My Watercolour Diary

Thanks Caroline and Keith. There's certainly some...

2010-07-30T11:38:33.615+01:00

Thanks Caroline and Keith. There's certainly something magical about the landscape north of the border. Maybe I find it so fascinating because I've lived all my life in Birmingham and your neck of the woods is such a contrast to the landscapes from where I'm from. Once I can work out the logistics, I'm determined to get up there and see it for myself.

I like the rich colours in this one. You do a grea...

2010-07-30T09:49:38.299+01:00

I like the rich colours in this one. You do a great job of capturing the atmosphere. As Caroline says, you are really in tune with these subjects.

You have captured the misty mountains in the dista...

2010-07-29T01:07:05.980+01:00

You have captured the misty mountains in the distance very well Steven. You are a highland laddie! you get so much joy painting these bonny Scottish scenes.

Thanks Keith. I remember watching a documentary a...

2010-07-22T09:07:46.711+01:00

Thanks Keith. I remember watching a documentary a couple of years ago. They flew a helicopter along the west coast of Scotland. It was the most spectacular scenery I've ever seen. I must get up there one day.

I don’t mind a bit of rain Caroline. I bet the vi...

2010-07-22T09:03:44.675+01:00

I don’t mind a bit of rain Caroline. I bet the views are still nice!

You do these imaginary paintings so well; your hea...

2010-07-21T22:01:11.362+01:00

You do these imaginary paintings so well; your heart must be in the Highlands!

You wouldn't like it here today Steven the rain is...

2010-07-21T12:15:22.730+01:00

You wouldn't like it here today Steven the rain is heavy and constant. You are painting well at the moment you must be feeling very inspired.

Many thanks Caroline for your comments.

2010-07-21T10:34:05.770+01:00

Many thanks Caroline for your comments.

It is summer time in your painting Steven. Anothe...

2010-07-20T15:21:15.195+01:00

It is summer time in your painting Steven. Another lovely fresh watercolour painting with a beautiful blue sky.

Many thanks Caroline and Keith for your kind comme...

2010-07-20T09:29:02.930+01:00

Many thanks Caroline and Keith for your kind comments.

I can't really add anything to what Caroline has s...

2010-07-19T22:29:12.616+01:00

I can't really add anything to what Caroline has said. This looks perfect to me.

Beautiful painting Steven, the perspective is wond...

2010-07-19T15:18:44.069+01:00

Beautiful painting Steven, the perspective is wonderful and I like the soft colours used for this atmospheric painting.

Thanks Caroline, I'll try and write a post about s...

2010-07-15T21:01:40.783+01:00

Thanks Caroline, I'll try and write a post about spicing things up at the easel when we get stuck in a rut.

As far as creating something different to the watercolours, as yet, no. I still feel I have a lot to learn. I've only been painting 4 years so there may be a time in the future when I'll want to try something different. For the moment I'll just keep knocking them out cheap and cheerful on eBay!

Thanks Keith, stop that fiddling!

2010-07-15T20:53:54.093+01:00

Thanks Keith, stop that fiddling!

Knowing when to stop!! that is not so easy to do! ...

2010-07-14T00:58:04.081+01:00

Knowing when to stop!! that is not so easy to do! A very good post Steven. It would be interesting to hear about what we should do when we feel a bit discouraged, tired of the same scenes or style of painting. I actually got stuck recently and had to move away from my usual style of work. I feel better for the change. Do you draw or create something different to the watercolours?

A very good post - I agree with every word. (Exce...

2010-07-13T21:41:40.537+01:00

A very good post - I agree with every word.

(Except, perhaps, the bit about signed paintings - I've even fiddled with those sometimes!)

"I’m thinking next of making a local journey and c...

2010-07-09T21:20:54.790+01:00

"I’m thinking next of making a local journey and combining watercolours with travel writing."

That sounds like a good idea. That's the sort of book that could be sold in local shops; it might interest people who don't normally buy art books as well.

Yes, that is a bit of a pain. I’ve only ever used...

2010-07-09T12:47:13.845+01:00

Yes, that is a bit of a pain. I’ve only ever used Windows so there’s not much I can say to help I’m afraid. But stick with it, I think there’s potential in these books. It’s just a case of finding the right formula. I’m thinking next of making a local journey and combining watercolours with travel writing.

Yes I'm pretty sure I'm going to try it Steven. I ...

2010-07-08T09:34:17.996+01:00

Yes I'm pretty sure I'm going to try it Steven. I think it's going to be a bit more difficult for me though because I don't use a Windows operating system. I use Linux and when I looked at the Blurb website their software only seemed to work with Windows. I can still publish with them if I make up my own PDF files, but I don't think I will be able to use their templates. I need to spend some time looking into the different options.

Thanks Keith for the kind words and encouragement....

2010-07-07T09:52:37.285+01:00

Thanks Keith for the kind words and encouragement.

Are you tempted yet to try a book of your own?

Hi Caroline, thanks for the comments. The 2nd boo...

2010-07-07T09:49:55.955+01:00

Hi Caroline, thanks for the comments. The 2nd book was the Watercolour Diary but again, I don’t think the black and white works. My dad said to me he’d rather pay extra and have one in colour so that’s what I’m doing from now on.

I’ve not received my copy yet of the new book. I’ve ordered one on top grade quality paper so it should look good. You say it’s an achievement, but don’t forget that anyone can do the same as what I’ve done. I’m hoping that entering it in the Photography Book Now competition on Blurb.com will give it some exposure. The proof of the pudding will be whether I can actually sell any copies of the thing.

The book looks really nice and professional Steven...

2010-07-06T23:30:42.268+01:00

The book looks really nice and professional Steven, with a good selection of paintings.

The price is what I would expect to have to pay for an art book of this type.

Beautiful painting Steven, nice harmony and balanc...

2010-07-06T11:17:57.783+01:00

Beautiful painting Steven, nice harmony and balance of colour tones and contrasts. The usual delicate light filtering in from the sky.
You mention you have done two previous books, I thought you had only done the oil painting book.
How do you find the colour plates in your book are you happy with the reproduction of your work? It is quite an achievement Steven, well done on having a collection of your works made into a book. I did have a look and there are lots of beautiful images to view.

Hi Keith, thanks for the comments. Hope you are w...

2010-07-01T10:32:06.378+01:00

Hi Keith, thanks for the comments. Hope you are well.

Thanks Caroline for the kind words. Regarding the...

2010-07-01T10:30:18.117+01:00

Thanks Caroline for the kind words. Regarding the paper, I buy 130lb Fabriano paper in reams of 100 from artdiscount.co.uk basically because it is cheap. Part of my philosophy is that if I can get good results on the lower grade paper then if I ever use the good stuff it should be a lot easier.