Sketching and painting videos
When I started out as an urban sketcher and landscape artist I was desperate to know if I was fighting an uphill battle by not having the right art equipment. It can be quite a mesmerising choice with so many companies and blogs trying to win you over. Finding what is most comfortable for you is the key. There will always be new product temptations. The videos below offer a small selection from from my larger Youtube page that offer some insight into my sketching process and use of watercolours. Please let me know what you think in the comments - most of my videos are created from feedback and requests from my followers on social media.
I tend to use regular fineliners, Moleskine Watercolour Art books and paints from Deep Deep Light and Derwent. Whatever your kit, you can start sketching and enjoy. It needn't cost the earth and a lot of my work uses very simple watercolour tubes and cheap pens.
Cloud Breaks process
The full watercolour wash process. Dark December tones flood the page in this uncut video that shows the Inktense paint and paper handling some heavy water use.
Big colours on Inktense paper
A welcome break to the Autumn rains. This video speeds through my signature skies and bold colour use. I used Derwent Inktense paints on A3 Derwent Inktense paper.
Adding the colour in my recognisable style
Using the Inktense paint range from Derwent to add drama and artistic license to one of my urban sketches. This depicts a scene from my local town Taunton. I opted to use a brush pen with an inbuilt water reservoir. These are super handy little brushes that offer great control over water flow.
An overview of my reguar sketching and painting kit
I get many questions on the range of pens, paints and paper I use, so I've put together this quick overview of the selection of media use for the majority of my sketches and larger artworks.
The Baltic Sketching Festival July 2021
An edited version of my one hour online demo session at the Baltic Sketching festival.
My planned session, 'Fast and fluid city sketching', covered of a range of topics to help beginners and the more experienced get to grips with quick mark making and capturing scenes with continuous line sketching for free and expressive line work.
Continuous line sketching
The antidote to creative sketching blocks and indeed the technique I now use regularly to keep scenes simplified and fluid
This video shows the process in full flow.
Painting with 'Deep Deep Light' watercolours
In early 2021 I was gifted a set of beautiful watercolours from Latvia and now use them regularly.
This video shows my technique of a Bath, Somerset scene
Postcard sketching
One of my real joys is making and sending original painted watercolours. Here's my quick line sketch on watercolour postcard paper.
Keep watching for a link to the painting video
Dark postcard skies
Another postcard example, this quick video explores my fluid watercolour application. Lots of dark tones colliding amongst a lot of water