Water colour painting of a mountain slope at Yumesamdong ( North Sikkim )

"Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew." Cicely Tyson

In a quest to discover the mystery behind the water and its role in the painting process, I continue pursue my passion experimenting and exploring this beautiful medium.

The water colour painting as below is a beautiful mountain slope covered with dense vegetation. I came across this view while I was on the way to Yumesamdong in North Sikkim at an altitude of 15300 ft. The two to three hours journey from Lachung to Zero Point or Yumesamdong offers stunning views of nature. The journey is as beautiful as the destination.

I have used flat vertical brush strokes to get the desired effect. This was a new and interesting experience for me and I enjoyed working with Campap paper. ( 200 gsm )

On the way to Yumesamdong ( Zero point )

Water colour painting on Campap paper

Size 5.5" X 8"

I purchased Campap paper a few years ago during some sale at a stationery shop and after using it for a couple of paintings I am beginning to like it. What I like most about this paper is the fact that I can easily lift off colour from the surface using a tissue paper or plain brush. I have placed an order for a 300 gsm Campap paper from Amazon as I want to try out this paper further.

If you are passionate about water colours then you must browse through the works of Alvaro Castagnet, an international water colour artist. His works are very inspiring. When free, I take out time to go through the works of other artists and it helps in lot many ways. Some day I shall write a post on that.

Thank you for browsing through my works and I appreciate your support which drives me to continue my art journey.

A boat at Vaddi beach Goa - Water colour painting

"Painting is the art of discovery and you are constantly enlarging your horizon or finding yourself every time you paint." Romare Bearden

Painting is beautiful phenomenon that helps you rediscover yourself each day as you paint a new subject, learning and exploring new facts. Eventually it helps you grow as an artist.

On the 12th of June I posted a water colour painting similar to the one that I am posting today. The earlier one was created on Arches cold pressed paper, however this time I have tried out another scene from Vaddi beach, South Goa, on Fabriano studio quality water colour paper. Every paper is so different and each one has its own merits and demerits. All of them are good in their own ways and its just that each artist has his/her preferences according to the style and technique that one follows.

This beautiful scene at Vaddi beach with the calm sea in the background and clear sky above served as a great subject for my water colour painting.

A boat at Vaddi beach

Water colour painting on Fabriano studio quality water colour paper

Size 6.25" X 9"

What I am loving about this paper is that the colours remain very vibrant and dark and do not fade out after drying. I purchased a pad of these papers during sale some year, so I am using it now to try to understand its texture and quality.

It is not that every painting that I starts sees the light of the day. At times there are disappointments. The painting gets ruined due to various reasons, the most significant of them being "Impatience". At such times I take to creating small study works or simply browse through the net watching works of other great artists whose work I admire a lot. It motivates me to get started once again. Perseverance, I believe, is the key to finding and reaching your goals.

Thanks once again for browsing through my works.

A water colour study work of A Cloudy sky at the beach

"Watercolour is probably the most satisfying of all mediums. Although difficult in the beginning, after practice its mysteries will unfold, providing the utmost pleasure for the dedicated." Robert Lovett

Water colour painting is getting fun. Painting a little every day is helping me loosen up my style. It is a great learning process. I am moving ahead one step at a time.

The painting below is something that I wanted to try out since long ie a cloudy scene during monsoon in Goa. The landscape in Goa during monsoon is magical.With the onset of rains the sky changes dramatically into different shades of gray and blue. With every new painting, I get to explore a little of colour mixing. For the grays in the sky I have used ultramarine blue and burnt sienna. The three primary colours too mix to give a good gray colour. 

The paper that I have tried out for this painting is Brustro 300 gsm. It is difficult to do wet on wet on this paper as it starts drying up pretty fast, which then leaves hard edges. Therefore for my future works I will have to rethink about this paper as I am more for wet on wet works.

Monsoon Magic

Water colour painting on Brustro paper

5.5" X 7.5"

My art is about finding simple beautiful scenes in nature and bringing them to life on paper, to relive the happy moments for ever. Presently I am trying out the seascapes and mountainscapes in water colour medium but later some day I would want to do forest scenes too. Before getting to the forest landscapes I need to get a proper understanding of the "Mixing of greens" which can be very intimidating. I am in no hurry and would love to go slow, one step at a time.

My sincere thanks to all the visitors for browsing through my works.

A Solitary Palm tree at Benaulim beach, Goa

"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree long time ago."
Warren Buffet

A beautiful solitary tree that I came across at Benaulim beach in Goa, motivated me to create the water colour painting as seen below. The tree had its shadow as well as reflection in the water underneath. The tree with its drooping leaves and branches also kind of narrated its survival story. Determined and resolute it stood facing the strong monsoon winds, rooted firmly to the ground. We all need this kind of determination in life at some time or other.

It was fun creating this painting as it was my maiden attempt at painting palm leaves. I used a flat brush and a thin round brush to get the effects that I desired. I also tried my hand once again at a cloudy sky but need little more practice at getting it right. A beach scene gives an opportunity to work on sea waves, sandy seashore and a beautiful sky.

A Solitary Palm tree

Water colour painting on Campap paper

Size 5.5" X 8"

Benaulim beach is located along the South Goa coastline and is not as commercialized as the other beaches. One can enjoy some tranquil moments here in the company of nature. 

My works can also be browsed at my INSTAGRAM page. Thanks for visiting my blog.

A boat at the beach - A water colour painting

"The silence of nature is very real. It surrounds you.......you can feel it." Ted Trueblood

The painting below is a quiet moment spent at Vaddi beach in Goa. The beach with crystal clear waters are led by the fields on either sides of the road which are marvelous during the rains.

We visited this beach during monsoon. It was early in the morning, the sky was bright and clear and we felt good to spend some time watching the sea and the waves. The tides were low and I wondered looking at the boat, as to when it would set out to high seas once again.

I have used Arches cold pressed paper for this water colour painting and am beginning to understand more about its texture and water retaining capacity. Knowing the brushes, paint and the paper helps a lot in creating a painting without any hurdles.

Boat at the beach

Water colour painting on Arches cold pressed paper

Size 7" X 9"

I am fascinated by the beaches and therefore it is one of my favorite subjects for painting in any medium. Nature in any form inspires me to paint. 

Thanks for browsing through my works.

The snow capped mountains around Gurudongmar Lake.

"People come and go, the mountains remain. Mountains are permanent things. They are stubborn, they refuse to move." Ruskin Bond

Today I am posting a water colour painting of a scene that I came across when I visited Gurudongmar Lake in North Sikkim. At an altitude of 17,100 ft above the sea level the snow capped mountains look magnificent against the backdrop of clear azure sky. In fact every view around was picturesque in its own way.

When I painted the Gurudongmar lake, I enjoyed creating the reflections in the water. In this particular painting I tried to get the sand and rocky texture in the foreground plateau. I have used raw sienna, burnt sienna, yellow ochre and ultramarine blue ( Camlin artists water colour tubes ) in the foreground plateau.

A view from Gurudongmar Lake

Water colour painting on Fabriano Artistico hot pressed paper

Size 5.5" X 7.5"

For this painting I have used Fabriano Artistico hot pressed paper  which is great but I want to use the cold pressed version next time. So yesterday I managed to buy a sheet for Rs 415/- and am excited to try it out soon. The hot pressed paper will go well for my water colour portrait works as it has a smooth surface.

Presently I want to continue working on few more landscapes and seascapes as I am enjoying experimenting and exploring the water colour medium.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Teesta river flowing down the Yumthang valley

"There is something of the marvelous in all things of nature." Aristotle

When you stand there looking at the creation by nature, it overwhelms you and you begin to appreciate everything around more than ever.

While returning from Zero point ( Yumesamdong )  in North Sikkim, we came across this particular scene with Teesta river flowing down the Yumthang Valley, surrounded by white grey rocks, a sandy patch and greenery in the background. We stopped for a while here and spent few moments soaking in the beauty, then went ahead to click a few photographs.

Teesta river is a 309 km long river flowing through the Indian states of West Bengal and Sikkim, before going to Bay of Bengal through Bangladesh.It carves our from the verdant Himalayas in temperate and tropical river valleys and forms the border between Sikkim and West Bengal.
( Courtesy: Wikipedia )

I wanted to try out this scene in water colour medium and used a small cut out of Strathmore water colour paper ( 4" X 5" ). The river water was beautiful shades of blue and I have used a mix of Winsor and Newton ( Cotman colours ) and Camlin paints for this artwork.

Teesta River

Water colour study work on Strathmore paper

Size 4"X 5"

The rocky path in the foreground is the path through which most vehicles travel. It is a very bumpy ride. There used to be a road earlier which got destroyed in the past earthquake. Many parts of North Sikkim face the same situation, however the final destination is worth the ride.

I enjoyed painting on Strathmore 300 gsm water colour paper. It has good water retaining capacity and the paper does not abosrb the colours much. As a result the colours remain bright with minimum application. I am tempted to create some more works on this paper so as to know my final review in comparison to Arches and Fabriano papers.

Thanks a lot for visiting my blog. If you are into water colour painting, I would love to hear about the papers and colours used by you. Do leave in a comment to share the same.

Plein air water colour painting in my travel sketch book

"I have no talents. I am only passionately curious." Albert Einstein

One morning at West Sikkim, it rained heavily and the mountains and valleys as seen from the balcony of our homestay, suddenly started disappearing in the mist and clouds. The view was heavenly and I felt the sudden urge to capture the beauty unfolding before my eyes in my sketch book. And I did precisely that. Using my two round brushes and a palette I created my small "Plein air painting". It took me not more than ten minutes to create this small artwork and it felt really good.

Dante Alghieri said "Nature is the art of God." and I believe every word of the quote. I am grateful as an artist to be inspired by nature's beauty which in turn helps me create my art and keeps me busy and happy.

Monsoon in the valley

Water colour Plein air study work in my sketch book

Size 4" X 5"

When I am travelling I carry with me the following,

Two round sable hair brushes

Small 4" X 5" sketch book

( Cartridge sheets )

My water colour palette
with Camlin water colour artist's water colour paints

Carrying a travel kit such as above always helps. I get to paint when there is an opportunity. Moreover the kit is not very bulky and the sketch book has cartridge sheets in it which can also be used for pencil drawings and sketches. These sketch books are easily available these days in stationery shops.

Sketch books are fun. They play a very significant role in learning process. I use them all the time. It has now become a habit. I have a sketch book for every different medium and my collection is growing.

Thanks a lot for visiting my blog and do visit my INSTAGRAM account to browse through my paintings.

Sunrise - A water colour painting

"The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world's joy." 

Henry Ward Beecher

The water colour painting as below is with reference to a scene that I came across on an early morning at Temi Tea Garden, in the south of Sikkim. 

I have used the wet on wet technique on Campap paper. I have this paper in my collection along with many other papers. Now that I am into water colour medium, I am in the process of trying out all the different papers and learning so much about each of them.

Sunrise over the hills

Water colour painting

Size 5" X 7"

Wet on wet technique in water colour painting is a challenging method because it produces highly unpredictable results because there are many factors that matter, like the texture of paper, its weight and the amount of water in the brush etc. However there is something magical about the way colours flow and blend with each other, creating beautiful dramatic effects.

Thank you for visiting my BLOG. My art blog has now crossed 55,000 page views and I am grateful to all the viewers for their support. Blogging has added new life to my art and I now paint more passionately than ever.