Monday 28 March 2016

It's nice to be a guest sometimes


I have a lot of ideas of possible blog posts, and want to get them written more regularly. However it was rather interesting to be writing a Guest Post and answering someone else's questions. Thanks for featuring me Charlie.

Here's the post.



There have been 150 or so other artists featured too so well worth a look :-) and Charlie's critters are delightful.

Sunday 27 March 2016

Mulitpersonality pigments - PV19

As people become more aware of the pigments in the paint they are using, they start to notice that there are a number of pigments that crop up in completely different coloured paints.
PV19 - pink and rose to crimson to violet
PB36 - turquoise and teal to greenish blue
PR101 - transparent burnt orange to granulating burnt orange to earthy red to very opaque earthy red
and
PBr7 - yellow earth to warm orange browns to dark orange browns to dark cool browns
- are some of the most schizophrenic!

Have a look at the PBr7 and PR101 section in this page of my website and you'll see what I mean. Some pigments cover a small range of colours, like PB29 Ultramarine,  but others seem to cover a very large range not only of hue but also of characteristics. I'll look at PV19 here.

PV19 has a more rose version and a more violet version, though it also appears as a crimson (Alizarin Crimson Quinacridone by Da Vinci) and a dusky pink (rose Madder Permanent Hue by Art Spectrum.) Generally speaking, the more rose version will be called a Quinacridone rose/permanent rose colour where the more violet version will be called Quinacridone Violet or perhaps a magenta or mauve, but it does make it a little difficult to choose a colour based on pigments alone. As always, you need to look at the brand and the name to be sure of what you are getting.




I love Quinacridone Rose as an excellent 'primary' red. It mixes beautiful purples with any blue, especially ultramarine, but also mixes pretty oranges and reds with a yellow. I find the Quinacridone Violet colour less useful as you can make a violet by adding a little blue to the rose, though you can't make a pink by starting with the violet. 

The crimson hues made with PV19 are also useful to consider in a limited palette - Alizarin Crimson (quinacridone) by Da Vinci for example is a more crimson red, but still mixes nice purples and oranges.






Tuesday 1 March 2016

Watercolours and Wine - what a great workshop combination :-)



My next two day workshop is approaching and I am excited to be teaching at Bunnyconnellen in Queensland - you can see all the information here.

http://www.bunnyconnellen.com.au/announcements/watercolour-workshop-with-jane-blundell

This is a two day workshop, but either day will be presented as a stand-alone workshop, so participants can attend either or both days. The first is perfect for those new to watercolour and just getting set up but will also go into more depth for those wanting to understand more about the medium. The second day is for anyone who wants to get out and paint en plein air with their watercolours.

We'll be looked after with lovely lunches on this beautiful vineyard. Book soon!

To Book: Call 07 46979555 or book online for SaturdaySunday or the full weekend workshop.

Urban Sketchers Symposium 7 - Manchester.

General registration begins on the 5th July for the USK Symposium in Manchester in July this year. There will be 500 sketchers, who come from all over the world.

I am really looking forward to presenting my workshop 'Watercolour Your World, One Mix at a Time'. It's all about learning what pigments you need for sketching in order to mix exactly the colour you need quickly and easily - without carrying a large palette!

Here is the workshop information. I've included all the links if you want to find out more about the Urban Sketchers organisation.

#USKManchester2016