I have just finished teaching my first watercolour class. Success! In a 3hr session we managed to cover the topics of materials, techniques, tone, colour and perspective. What on earth am I going to talk about next week?….
A good time was had by all, and 2 of my students were kind enough to phone me afterwards to thank me. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and look forward to the next session. Then I’m REALLY going to push them outside their comfort zones…..!
One last London tourist scene – no more, I promise.
Trafalgar Square, London - watercolour
Currently working on a programme for some watercolour classes – they start on Friday and this is a new venture for me. I’m looking forward to it and am quietly terrified all at the same time. But it’s good to break out of the safety of the studio now and then; I like the idea of actually meeting real people for a change. 2 spaces left….!
I suppose it was only a question of time; having spent the whole of my life living just outside London, I have never painted it before! I thought I should start with the some of the obvious views – Admiralty Arch, Regent Street and Buckingham Palace – and work my way down from there…
Regent Street, London - watercolour
Buckingham Palace watercolour
Admiralty Arch, London
I found a great App for my iPhone; it’s called Brushes (see http://brushesapp.com). I spent half an hour doodling last night in front of the telly and here’s the result. It’s supposed to be Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square. I had to do it from memory as I had no reference material to hand.
Trafalgar Square
Talking of Trafalgar Square, it was the village fete last week and they had their own version of the Trafalgar Square “plinth” on the green. I was asked to do a half-hour stint and, of course, I accepted and stood there painting. I had thought beforehand that it would be a breeze – lots of pretty cottages to paint from the green – but I was sadly mistaken. The plinth had been set up in such a way that all I could see was dense foliage and the back of a marquee. Nothing to paint. So, thinking quickly, I decided to paint the local pub (see earlier post) from memory. I think it turned out better than my previous 2 efforts – see what you think.
Red Lion - sketch from memory
My audience of 2 dogs and a lost child were very appreciative. I won’t be doing it next year.
Here’s a complete listing of everything I have in stock – apologies if you’ve seen some of them before!
Here’s another one I finished recently – a friend’s house in the village, and very pretty it is too. I didn’t want it to look too twee and so I kept the colours muted. It took 5 attempts to achieve something I was content to hand over, but the owners were very happy I’m pleased to say.
Dan's Cottage - watercolour
Sometimes things just don’t work out the way I want them to. Whether it was because I was not in the mood or maybe because I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted the painting to achieve, I don’t know. I worked it and re-worked it and finally gave up. Here’s the result – a failure which took hours to attain.
A Failure!
I put it aside and just doodled in paint the next day, and voilà! A spontaneous little sketch which took under an hour and looks (to my mind) far better than the first laboured attempt. That’s the way it is sometimes….
Red Lion, Weston
A few people have told me they can’t find me on W&N, or even the featured artists section itself. The UK version sometimes works differently to the USA version of the site, but on both sites you need to click on Community and then Featured Artists. I am now listed on both the UK and US sites. This link should work http://www.winsornewton.com/community/featured-artists/keith-hornblower
Just finished a commission for a house portrait – a lovely barn conversion in Tempsford, Bedfordshire.
Barn watercolour
I am now a featured artist on the Winsor and Newton web site! Check out http://www.winsornewton.com
Here’s a better version of the painting I used for my banner. It was a private commission and is the largest watercolour I have ever painted – 38×28 inches (96×71cm). The biggest problem was in stretching the paper; the only paper I had this size was Arches 90lb in a roll and I knew it would buckle horrendously without stretching. So I wet the paper, taped it to a board and allowed it to dry naturally. But I underestimated the forces involved when the paper shrunk; I knew there was a possibility the paper could rip, but in this case it just pulled away from the gummed tape. I ended up using PVA glue around the edges, together with more tape and staples (from a staple gun). Thankfully it worked!
Click pic for a bigger version
Bayfordbury House - watercolour
My first post was a set of flower paintings; my mother-in-law loved them, so I have been persuaded to paint another set just for her. Happy 80th Birthday Irmi! The method was the same; I chose 3 bright primary colours and painted them all using the same triad of colours – Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Magenta and Antwerp Blue. I did use a little Winsor Yellow in the lilies as well. Personally, I think the roses turned out best again. I love their translucence and nothing shows it better than watercolour. For me, getting the tones right is the single most important thing in a painting. You can take liberties with colours, but if the tones aren’t right – the balance of lights and darks – the painting won’t work.
It’s the single most common mistake with beginners; it’s easy to get so wrapped up in trying to match exactly the colours you see that the painting can end up with an overall flat mid tone. If you’re not sure, try taking a photocopy of your picture or a scan in greyscale. It should still look vibrant even in black and white.
 | keithhornblower on More Flowers |
| keithhornblower on A little about me |
 | Josephine on A little about me |
 | Simon on More Flowers |
 | InkSplodge! on Watercolour Class |
