“ Limitless and immortal, the waters are the beginning and end of all things on earth.” Heinrich Zimmer
Friday, 11 August 2023
“Beach Reflections” A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper
Friday, 3 February 2023
Step by Step, soft pastel forest landscape ( Coorg, Karnataka )
“Perfection is no small thing but is made up of small things.” Michelangelo
Sunday, 28 August 2022
Seascape - A water color Painting on Chitrapat handmade paper
“Translucence is an effect unique to the medium of watercolor and the lure that beckons me into the studio for yet another creative adventure.” Michele Cooper
Using Chitrapat handmade paper has always been a delight. I have written a lot already about the advantages of using this paper in my previous posts and I personally use this paper a lot. Apart from this paper I also like using Arches cold pressed paper and Fabriano Acquarello paper.
For the painting below I have used very few colors, namely raw sienna, burnt sienna, orange and ultramarine blue. Using wet on wet wash technique, I initially painted the sky, the ocean and the sandy beach. Then I let the paper dry. Later I used ultramarine blue and burnt sienna to create the rocky structures in the distance, followed by the ocean and the beach. I also added few sailboats in the distance, using a very dilute wash of ultramarine blue and burnt sienna. The reflections of the rocks were added pretty much in the end. Can you also spot the birds flying in the sky? It was fun painting this seascape which has an overall warm tone and I forgot to mention that I have used Winsor and Newton Cotman paints and Camlin Artist watercolor tubes for this work.
Wednesday, 10 August 2022
Senibel beach Florida , Step by step watercolor painting
“Limitless and immortal, the waters are the beginning and end of all things on earth.” Heinrich Zimmer
My today’s post is a small water colour painting that I created recently on Campap watercolor paper. I posted it on my INSTAGRAM feed a while ago and decided to blog about it as I captured the steps involved in creating it. This Senibel beach scene from Florida is inspired by a photograph from @tryatrip and I am grateful for the same. Most of the times, I try using my own reference photo, however there are times when I come across something beautiful which I cannot resist and therefore go ahead and paint it.
If you have been following my works on INSTAGRAM you would know that I am a lot into Chitrapat handmade paper for my watercolor paintings which is really a great economical paper to start with but sometimes I do try on other papers which are in my collection and are fairly good.
Monday, 3 May 2021
Why I love using Strathmore toned paper
“A beautiful body perishes, but a work of art does not.” Leonardo Da Vinci
Today apart from posting my two more drawings in the “Sparrow series”, I decided to dedicate this post to “How and when I started using Strathmore toned paper” and “what I love most about it”. To be frank, it’s been years and it is difficult to keep a track of lots of things that have happened while I have been moving ahead in my art journey. Therefore my BLOG and INSTAGRAM help me go down the memory lane to browse through the recorded facts and I feel so grateful that I started sharing my artworks with the art community from around the world.
After checking the data I realised that my earliest drawing of “Eye Study” was posted on April 17th, 2017. So it was definitely around that time when I visited Art Lounge, which during those days was situated at Churchgate. I along with a friend of mine had traveled by local train to do our yearly “Art Stationery Shopping”. It see to be fun. I had seen some lovely charcoal and graphite drawings on Strathmore paper and that inspired me to one for myself and check it out. My first pad that I purchased, as shown below, continues to be used even today as there are still some papers left in it.
Wednesday, 28 April 2021
Watercolor thumbnail sketch to simplify the painting process
“It is not the ship so much as the skilful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage.” George William Curtis
Water color medium by itself is challenging medium as compared to others. Therefore before attempting the final painting, I love to explore the different possibilities by doing small “Thumbnail sketch” or “Preliminary Study”.
The subject “Cargo Ship” is a little out of my comfort zone and moreover it also involves the understanding of ship structure in general. Therefore, I felt it appropriate to create the two “Thumbnail sketches” as below to visualise the final painting. It also helps me to simplify a very complicated painting and most importantly it is a great mental warm up exercise.
Both works are created on Chitrapat handmade paper which is made of 100% cotton fibreand very economical too. CLICK HERE to know more about this paper.
For both the paintings as shown below I have used a limited palette of Camlin Artists water color tubes namely
1. Ultramarine Blue
2. Raw Sienna
3. Burnt Sienna
4. Light red
5. Permanent orange
6. Chinese white ( for highlights )
Sunday, 25 April 2021
Sparrow - A Graphite drawing on Strathmore gray toned paper
“A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because her trust is not on the branch but on its wings”
If you are following me on INSTAGRAM , you probably must have already gone through my recent graphite drawings on “Sparrow series”. ( I have to admit that I have been more regular on my Instagram as compared to my blogging. I wish I could dedicate more time to writing in my blog. )
After having done watercolor medium for months, I suddenly felt the need to take a break and so decided to get back to my toned paper drawing and sketching. As far as stationery is concerned, I have enough of art materials for every possible medium. ( Over a period of time I have accumulated a whole lot of pencils, papers, paints and brushes and it helps because in COVID situations it is not easy to procure the desired materials easily. )
When it comes to toned paper, the two papers that I absolutely love and recommend to everyone are
1. Strathmore toned paper ( Gray and Tan shade )
2. Canson Mi Teintes paper ( Beige and Gray shade )
For my “Sparrow series” I decided to go with Strathmore gray toned paper as I wanted to create soft strokes of graphite and white pastel pencil. The smooth textured surface of the paper, I felt was ideal for these drawings.
Friday, 13 November 2020
Online Charcoal drawing Class/Workshop using Zoom App
“Drawing is the ‘bones’ of art. You have to be able to walk before you can run.” Dion Archibald
Charcoal is probably one of the oldest art materials and is very versatile in nature as a medium. It helps an artist do quick drawings in expressive strokes and the final black and white artwork is so impressive that one easily gets addicted to it. I am one of them. I took to this medium about twenty years back and I continue to be fascinated by it. Some of the advantages of this medium which I feel I need to share with the viewers are as following-
- Great help in creating tonal value drawings
- Helps simplify a complicated scene
- The bold, sweeping strokes helps an artist develop his/ her unique style
- Being a dry medium, it is easy to make corrections
- Very Economical
- Can be carried easily for outdoor/ plein air works
- It is a fast medium to work with ( Especially if one is doing preliminary study works )
Before the COVID lockdown, I was busy taking private workshops at my studio at home. However now I have started “Online Charcoal drawing and sketching workshop” using ZOOM app.
Apart from teaching the basics involved in creating a charcoal artwork, I shall also demonstrate step by step, one of the charcoal drawings as shown below. It will be a very interactive session wherein I shall be answering all the queries pertaining to this medium and will also share my personal tips and techniques which I have developed over a period of time. If you wish to attend my charcoal workshop in a group or one on one basis, mail me at manjupanchal5@gmail.com or call me at 91- 9082690127
Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Limestone Rocks and cliffs ( Vietnam )
“Watercolor condenses time and consolidates experience.” Frank Marcello
While at Cam Pha sea port during his last voyage, my husband got to witness the beautiful prehistoric “Limestone Rocks”, it’s reflections and the sudden ripple in the waves caused by a passing vessel. His cargo ship had arrived there at inner anchorage for loading cargo for the next destination. He sent me a few photographs of these stunning rocks and cliffs, which dotted the sea all around and I used them as a reference to create the two water colour paintings as below.
As mentioned in my earlier posts, I have got pretty much used to working on Chitrapat handmade paper and have taken a strong liking to it. My technique involves working wet on wet and this paper holds a lot of water and stays wet for a longer time. It’s acid free and is made of 100% cotton fibre. It works good for me. I purchase Chitrapat paper from maxa-enterprises ( online store at Pune ), however there a lot many online stores today who sell the same paper so it’s great that one can easily order it online.
Sunday, 8 November 2020
Ship at berth - A water color painting
“Watercolor can leave me totally deflated and wondering why I chose it as a medium and then I am seduced again by a beautiful wash or the lacework of an intricate detail which is impossible to create in any other medium.” Joseph Zbukvik
Last year I had the opportunity to visit my husband’s ship which had arrived at New Mangalore port for loading cargo in bulk. One morning when I got up and looked out of the porthole, I saw this “Bulk Carrier” parked at the jetty on the opposite side. It had probably arrived at night for loading. The atmosphere was a bit hazy I loved the scene, the mood and the composition. I had decided then that someday I shall paint the story of this ship. Painting is quite like story telling. I paint what is on my mind and leave the rest to the viewer to interpret it in his/her own way.
I am shuffling between Chitrapat handmade paper and Arches Cold pressed paper as both of them are my personal favourites now. Chitrapat paper is more reasonable as compared to Arches, however for this artwork I wanted to use Arches paper and undoubtedly, using a quality paper makes a big difference. The ship was the focal point of this painting and for the rest of the port infrastructure on the right, avoided too many details. It gave an abstract feel to the painting and I loved the way it turned out.
For most of my water color paintings, I like to use very limited Colors in the palette. For this work I have mainly used ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, raw sienna, permanent orange, and light red. Lesser Colors in the palette, I feel, helps simplify the painting process.
Friday, 6 November 2020
Charcoal drawing of a forest scene on Strathmore 300 series drawing paper
“There’s nothing like drawing a thing to make you really see it.” Margaret Atwood
Years back, I got into charcoal medium and got fascinated by it versatility. Initially I started off with just a pencil and charcoal powder but as years progressed, I went on to explore different tools and developed my own technique to create my Charcoal drawings.
Presently I am more into water color paintings which is one of the most challenging mediums, however I do take out time in between to get back to my charcoal art. It’s a very satisfying experience as it helps in simplifying a complicated composition. Once I know my basic tonal values of the subject, it makes it easier to paint the scene using any other medium.
Posted below are two of my charcoal drawings of “Forest scenes”, with reference to my travel photographs.
Sunday, 18 October 2020
One Step at a time - A soft pastel painting
Friday, 16 October 2020
Afloat - A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper
Saturday, 10 October 2020
A Slice of Watermelon - A watercolor painting
“Color is a power which directly influences the soul.” Wassily Kandinsky
The magic of still life painting is that it can show us a new way of looking at subjects around us. Still life painting helps me to experiment and explore, with color mixing, composition and new techniques which I feel is very essential for any artist to evolve in the long run.
Yesterday I used a “Slice of watermelon” to create the water colour painting as posted below. For the background I have used a mix of all three primary colors and just when the paint was damp ( Before drying up ) I sprinkled little on it which added a little texture in the background.
For today’s artwork I have used a graphite pencil to sign at bottom right. Normally I use my rigger brush for the same. However the foreground being very light I decided to go with graphite as it would not interfere with the main subject. I recently came across a few artists who sign regularly in graphite pencil and I quite liked the idea. On a small sized painting it’s a struggle to to do a miniature signature and it can be frustrating.