Gwenffrwd-Dinas is an RSPB nature reserve out in the wilds of mid-Wales. You could easily miss it driving past, but if you do park up, you're treated to some gorgeous scenery. Here the river Tywi (the longest in Wales) flows past the wooded riverbank then through a rocky gorge on its way down to Carmarthen. Pen and watercolour on watercolour paper (6x8").
A horse with a gasmask was the photo that provoked this. I was imagining other animals so outfitted, and a fish was the craziest. Brown ink, colour pencil and whiteout.
I started messing about with line and wash. I really enjoyed the speed and looseness of working on this piece. In hindsight, I'm wondering if it would be worth working on a larger, more considered version as there is quite a lot of nice texture that is missing here. Pen & watercolour on watercolour paper (4x6").
My last finished painting of 2020. A morning in the woodlands of Ystradfawr Nature Reserve near my home. This is the final result of one of my colour sketches - Spring on the Line. It sold to lady in a care home who's lost her mobility. I hope it gives her a bit of the great outdoors when she's sitting in her room.
A colour sketch of woodland near my home. I'm still not sure whether to turn this into a larger piece or not - or maybe I could switch medium and try it in watercolour?
A colour study for a larger piece. Unfortunately with the larger piece, I screwed up with the thick over thin rule and consequently, the paint cracked after a few months. Frustrated at having to start it again, but lesson learnt.
A colour sketch of Llyn Brianne in preparation for a much larger piece. The sketch was done in acrylic, but then I changed my mind and started the full-sized piece in oils.
A 4x6" colour sketch of Amroth Beach, Pembrokeshire in preparation for a much larger piece. The light that day was gorgeous, but the level of detail in the distance really could do with a larger canvas to make the most of it.
A 4x6" colour sketch of Sgwyd Gwladys in preparation for a much larger piece. Sgwyd Gwladys is a beautiful waterfall - one of many on the Neath 'Waterfall Country' walking route starting in Pontneddfechan.
In late 2018, I started trying to be a bit more playful with art and experiment. This was a quick watercolour sketch I did. I'd like to revisit this one as a full watercolour painting.
My first venture into artist grade colouring pencils - and I'm smitten! I never thought I could achieve such boldness and blendability with them! I'm still getting used to them and will think about choosing smoother paper with less tooth next time. The texture and weight was more for the water-based gouache along with alcohol inks (which are very unforgiving to even primed heavy paper!). Apologies for the unevenness of lighting between the 2 sides of paper; will correct that when I'm making proper image files.
I got a pack of loose watercolour paper from eBay in 2018. The side this was painted on had a really strange pitted texture on it. I thought it might be interesting but I didn't like the way the paint gathered in the pits. I just use it for sketching and testing colours these days.
Daler Rowney and Winsor Newton do a watercolour called Sepia. I absolutely love the tone of the Rowney one and had a play with it here. I'd really like to do a proper sepia painting some day.
New Quay is a quaint little seaside town on the Ceredigion coast. This was my second attempt at pen and wash in 2018 and it totally bombed. I'm not sure there's anything I like about this - the colours, the linework, the lack of texture. Nah! Definitely worth trying again at some point.
