Watercolour painting. A stunning memorial portrait, sunset.

Message to students who are already enroled....

I am in the process of changing this tutorial from a Turner sunrise into my memorial sunset. The Turner sunrise course is still available further down the curriculum, cheers David.

How I painted this stunning memorial sunset watercolour painting.

I take you through every phase of this painting, right from the beginning and show you how you can acheive similar results using your own sketches and photographs as reference material.

I have been painting portraits for over 30 years and this is the first time that I have attempted this effect of painting into the clouds.

It has been a truly rewarding experience and looking at the finished painting on my wall. I see a different aspect every time I look.

I have sped up most of the footage three or four times, students report that this speed along with a real time commentary is just right for optimum learning.

We only use 4 brushes and just 5 colours to make this sunset!

Have a look at the intro videos and I will see you in the first lesson,

David.

The following is re the Turner sunrise painting tutorial.

Many years ago when I stated out painting in watercolours I would look with envy at this painting wishing "if only"and,by learning the same techniques shown here,gradually I became more adept with my brushes and paint and by practicing every day I was able to produce more professional looking paintings

Venice, Looking East from the Guidecca, Sunrise, 1819

This is just one name for this piece because no one can agree where exactly in Venice this is!

The particular beauty of the painting makes it perfect as our reference and we only need to use 4 colors.

You can do this course as often as you like, I would say if you do it at least 3 times you will have your very own JMW Turner masterpiece.

We start by applying our washes and watching how they dry,we use a HAKE brush quite a lot,if you are not familiar with this brush you can watch the half hour free preview where I paint a full picture using only the HAKE,if this does not convince you on this brush nothing will.

When we have finished the background and foreground washes we will build up the middle ground,dont worry if this sounds like too much,many of my students have painted superb pictures by painting along with me.

The last thing we tackle is the boats at the front,we do this in a very impressionistic way which means it does not matter if we are accurate,it is all about the colors so come on in and give it a go,regards

David

Art is such a beautiful way to express yourself and as a watercolor artist for over 30 years I can not urge you enough to give painting in watercolors a try,I never get bored with the effects of the colors on my paper,I still learn new techniques in my work every time I paint something,it is such a free and easy medium and it is well worth the time and effort you may invest.

To paint a watercolor picture is to escape into your own little world where nothing else matters and all your problems and worries can be forgotten, at least for a little while.

To give your own watercolor painting as a gift could not be more rewarding,I never get bored with the expression on the face of a friend or family member when I present them with an original watercolor painting which I have painted specially for them.

The medium of watercolor, for me, is the ultimate medium because even as a complete beginner you can achieve many effects using techniques which sometimes you are taught and sometimes you learn by complete accident which we call "happy accidents",such as when one color runs into another color and creates water marks or bleached paper,this is why sometimes I sit and watch the painting paint itself in front of my very eyes.

Of course now and then it does not work out as I wanted it to but all I have lost is a little bit of paint pigment,a piece of watercolor paper and a little time so I put that piece of paper to one side and start again!

Too many people have a go at painting with watercolors and think that they have to produce a perfect painting every time and they overwork the piece,desperate to get a finished painting to hang on their wall and of course they end up with a mess,get dispirited and give up announcing that they will never be an artist and so never paint again.

I would like to show these people the hundreds of watercolor paintings that didn't work out for me because without making mistakes you can't improve.I keep all my paintings good and bad and I look at the failures quite often,in these failed paintings there is quite often a part of the painting that I really like and I try to remember which technique,which colors I used,which brush made a particular mark on the paper so I can use these same techniques in my future watercolor paintings.

If I was stranded on a desert island,my watercolor kit would be the first thing I would wish for.