Lessons

PINK - hydrangeas

25/2/2026

a couple of reminders about our pink adventure:

my composition needs a lot of work: its fun to paint without drawing first but there can be consequences of not thinking it through. i dont advise this strategy unless you are a very competent sketcher and watercolour painter and have really good quality equipment.
I used colours either side of pink on the colour wheel:
permanent rose, quinacridone magenta, alizarin crimson, translucent orange, cobalt turquoise (because who can resist) and the bluey rubbish muck of my palette.
1st wash - background - top third
wet-in-wet lots of water, around what i think will be white/light AND around flower shapes. Sweep your chosen colors in randomly but thoughtfully, your composition in mind at all times.
paper surface is shiny with water.

lower 2 thirds
same again but this is where i mucked up: i brought the mid-third down too far and didn't leave enough area for the foreground, more on this later.
Using a little less water but a little more paint on your brush, this is key:
to create a slightly deeper tone, shine begins to leave the paper as it starts the drying process, paint mid values. While its still wet, mix darker values ie leven less water on the paper, your brush and in your palette.
I didn't get this far, 2nd wash:
hopefully paper is damp'ish (weather dependent)
more flowers and detail: more line work and stems
pick one or two flowers to focus on, add sharper contrast, lift light while still damp
Have a go at drawing your composition during week, especially a glass or jar with light behind it.
what you don't see today you'll see tomorrow - draw everyday from life!
bring your paintings back to class next week

ciao la mia cara amica xx

LTHIS IS YOUR GOAL:
BE PREPARED TO achieve something else other than apples on a plate!

achieving something else is a bonus firstly because it will be unique and secondly, it makes you think about what YOUR painting needs.

in no particular order, think about:

big, medium and small shapes, variety
shadows describe the subject
chiaroscuro, checkerboard of lights and darks
squint to see values
soft edges and hard edges
its not white - so what is it?
highlight - save and plan whites
wet-in-wet is the key

additional materials:
kneadable eraser
soft pencils
value scale - pencil and paint

MY PROCESS:

i drew a small value sketch, not tidy, but showing where the lights and darks needed to be. this becomes my reference while im painting.

light to mid value underpainting: I PAINTED WITH WATER Around the bowl including the underside. while it was still wet i painted the background with soft sludgy grey and let it run where it wanted to go - wherever the water was.

while still wet/damp and using the same('ish) wash, i painted the front underside with a little burnt sienna added to neutralise

i added the beginnings of stripes with less water, after waiting a few minutes before adding light value red stripes over the grey ones. the painting is not about the red stripes so i must keep them in the background LOW LIGHT.

colours i'm planning:
lemon yellow
permanent rose
alizarin crimson
winsor violet
winsor blue (red)
yellow ochre/burnt sienna
burnt sienna

A TERRIBLE PHOTO FROM MY IPHONE which i have "altered" unsuccessfully! I will not buy another!!

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Amanda's demonstrations include an emphasis on composition, colour, design principles, relationships and values.
By helping you to simplify what you see and how you think, Amanda will work with you to develop quick and energetic painting
skills whilst focusing on your painting "idea".
A wonderful opportunity to paint with a contemporary watercolour master.

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Quality Guarantee: All my watercolours are painted with only modern professional grade watercolour paints on Museum exhibition grade watercolour papers, they are extremely lightfast and will become a family heirloom and passed down to subsequent generations. ALL art of ANY medium should be hung away from direct sunlight. Ifproperly cared for, watercolour paintings will last as long, if not longer, than oil paintings. I only paint on 100% cotton rag paper, mostly Arches and Fabriano, and frame to conservation standard with acid free materials.

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PINK - hydrangeas

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