not a part of the city where I spend much time. Always good when there is a group of us sketching in the one location. Safety in numbers and all the rest. It was a beautiful sunny day in mid-September. The clouds were gorgeous and I was sorry I didn't bring my watercolours. But it was a good practise in using a small set of acrylic markers, which was my intention.

Creative Shift Week 3

Introducing visual elements - I think this could take three weeks for me! I chose 1 image from Naomi Tydeman and 2 from Marc Taro Holmes, and a few of my own for comparison. Quite a difference between what I am attracted to in these artists' paintings versus how I paint. It was good to analyse what visual elements they use to create the mood.

Here is a little video of what I have posted in my studio book for the week.

Please forgive the sound in the background of the video - a neighbour is getting her garden done, and there seems to be excessive use of the leaf-blower! But then it seems that my turning the pages actually makes more noise than the leaf blower!

Sketching on Meath Street

Another beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon - third Sunday in September - we're lucky with the weather. One of my favourite areas of the city, Meath Street. Still feels very much like the Dublin I came to forty years ago (October 1986!!). Yet, we can see with the work on the footpaths that it's in the process of being gentrified. Even the pub we went to, Lucky's, is more of a cool place than a neighbourhood Dublin pub. Thankfully very few tourists in this area still. I started with this tall house that I had noticed a few months ago, on my way back from Nuala Clarke's workshop nearby. I often know straight away what I want to sketch, and this was it. When I was done, I wandered about for a bit, and I was attracted to the chaos of the work in progress on the footpath. Two very different sketches. PS: loving the Tombow lavender marker for shadows. Must check what number it is so I can order it again.