Ann Derrick Artwork | Community Art Two

Ann Derrick's Artwork

Dramatic watercolour from 3/12/25 to 10/12/25

This watercolour was a great landscape, l loved the colours straight away and looked forward to it. The method was one I liked, starting with a sketch of the scene.
Wetting the paper with clean water. Using raw sienna and Cadmun yellow, different strengths all over the paper, removing some of the paint with a damp brush to make it pale, i used a coin to make the sun., this left a pale area. This was all dry at this point.
Wetting the sky area I used light indigo. Moving on to the fields adding in more yellow.
Moving on to the mountains adding more pale indigo. The trees I used a more concentrated shade of indigo. The last steps were the flowers and grass .
I enjoyed this exercise very much. It was harder than I thought. Would like more of these.

Watercolour after Edward Seago - 19th November 2025

For this watercolour I used A4, then sketching the outlines of the cottage's, using a wash of raw sienna and indigo, adding more blue to the sky. Working on the far hills with greens and burnt umber.
The buildings are a mixture of layers of dark umbers, I was a bit heavy with this part.
Concentrating on the walls and the foreground I made them paler using more yellow.
Finally I added the trees at the side of the cottages, with pale grey and dark.
My building’s were a little bit wonky. I need to take a bit more time, but all in all I enjoyed it, and I was happy with the result.

Class of wine - Acrylic - 12th November 2025

This is my second attempt at this exercise, using mixed media A4 textured paper and acrylic paints. This time I had help from the tutor Rob, he gave me good advice, I should have paid more attention to the demo. After sketching out the outline of the glass in pencil and white pastel to give me more detail. I started the background using paynes grey around the right of the glass. Moving on to left side using a mixture of indigo and white and shades of green. On the glass I used shades of reds and pinks, down the stem I put in burgundy edging it with white.
The table top were shades of yellow ochre , burnt umber, splashes of raw sienna trying to keep the base of the glass visible. There was a lot more to this exercise than I thought. I was pleased how it turned out.

Lion acrylic - 5th November 2025

I prepared a canvas sheet by painting an Acrylic wash of burnt sienna and naples yellow
Ready for the basic sketch of the lion in pencil. I would go over it in fine liner later on. My idea was to do the lions head first, using yellow ochre, burnt umber raw sienna and burnt sienna. Sticking with layers of these colours I gradually covered the body.
This was not an easy exercise, this was my second attempt and I need to practice more to improve on this subject. It was a real challenge.

Mixed media task 29th October 2025

For this exercise, I used A4 Canson textured Mixed Media paper,
then I taped around the edge to have straight edges.
Drawing the scene with pencil to get the proportion’s right, will go over this in fine liner ink.
I decided to paint the background mountains, using water colours with a mixture of green and Blue, and shades of green behind the cottage. I used the similar colours in the front of the cottage then using pale grey over the water area. I continued with the roof, then Inked in the trees.
I tackled the sky last, changing to layers of Ultra Marine Gouache.
I was very happy with the result, and enjoyed the whole process.

Tiger white pencil on black paper 22/10/25

Tiger in the style of Richard Symonds. Wildlife artist.
We had a choice of Acrylic or pencils on this exercise,
I decided on pastel pencils on black paper.
There were lots of detail in this project, using white pastel pencil I drew a fine outline of the head, part of the image was in the shadows almost invisible. Using small strokes and using white pencil for the fur , I continued until I got the whole head in proportion.
Adding the ears. Then using black pencil for the eyes giving it a fierce look I finished off with the beard.
This medium is my cup of tea and I had a very enjoyable time working on this picture.

Plockton West Ross - mixed media (15th October 2025)

This exercise was done in many parts, using several mediums, the main body were,
the buildings, trees, stones, they were outlined in pencil, then ink all done by free hand.
Next I put water wash of ultramarine blue on the background mountains. Next adding indigo to this mix for the water.
Still using watercolour I used light olive green for the grass and trees.
Next came the sky, using gouache I used primary blue and a touch of ultramarine.
I thoroughly enjoyed doing this multi media exercise, and was really happy with the end result.

Houses on a Hill - 8th October 2025

For this painting I used Bockingford watercolour 140lb paper, I did a quite detailed sketch in pencil going over it with fine liner pens, putting in as much detail of the houses and walls as I could.
I used wet on wet for the sky and path and garden areas, I quite like the effect.
Using indigo and yellow in the garden area and the house.
Greys on the stones.
This was great to work on and was quite confident, in my application of this task.
I didn’t make it quite as dark as the tutors.
Rob always lets us use our own way to go.
I did enjoy.

Seascape after Matty Burnham - 1st October 2025

This exercise is in the style of Matty Burnham.
This was a joy to do, using water colour A4 paper. Sketching the outlines in pencil, and then going over some of the lines in pen, I use fine liners. Starting with the sky, i used light blue adding just a small amount of pink for atmosphere. Next concentrating on the distant mountains. I used sienna on the fore and backgrounds. Concentrating on the house, using olive green on the roof, and pale cream on the walls. I gave the front of the house a violet tinge, adding that colour to the foreground. This was a very calming, and
I was happy with the end result.

Boat- Sept 2025

This is in the style of Anshul Milan.
Using A 4 water colour paper. I decided to use the ink and watercolour on this exercise.
Starting with a sketch of the of the boat in pencil, going over it using fine liner pen in sepia and black on the boat using hatching and going on to add water colours in cobalt blue and sepia, adding as much detail as possible.
This was a tricky exercise, and needed a lot of concentration, but I was happy with the end result.

Barn after Peter Sheeler- Sept 2025

This is 3. An extra task by Peter Sheeler, using A4 water-colour paper. I found this one a bit tricky, there was a much more detail. The technique was similar, and the choice of colours were ours, either tonal grey or multi colours. I used washes of Cobalt blue and light grey for the sky. The barn was a mixtures of yellow and brown's with touches of Pale Olive. The foreground had similar colours adding darker brown on the side of the barn. The foreground colours also had a stronger wash of Olive Green.
I enjoyed this exercise very much, and realised I could speed up a bit more, and get the work done in time. Progress indeed.

Daffodil- Sept 2025

Week 1. Daffodil - ink and watercolour.

Using A4 watercolour paper I used a pencil to sketch using squares to get the right proportions on the outline. I used a grey fine liner pen to go over the thinner lines, using lemon yellow as the back ground on a small area of the flower. The main colour I used was cad orange. The darker areas was raw sienna. I added violet on a few of my petals and my stems. This was a pleasant exercise which I enjoyed very much.

Pastel on black Paper

Using black Pastelmat Paper and Unison soft pastels.
Drawing the Rose and leaves outline with a white pencil. I coloured the Petals in red then blending with a little white making pink area, adding small dabs of orange for contrast. The leaves were blends of green and yellow. The Stem Was a darker green and black.
This was a first for me, I did the whole project in class, with free hand drawing.
The Unison pastel was nice to work with, and I didn’t need a bath after the class.

Rose on Pastelmat

I did at home on different colour Pastelmat and used pastel oil, I drew the outline in pencil, I thought this one looked more realistic.
I did take a lot of time with it and the oil pastel was very easy to blend,
I wasn’t sure of the technique, so I put the red down first and went over it with white to get a pink colour, it seemed to work out well.
I used the same process with the leaves putting the darker greens and going over it with pale green and added yellow around the edges. I found that pencil wouldn’t work on this surface.
I found this exercise quite therapeutic, and not quite so messy, but to be honest it was like painting with lipstick.

Pastel painting -Iris.

This project was one I looked forward to doing, using Black A4 Pastelmat paper, I drew an outline with a white pencil.
The soft pastel I used were Mungyo, Various Blues, blended with violet and small amounts of white for the petals and greens and yellows for the leaves and stem.
I used black for the bud, using pastel pencil for the shading.
I was pleased with the result, but as you can see I did make rather a mess on the background.

Green Meadow. by Sir Kyffin Williams

This is my version of this painting on Acrylic paper, a first for me, to use a palette knife for some of the scenery, I couldn't do the smaller buildings with a knife, so i reverted to a brush.
The idea was to use Acrylic paint, this was an interesting project with a limited palette. The colours used were Lemon Yellow , White with touches of Paynes Grey and Black. The end result was quite textured in some areas.
I enjoyed the whole process, it was a pleasure to do, and I found it quite calming.

Sea Shore part 2 (Scotland) Mixed Media. By Ron Lawson.

Using the same technique as the previous exercise
I did a pencil sketch, then going over it with fine liner pen, then using an ink brush for the solid black areas, this was very effective. The roof was red with a little black watercolour.
The sky was gouache using white, black and a lot more cerulean blue, I didn’t make enough mix so I had to add extra blue. I was still very happy with the result. I will do both these exercises again for my journal.

Sea Shore Scotland mixed media by Ron Lawson

Using watercolour paper placing tape to a 7x7 inch square. I did a sketch to start going over it with fine liner pen using an ink brush for the darker areas of solid black. This was very effective and in keeping with the subject. On the roof I used watercolours, cobalt blue and indigo, using the same colours on the boat, leaving some of it white. I put a fine wash of pale blue and a tinge of crimson, for the rocks I used olive green adding a tiny amount of Payne's grey to make the darker areas.
The water was a pale blue wash, with a solid blue for the shadow. The sky was painted in gouache, a mixture of white and black making a pale grey, then adding blue making it a bluey grey. I was very happy with the result. I will repeat this again in my journal.

This is a Watercolour by Edward Seago. Marsh Country in Norfolk.

Using A4 Wartercolour paper, and Watercoiour paints, Indigo, various blues, oranges, browns and olive green.
Sketching the scene with pencil for a guide. Starting with the sky, using Payne's grey, indigo and ultramarine, letting that dry to add cobalt blue later.
The trees and buildings come next, finishing with paths fences and waterways, this was an enjoyable exercise with detailed information from the tutor.

Pastel Landscape by Karen Margulis

I used A4 pastelmat in a light Tan colour. Taping the edges to have straight borders. Then using varieties of Greens, Yelow Ochre , blues and Brown soft pastels for the scene.
I feel as though i've captured the essence of the landscape, so i am happy with the result. I was a joy to do, had a calming effect, but i did get in rather a mess with the pastels.

Plockton Sunrise, Scotland

Using watercolour paper, starting with a grid, I continued with a fine outline in pencil of the scene. Using Naples yellow, Yellow ochre, Raw Sienna, a touch of orange, staying with the mix adding a touch of blue. letting it dry in between layers. Carrying on with darker tones for the houses and the foreground, reflections, rocks and the pebbles. This was a pleasant exercise. And I was happy with the result.

Gouache Rock structure

Using mixed media board making a nice solid base. Using HIMI Gouache paints. Sketching out the shape of the rock face took me a while getting the proportions as near as possible. The sky came first, the nature of the paint needed many layers of Cerulean blue, continuing with grey for the clouds (mixing white with a little black) using a small amount on the stones in the rock face and mountain. Going around this with shades of brown and orange. This took a long time.
Week 2. Taking my time starting with the bushes and the foreground area and the background mountains. Putting the finishing touches of black and white giving it a more realistic look. I found painting with gouache quite difficult to get right so my experience with this exercise wasn’t the best I’ve had.

Acrylic Winter Village Sunlight 1

This my first attempt of an acrylic version of an oil painting by a Russian artist Alexander Bobrov. I used an A4 acrylic pad, covering the surface with alight duck egg blue as a background. I continued with a sketch in pencil of the buildings and trees then went over it with fine liner, mixing burnt umber with a little Payne’s grey for the darker areas of the buildings, and for the snow on the rooves and shadows of the buildings I mixed blue and white. I used these colours for the sky adding a small amount of yellow ochre, finally I used burnt umber and pale blue for tree trunks, The leaves, using a rigger brush for the branches. My thought on this exercise were mixed, although I enjoyed the process it was a little too unstructured for me.

Vibrant Forest Trees

Part 1,
This exercise was to be done over 2 weeks. I started with A4 Acrylic paper taping to create a border. Putting a base colour of Naples Yellow as a background, letting that dry, I made a pencil sketch. Painting the sky in first, and the hills and background trees. Moving to the main forest tree to give it some structure I left it there to be continued next week,
Part 2.
I realised by using Naples yellow my background was too pale, so I added Cad yellow to some parts of it. I continued to add red to the mix to make the orange leaves, going over it in layers, next I concentrated on the tree details and branches. The foliage and plants in the foreground were the last thing.
I thoroughly enjoyed doing this painting, it was cheerful, and I was happy with the result.

Remembered Gate Ohio

For this exercise I used A4 Bristol board, but on reflection I'm not really sure this was the best choice of paper. To start I divided the paper into 4 equal squares, I started with the outlines of the buildings, trees, then the gates and the foreground, using a pencil, with a light touch.
Next changing to carbon pencils, I went over the sketch with a B2, then I put in some shading with a B4, going over the gates and darker areas with a B6. In my eyes it was too dark for me, so I removed some of the darker areas with an electric eraser, it may have been that I was a bit heavy handed, or the the grade of pencil was too high.
My thoughts on the end result was it looked like a stormy day.
This was quite a challenge, but very enjoyable.
I also did a scaled down version for my journal.

Part two of cottage task

This was in a similar style, I used the original image rather than the sketch for observation, I pencilled the outline. Then going over it with fine liner pens. There was a lot more detail on this cottage and garden. On the sky I used wet on wet curlean blue, Mixing ultramarine blue and white for the roof, Burnt Sienna for the brickwork, and diluted red for the small side roof. Various shades of green for the foliage and trees, another very enjoyable exercise.

Cottage

I used A4 water colour Daler and Rowney Aqua fine texture paper; to start I taped around the edges to create a border.
I did a light sketch of the cottage in pencil; I had a good idea on the perspective and felt it was reasonably accurate, I continued with putting in the walls and a few lines to show the slope in front of the building, creating a garden area, putting in some trees and bushes.
I went over the whole pencil drawing with a putty rubber to take away some of the pencil marks. Next thing was to go over the whole sketch in fine liner pens. Taking my time, I used blue water colour wash over the sky, various greens for the trees and bushes. Yellow ochre for the shrubs at the base of the building and wall. With Paynes grey and white wash on the stone wall and foreground. It was a very relaxed class very enjoyable.

Graphite landscape

Using Bristol board for this project, I taped around the paper giving it a small border. I started with a light sketch, marking in the tree trunk around one third from the top using this as a guide, leaving enough room below for the reflections and foreground, I concentrated on the tree, using a 3B graphite pencil this worked well on the smooth board, for the background trees I used a 2B pencil strokes going different directions, and more pressure this added shading to the scenery and reflections on the water. I continued to layer the grass bit by bit putting in plenty of detail as I could. I then went over the darker areas with a 7B Pencil; to finish I used an electric eraser for the white parts, I need more practice with that its not easy. This was a pleasant exercise, and I liked the result, and enjoyed the class.

Charcoal dog

began using A4 multimedia paper, marking the paper into quarters, a perfect size for the head. I sketched the outline in pencil, continued with the features, getting the eyes as level as possible. Going around both the eyes with charcoal stick, working the strokes in the direction of the fur, leaving the area in between white, this gave the portrait perspective, and the features were now beginning to take shape. I didn’t take as much care as I should have with this part, and I was getting the paper really messy smudging parts of the drawing. I continued to add more layers working with charcoal sticks around the nose and mouth. Using soft charcoal pencil, I did the shading under the chin. He looks a sad little mutt, but I enjoyed the process, and I intend to do this again using a smoother different paper. The multimedia paper was a bad choice, it showed lots of lines, my technique needs work.

Colourful Duck Pen and watercolour

This project was ideal for me, as I like working with pen and ink.
Using A4 watercolour paper, I sketched the outline in pencil, making sure that I kept the
Proportions as near as I could, I tend to put as much detail as I can. Using fine liners I carefully did the darker parts of the feathers and felt as though it was taking shape nicely. I used watercolour wash, of lemon yellow with a very small amount of white, colbat blue with a little white, Raw sienna. Taking my time and letting each colour dry before continuing, then adding more layers for effect. I went over parts with a fine liner to make them stand out.
I did try to splatter the paint but it didn’t look right, so I used a poetic license with it and added grass, a little duckling and a background wash.
I enjoyed this task immensely, and was happy with the end result.

Acrylic - Scotish harbour

Using square canvas board, the first step was to paint the whole surface with Naples yellow, letting it dry I continued by drawing a grid in pencil, this helps me with perspectives, then going over the actual sketch with fine liner.
Sketching this beautiful sunset was a pleasure, using colbat blue with touch of white as a base layer, the did the sun in maple yellow. This worked well.
I then continued going over the sky with touch of ultramarine and white.
Using the Naples yellow to create a reflection on the water using the paint I had already mixed. Going on to the buildings I continued very carefully the white buildings, adding a mixture of black and white for the roofs making some grey and some black. I put in the greens and browns for the land at the side of the buildings.
This was where this class ended for part 1.

Week 6 part 2.
I started by changing my mind on the size of the sun, making it smaller I thought it was out of proportion for the painting. I continued by going over the sky adding more of the same shades as last week, then adding a slight touch of red and white to give it a little atmosphere.
Concentrating on the water I used blue grey Mixtures trying to use a few squares,
Then adding burnt sienna squares as a reflection.
Continuing along the harbour wall with greys, black, burnt sienna and orange.
Working carefully on the larger boat, I used black burnt sienna and white.
With the smaller boats I used white and burnt sienna.
That was all I wanted to do with this painting, it was a very enjoyable exercise.

Summer Beauty

Summer Beauty part 1
For this exercise I was really adventurous by using a canvas board larger than an A4.
With this exercise i started by covering all the canvas with a mixture of lemon yellow,
cadmun orange, and burnt umber. l used a flat wide brush, using broad strokes making it as smooth as possible, and ended up making it look very much like teak. Letting this dry, then adding a low tack masking tape around all the edges, for the border effect at the end.
Starting with the sky area, using cobalt blue, ultra marine and white, adding a touch of crimson around the edge of the white clouds. Using the ultramarine for the small area of sea below the sky. Moving on, mixing Naples yellow and white with some light greens, covering the bottom area of the canvas. Moving over to the right side for the trees adding a touch of black and more lemon yellow on this first layer, letting it dry then going over it again. I left it at this point to continue next week.

Summer beauty part 2.
Using the same colours light and dark greens, making strands of foliage over the base colours already on the canvas then adding small amounts cadmun orange, and burnt sienna to make it look like a meadow, concentrating on the darker area of the hedge section by adding a little bit of black and greens to continue on with flowers. Using all the colours I already have, painting the flowers, by adding blues reds yellows pinks and white. Removing the tape the border was very effective, that was all the time I had in class, so I left out the shadows on the edges.
This was a very bold move for me, and I enjoyed every part of it, especially as I am getting quicker with painting in class each week. Acrylics are becoming more manageable and I like using canvas board.

Clouds and Sky 1 and 2

This is a new approach for me, I used an A4 mixed media paper, I find the surface suitable for this exercise. The aim is to split the canvas into 2 equal sections and demonstrate 2 images of skies with different landscapes.
To begin, paint the whole paper with a mixture of yellows, browns and a touch of orange, leave to dry and then use low tack masking tape around the edges creating a border, then a strip of tape across the Center ready for both images.
I then did a sketch of both images in ink to keep them in proportion.
Rob our tutor demonstrates the first of the images.
I started with sky 1, using Colbat blue, white and ultramarine starting from dark to light.
Clouds came next, then continued on down to the mountain range painting this with black and ultramarine. The area with trees mixing blue and yellow making it dark green.
Next the strip of land in front of the trees with yellow and burnt sienna, continuing on painting the water in blues, lastly adding the grass and tree reflections.

Clouds and sky 2.
Starting at the top with white, burnt sienna, cad yellow adding burnt sienna and a little black for the darker colours. This continued right down to the trees.
This process took many layers to get the tones right, by adding more burnt sienna, Orange, white and yellow it worked very well. By adding darker colours for the foreground mountain range and the trees and then light on the water completed the painting. Removing the tape, the finished painting looked fine.
I really enjoyed this exercise, and my aim this term is to complete my work in class.

House on the bridge

This is my second attempt at this project, on the first effort I added a background that didn’t go well.
I started again using A4 watercolour paper, I divided the area into quarters to get the proportions of the buildings right. Using fine liner pen and then dipping ink I continued to draw an outline sketch of the building, then filled in the roof and brick details, being as careful as possible using free hand.
I used watered down ink to add shading, I added my own version of a tree to balance the image. This was a joy to do, pen and ink being one of my favourite mediums.

Old Door

I used Aquafine watercolour A4 paper, taping around the edges to make a border. I started with a light sketch, then wet the paper and used fine washes of blues on the door and background adding naples yellow and yellow ochre, using these colours on the foreground. On the roof I used pale tones of browns then added small areas of dark browns. I used black around the edges of the door, on the steps I used pale grey and white. The branches were light and dark greys.
This was pleasant enough to do, but I should have taken more time on it.

Trees in ink

For this project I used Langton watercolour paper A4 Landscape. I started by taping around the edges to create a clean border, then I marked off the foreground area as a guide. The next step was to spray water to the righthand side of the paper then using a bamboo sharpened stick and ink, I drew in the first of the trees. The effect was amazing the ink spread across and down the paper making it look really eerie and whippy. I added more ink strokes making the trunks darker and more solid. Letting it dry I moved over to the left of the page and repeated the process, letting the water carry the ink in all directions. I went over parts of the trees first with fine strokes, then heavier ones making the effect look solid. I let this dry out, then using water colour cobalt blue wash I painted in the sky, dabbing off some of the excess to make some areas appear paler, allowing the white to show through. Concentrating on the foreground I used a naples yellow wash as a base, going over it with various Yellows, greens and browns for the foliage adding tufts of grass to finish off. This was a real pleasure to do, and I hope it will be included in next year’s programme.

Church in winter

I used an A 4 Landscape watercolour paper I did a light sketch of the scene to get the right dimensions, I started with the sky I wet the paper then added a layer of blue, sticking with this colour I painted in the stream taking some of the colour off to give it a pale watery look, letting that dry, and going back up just below the sky I added some Naples yellow as background colour behind the building. I put the building in and added various shades of green and browns, shaping the scenery and trees, including the fence. I concentrated on the foreground with similar shades, adding touches of green blue and grey. This was a pleasant task.

Pastel building

Using Sienna pastel mat paper, I taped the edges to the required size, I did a sketch of the image in white pastel as a guide. Starting at the top I used a creamy colour graduating to blue a mixture of light and dark shades. On the background I used various greens and yellow, adding shaded area around the roof of the building. On the roof I used lemon yellow, pale blue and white. The walls were grey, then on to the foreground, was made up of orange yellow and greens, with a little red.
His was my second attempt on the first one I used a darker shade of paper that didn’t work for me. I was happy with the result and enjoyed it.

Acrylic building

Using acrylic paints on this task I decided to experiment with each image using different paper materials. The first was a 5”x 5” of the house, using acrylic paper I taped around the border making it exactly the right size. I starter with a acrylic wash of naples yellow as a background layer. I did a light sketch of the house and background ie. the sky and trees, just for guidance i find this helps me. I used cobalt blue adding a few layers to get a darker effect, letting small areas of the light colour showing through to give a more realistic impression. I added darker greens for the side hedges, using burnt sienna and burnt umber for the trees behind the house. On the roves I used blues and greys, and white for the front of the house, this went well over the Naples yellow. On the forefront I used cad orange, and small areas of light green for foliage, it was different working in a small area, but I enjoyed it.

Landscape in acrylic

The next 5”x 5” using multimedia board, I taped the exact size finding this ver pleasant to work with, a very solid base. For the background I used acrylic was of Naples yellow, I let that dry and went over the whole sky area with cobalt blue, ultra marine and a small amount of black making it look darker in patches giving it more moody look, adding grey and white getting to the foreground, covering this with Naples yellow, dark green and raw sienna.
I enjoyed working on this exercise, and got used to the size.

Big barn

I used landscape Canson Multimedia paper for this part of the exercise, using the same method of taping the border to give it straight edges. I sectioned effect the paper into quarters, to get the prospectives, i sketched the barn. Then I carried on with a background wash of pale blue to see if this would work. The sky was made up of layers cobalt blue, adding darker shades of greys with white and Naples yellow for a contrast. I used burnt sienna on the shadows of the barn and along the lower foreground in front of the barn, using darker shades of browns the main foreground, adding small black areas for effect. This was a better size to work with but just as enjoyable.

Bird in pastel

This exercise was a joy to do, I used [pastel mat mid sienna colour, slightly bigger than an A5. Using soft pastels. I made an outline sketch of the bird and the branches.
Starting with the outline of the head head and the eyes, then the beak, filling these in black, leaving a small area or the whites of the eyes, using variations of blue colours I did the head and feathers down the back and the tail. Next came the body using yellows and oranges and using white going on to the lower feathers. The branches I covered in dark brown, not forgetting the claws I used black. The background was the last to do using various greys and blues and mid browns.
I thoroughly enjoyed this project, and I was very happy with the outcome.

Exercise 12 Prairie Sky Artist Joseph Alleman.

Using a canvas pad, and acrylics. I covered the whole area with a wash of Burnt Sienna, I did use a light pencil grid,

Then sketched the whole scene in pencil, just going over the building and the clouds in ink fine liner.

I had cerulean blue for the sky, and ultra marine with a little white, I added just a little paynes grey.

I achieved the straight lines with tape and used black for the visable areas of the roof, and the doors and windows.

The facia boards I used pale grey. I continued to paint the building in white.

I used naples yellow to make the foreground look like a beach area, adding just a few small reeds to make it realistic.

This exercise was a delight to do, I really enjoyed the whole process, and realised I need to invest in a better quality of paint.

Week 11 - Acrylic - Cottage by the water

I started this in class, then continued at home, the idea was to use a palette knife and brush,

I’m afraid a palette knife is a step too far for me.

I started with a Burnt Sienna wash for the background. Then did an ink sketch.

I carried on with the sky and the pond using ultramarine and a little white.

The next step was the tree and bushes, mixing blue and Burnt Umber with some sap green.

I went on, starting with the roof of the cottage, then returning to the sky adding the white,

I continued the white on the outside of the cottage.

Ending with the mid area, using creams, greens and light grey.

I must confess I found this exercise quite difficult, my cottage looked wonky,

and I wasn’t very happy with the final work

Week 10 Acrylic Winter 's here by Steve Hall.

This exercise is done on A4 Canvas Board, this feels very different, but i like the solid feel of the board. I did the outline sketch just to give some perspective, putting in the stile and the hedges i did this with pencil, and Acrylic Burnt Sienna wash at home, then went over it with Pen in class. Unfortunately my wash wasn't as srtong as it should have been, our tutor Rob explained that painting white on white or pale wash would not get the desired snow effect, this made sense, so i added a srtonger wash leaving that to dry, ithen i continued with the sky using pale blue, i painted the background going around the trees, i continued with the trees outlining the middle areas and filling in the foliage with burnt sienna and a little blue mix.The hedges came next, with naples yellow when that was dry came other layers of brown. I went over the tree trunks with paynes grey, raw umber and shades of burnt sienna. I put the snow areas in making the painting come to life. I concentrated on the shadow of the tree with deeper blue and added some violet, with white to tone it down. The tree foliage was a bit of a problem, i did the best i could on these areas, but felt it could have been better.
It certainly looks better at a distance.
Must try harder next time.

Week 9 Firle Beacon landscape. Pastels by Steve Hall after Frank Wootton

For this exercise i used beige clarefontaine pastelmat paper, using tracedown i drew an outline of the landscape. The using soft pastel sticks i started at the top with the sky leaving the cloud area empty, putting various shades of blue and working it in with my fingers, the colours were vibrant at the top shading with lighter as i worked down the sky area.
Still using pastel sticks, i concentrated on the clouds , using white, violet, pink and yellow the closest i could get. Using cream colour i created an area between the sky down to the land. I used paste pencil for the far landscape as this was a small area, pencils are easier to manage, and allowed me to draw straight edges for the hills. Then again on the hills i used greens , browns, orange, in different strengths. Using the same colours in the foreground area, adding trees, grass, and small buildings, then using lilac in small areas of the landscape to represent lighter patches of colour.
I was very pleased with the end result a real learning curve for me, and I found it theraputic.

Week 8 Sycamores in snow by Peter Cronin.

I started this exercise with A4 beige pastelmat paper, using the same processas the last exercise I used trace down paper
to sketch out an outline of the trees, I used soft pastel sticks and added white to start the sky, blending carefully as I went
along. Using dark browns for the bushes, in thin layers. I continued with the foreground, using white pastel sticks, with pale
blue. Putting more foliage on the top of the trees, and finishing it with the gate, fence and grass sprouting through the snow.
I was quite pleased with the end result.

Week 7. Pastel Pathway to the Forest By Michael Breton.

I decided to use white trace down paper on beige Pastelmat for this exercise to get the proportions right.
Starting at the top I put on dark blue and blended it in, then adding a pale blue on top with touches of white for the sky.
Leaving areas clear for the tree trunks, I added outlines of the trees next, with black pastel sticks.
Filling in the trunks later. Moving on to the pathway using pastel pencils in various light and dark colours of cream, blue,
orange, green and pink pencils, finding these easier to control.
Continuing with these colours adding more detail to the drawing on the floor of the forest, using my fingers lightly to blend
the pastels. I had to finished this at homeI thoroughly enjoyed this exercise, and will be quite happy to continue with Pastels.

Charcoal after Jake Spicer

With the first glance at this drawing, it was clearly going to be a challenge, I sarted out with watercolour paper, and as per the instructions
started with the Trees. I drew the thick outlines with charcole pencil but didn't use water as suggested, filling in the tree trunks to give it some structure, but kept my attempt dry.
Next i sketched along the the back landscape, I managed to get it in propotion.
Working from top to bottom i continued with the rocks and paths, and put in the 5 bar gate and fencing, the drawing was really taking shape.
Then disaster struck and I completly made a hash of the grass area, I got the grass strokes much too long and it quickly bcame a wilderness.
So I started, again this time, I used Bristol Board paper, this had a completely different feel to my work, it was much smoother, using the same technique, I made sure my grass strokes we much shorter.
This had the desired effect.
I enjoyed this task, it was a bit messy, but I was happy with the result

Cat on a Window Watercolour

I used watercolour paper A 4 for this project, staring with a pencil sketch, it needs to be loosely drawn because it’s supposed to look quite rustic.

The idea is to go over it in pen (remember to rub out the pencil) then add the stonework. This looks like a simple task, but the trouble I had was mixing the different colours.

I used Yellow Ochre. And a mixture of Payne’s grey Yellow Ochre, also ultramarine blue Watercolour, and pale orange, and warm colours for the stones, making sure the white areas were left t create the window frames, for my cat I used Payne’s Grey it certainly stood out.

I feel as though I captured the image and got the prospective fairly. Accurate.

This was a pleasant exercise, I really enjoyed it.

A lazy rest at St Fagan’s Part 2

This part of the exercise needed more in depth detail and having done this once, I had more of an idea how to proceed.

I continued as before and did a pencil sketch taking more time to get the details as accurate as possible, once I was happy I went over it in ink.

The sheep were just as difficult second time around, needs improvement there.

I started with a light wash of sap green for the background, making sure I let each layer dry before continuing.

I added darker tones of green for the leaves and hedges.

The sheep came next, I think I got the general gist of the shapes, and I felt as though I got the grass to look quite realistic.

Last came the tree trunks, I think this was the best part of the painting for me,

I found this exercise very therapeutic and enjoyed the whole process.

Sheep resting (1)

This was a pleasant exercise, starting with a quick pencil sketch (well as quick as I could be) then went on to do the outlines in pen using an ink fine liner.

The sheep were very difficult to draw, but moving on i did a water colourwash.

in various shades of green, starting with pale greens leaving that to dry and adding darker colours for the leaves and foliage. Carrying on with the trees and sheep.

The ground cover was last.

Monochrome head portrait

This is my second atempt at this exercise, I started again on Water Colour Paper and using a grid, drawing the outline of the Portrait.
Sketching in more details such as the eyes, nose, hair and beard, Then taking care to erase the grid lines as i went along. The next stage was to use a diluted Black light wash, being very careful to let the layers dry before adding more paint. I continued making the Water Colour deeper shades of Black. I found this task very demanding, primarily trying to get the shading right and with a lot of patience i felt as though i got the essence of It in the end. It took me a long time to complete but I was happy with the result. Another Task to add to my skills.

Biro Challenge Lemur

This really was a project with a difference, It required a Canvas board, Biro and Acrylic paint for the background, a first for me.
The idea was to lightly sketch the outline of the Lemur with pencil, and then carry on with the Biro putting in the face, next concentrating on the eyes.
Usingthe Biro, I continued using small pushing strokes representing the black areas of fur leaving the rest area around the body and tail white to make it look like stripes.
This took a very long time and a lot of patience, but I found it very thearpeutic. I added my own choice of an Acrylic background to finish off, as this was optional.
I enjoyed the process although, it was quite tricky and needed a lot of imagination.

Pen and Water Colour Sepia

I was unable to attend class unfortunately, so for this task i had to work on it at home.To start I did a light Pencil sketch getting things in prospective, not an easy task for me. The subject was quite simple, and was ment to look rustic and old.
After completing the sketch, I continued by going over the whole outline in Sepia ink fine liner pen. I used Sepia Water Colour wash for the first layer, then added stronger paint for the next few layers, letting each layer dry before carrying on, for the last layers the darker parts and shadows I added a tiny amount Black and Paynes Grey.
To finish off I used a light wash of Yellow Ochre for the background. That was a personal choice to keep the theme of old and rustic.
The written instructions I had from Rob our Tutor was a great help to me working alone at home.

View to Serenity.

I started with a basic sketch, and doing this in watercolour on multi media paper, first I used

a light wash of yellow ochre making it easier to put darker colour on the next layer. I made hard work of this task, because I wasn’t keen on it being so dark, I kept changing my mind on colours, this didn’t help,

I used thinner lines to make the archway more definite giving it more of a shape. I used blues and greens for the background and pale browns and grey and blue for the floor. I tried to get the shadows right to see if that would help. Although I struggled with this project I hope I captured the concept. This was one that got away.

Week 7 Acrylic Welcome in on Canvas board By James Richards.

This was a first for me on canvas pad and our tutor Rob gave us plenty of scope to make this image our own, I feel as though I did just that, it never ceases to amaze me how different each member of the

Class does something different, I like the medium of Acrylic it gives the image a bolder appearance.

I added lots more detail in this task, but felt as though I had the main parts in place.

I did a basic sketch with pencil as a guideline, I did stick to the colours as near as possible but felt as if it was missing something, so that’s when I added pot plants and a blossom tree. I used Blue , reds

Pink, greens and white with darker tones for the shadows. It was different from the original but as you can layer acrylic you can change colours at will. I loved the canvas look of the painting,

and will be happy to do more of this medium. I enjoyed this exercise very much, it gave me lots of

interest and found it quite therapeutic.

Week 6 Road to somewhere!!! part 2

This Marla Baggetta Painting was originally done in pastel, but the class will be doing it in Watercolour/gouache.

The first thing I did was a light sketch in pencil on watercolour paper, this helps me getting the prospective right. I wet the whole area, in watercolour paints I then added pale yellows and pale blues for a background on the sky, then added sap green for the trees and blue with a touch of pale violet for the pathway. Leaving that to dry completely, I continued adding more detail such as yellow for the fields, with added yellow ochre,

To make it look more vibrant, giving it a summery appearance. The next step was to add pale grey and brown for the fence

posts, with thin lines making up the wires in between the posts, also using the same colours in the borders along the pathways. I continued in stages for the trees, putting tree trunks and branches in with various shades of light and dark green for the tree foliage. Also using pale sienna and orange along the grassy borders.

I then moved on with Gouache using Lemon yellow, Ultra marine blue and white amongst the darker shades of the greenTrees. Mixing brown blue and red for darker areas along the fence. My colour mixing outcome is more by luck than judgement.

I had a very enjoyable time with this exercise I was happy with the outcome and mixing the different mediums of paint on the

Paper at he same time gives you a good contrast between the results you can get.

Old cottage

I enjoyed this exercise very much, The first thing I did was to draw the outlines in Pencil then went over it in ink. I put in as much detail as was required to get the shape. The instructions were to use just one colour. I started with a very weak water colour, using Warm Burnt Sienna. I continued using a stronger colour layer by layer. I then went over the outlines with ink. I was pleased with the result.

Aberystwyth

This was a project and a half, a landscape image using 2 A4 sheets of paper width wise side by side.

This took some planning, my approach was to do half at a time (then stick them together). I used pencil sketch to get the perspective right, then went over it in ink.

The first attempt I did on sketch paper, I did more detail than required, I managed to get them in line

And was happy with the outcome. Done on sketch paper it wasn’t suitable for Watercolour so I decided to start again using Mixed Media paper, I used the same approach as the first one doing one half at a time. I finished off using pastel shades of water colour. I enjoyed doing this exercise, but the central join wasn’t so good, I may try again with A3 landscape paper.

Country lane road

This Rural Scene Richard Thorn Scene by Richard Thorn was interesting, I started with an outline sketch.
I felt as if I didn't quite get the perspectives right on this one.
My path didn't have enough distance, it looked a bit squashed and short, the
area on the left could have had been wider.
I was happy with the main Tree; I like painting trees.
I started the painting in class and finished it off at home. Another exercise
I enjoyed.

Summer Scene by David Howell

Well Rob said to go big, and this is as big as I could manage, I made an outline of the hills in the background and the spire,

house and fields in the foreground.

This gave me an idea of where I was going, getting the prospective and proportions right. Starting with the watercolour at

The top on the sky, letting each layer dry before adding on any more paint, using up similar colours on other parts of the paper

Throughout. I am pleased with the outcome, and had more success with the colours on this project. I added the trees and rushes

and went into more detail on the house and stream.

I am very happy with this painting and thoroughly enjoyed doing this painting

Floral Display watercolour by Jeremy Ford

This is something I really enjoy doing, first you think it’s going to be simple, I made a sketch of the flowers and leaves,

but I struggled with the different shades of greens.

I put the layers in order, and this helped me to see where I needed to go in the process. It began to take shape.

All in all it was an enjoyable task, and will try it again to see if I can improve the flowers and the leaves making them more precise.

Architectural painting Watercolour by Michael Solovyev

I started by Drawing a light sketch of building in pencil on watercolour paper A4.

Using cobalt blue I started on the sky, then adding a touch of crimson I continued with the main building.

Moving over to the other building adding burnt sienna, making this a diluted colour,

making sure to let it dry, adding more layers of the same mix on the dried ones.

When I was happy I added Sap green and hookers green to make the foliage to the lower part of the painting.

I used yellow ochre, just for a little warmth.

Going over the darker areas just to give it some definition.

Exercise 6 Gouache Landscape Painting

This exercise was so much harder than it looks, I used mixed Media paper i wanted as smooth a surface as possible.Starting with a pencil sketch,
I used Ultra marine blue which was too dark, this put me off a bit, but i kept going hoping to correct this later on. I left spaces for the clouds to be added on later.
I used masking tape to allow me to get straight lines, not ideal, but it did help. Mixing the yellows i applied these light on dark using the paint by not over mixing.
Using varied shade of green i put in the bushes and trees, making the trees very dark green. I did the clouds grey and white, and the last thing was a few bits of grass in the foreground. This should have been a smooth finnish, sadly i didnt achive this due to the consistency of my paint. must try harder.

Taj Mahal

This Painting i started from scratch in class, using watercolour paper and by making a fine sketch to have something to follow, i am inproving with my prespectives.
Starting with the sky area, using pale blue, my imagination doesn't allow me to see the end result, but i go on as instructed and it begins to makes sense as i progress.
using raw sienna and pale red and blue continued down the page slowly with each colour.
Adding the buildings, they were not very straight, doing my best to give them some distance. I didnt get the reflections in the water at all, but may give it another try.
Adding bushes and green area to the forefront did all i could to this effort. As always i enjoyed the process hopefully learning as i go along.

Exercise 4 by John Harrison in Pen and Watercolour, Farm Buildings.

I chose to do the whole scene, starting with fine liner pen, on watercolour paper.

I took my time with sketching, always having the option to add extra pen strokes after using watercolour.

Starting with the sky, using Cerulean blue and white for the clouds, then mixing yellow Ochre and green for the background hills with a touch of yellow, I used these colour on the grass areas in the foreground, and then on to the bricks on the buildings using greys and white for the paler parts. I thoughraly enjoyed this process and will try more option in this style. I feel as though I did get the proportions right in this task, and I was really pleased with the outcome.

Field of Poppies Acrylic

Well back to class, all clear. We will be working with Acrylics on this task.

This was started by sketching the scene in pencil, this is how I prefer to work, as I need to have the an idea of the sizes to get the distances In proportion.

I started with the sky there will be an option to change this later if this

Isn’t what I want. Next came the background trees, trying to keep the edges soft.

Using various shades of greens and yellow. The poppies were added, I felt as if I didn’t get this part of the painting quite right as my poppies could have been better,

The colour wasn’t quite right. The last step were the figures in the foreground, these were quite tricky. I had fun with this one, not sure if Monet would have approved.

Dereclict buildig ink and wash

Unfortunately I was at home for the second part of this exercise, with the dreaded Covid, but I wasn’t ill. I followed Rob's notes and thought I had a slight improvement getting the proportions right. Still not sure on the perspectives though. I missed going to class and having the help of my class mates. Adding the colour to it made quite a difference. So glad that I had the notes to refer to as I struggle to get the mix right, I added a few extra details in pen but the end result was quite pleasing.