Banana - A still life water colour painting

“Art is making something out of nothing.” Frank Zappa

Today’s post is a still life water color painting of "A Banana " that I created some time back on Chitrapat handmade paper. I get plenty of sunlight at my place in the mornings and keeping the object in its direction helps me in getting the desired composition before beginning the artwork.

As I have been writing in my earlier posts too, over a period of time and after repeatedly using this paper I have taken a liking to it. It somehow seems to work for me. I can also say the same for Arches cold pressed paper, however Chitrapat paper is far more cheaper than Arches and is a great paper for both beginners and professional artists. Hence depending on what the budget is, one can go for either of the papers.

A Banana
Water color painting on Chitrapat handmade paper
Size 5” X 7”

I have not been doing serious artworks in charcoal and pastel medium for a long time now. There is no plan as of now. All I know is that presently I am enjoying the water colour medium and will continue to do so for some more time.

Thank you for all your support in my art journey and do browse through my INSTAGRAM feed to see all my works in gallery format. If you wish to purchase any of my paintings you can mail me at manjupanchal5@gmail.com and I shall get back to you as soon as possible.

A slice of watermelon - A still life water colour painting

“Creativity is contagious, pass it on.” Albert Einstein 

Sometimes simple objects at home are a great source of inspiration to artist. A few days back I kept a slice of watermelon in the direction of sunlight in my kitchen, and I moved it at different angles to get the right composition that I was looking for. The light and shadow play in the composition helps to get the variation in tonal values. 

Once I was sure of the placement of the object in focus, I decided to go ahead and use my Camlin and Winsor and Newton paints to create this still life painting on Fabriano Aquarello paper. 

For a student grade paper, Fabriano Aquarello paper is pretty good. ( I have used the 200 gsm Cold pressed paper for the present artwork ). 

A slice of watermelon 

Water colour painting on Fabriano Aquarello CP paper.

Size 4.5” X 5.5”

In the last few years I have tried all different subjects, be it still life, landscape or a portrait. It is very difficult to say what I like painting most. For me, every subject is a whole in itself and I enjoy doing each and every work of mine. In fact I started my original works with still life paintings, picking on each and every object that I could lay my hand on in my home. In all it has been a very great learning experience and I plan to keep on painting for ever.

My paintings in the gallery format can be viewed on my INSTAGRAM feed where I have been posting regularly since last two years. 

Thank you for browsing through my artworks. It motivates me to continue my painting journey.

At Benaulim beach, Goa

"Inspiration comes of working everyday."Charles Boudelaire

Today's post is a small 5"X 7"study work of a scene that I came across while I was at Benaulim beach, Goa some years back. It was this wild clustered growth of  foliage and dry thin branches against the backdrop of the vast ocean that attracted my attention. Another reason was probably I wanted to put my Winsor and Newton Cotman series, rigger brush to use.

Painting greens and foliage is always a challenge and painting such scenes from nature teaches you a lot. Rigger brush was of great help towards the end to pull out the tiniest of random branches which would have otherwise been difficult with the other brushes. I am loving the rigger brush and will write a detailed review about it soon.

At the beach

Water colour painting on handmade paper

Size 5” X 7”

Hand made paper is great for wet on wet technique and is pretty economical too. I am using Petals hand made paper which is easily available in art stationery stores in Mumbai. I would have preferred using the cold pressed or Matt version but unfortunately, it is not easily available so I settled for the rough textured one.

Petals hand made paper

If you are into water colour paintings, I would love to know about the papers that you use. Do leave in a comment.

Thank you for visiting my blog and browsing through my works. It means a lot to me. 

Follow my latest works and techniques on INSTAGRAM and if you love my works and they inspire you, share them with your friends.

My upcoming workshop :

Charcoal drawing and sketching workshop - 26th of January, 2018.

Timings 10 to 1 pm. ( Only six participants )

At Matheran - A Charcoal drawing

“The environment is everything that is not me.” Albert Einstein

When we are out in the wild in the proximity of nature, we come across scenes which capture our attention instantly. The painting actually begins in the mind, the moment we set our eyes on a beautiful scenic landscape.The forest pathway as below was a little away from our Homestay in Matheran and being early morning the sun rays found its way through the dense foliage to create a beautiful contrast of light and shadow on the forest floor.

It is interesting to create a dense forest scene using any medium. With charcoal medium it is mostly about getting the values right. I used kneaded eraser and Staedtler eraser to create the highlights on the pathway and at other places where ever required. Creating thin branches come easy using using any sharp charcoal pencil.

At Matheran

A Charcoal drawing on Favini paper

Size 6"X 7"

I have been working with charcoal medium for very long and I am a little saturated. It is not that I do not love this medium but at times we all need a change. So I am shifting to water colour medium to start with. Will be doing some seascapes and landscapes. No matter what medium, I personally feel that every medium gives me same amount of joy. It is this journey of art which defines me and I am loving every moment of it.

The year 2017 has almost come to an end and I shall be posting soon about some "New year  resolutions" that I have in mind for 2018.

Thank you for browsing through my artworks. 

Making a mark - Using willow charcoal

"If I create from the heart nearly everything works: if from the head almost nothing."

 Marc Chagall

I have a big data bank of photographs and study sketches as a reference but at times when I am looking out to create a particular subject I never seem to have one in your collection. After doing my last foggy landscape I got interested in creating yet another one. So I decided to browse through PIXABAY which has a big collection of photographs and they are free for commercial use.

Today's charcoal drawing is with reference to a foggy landscape photograph taken by Thomas B, Deutschland. I am grateful to him for having shared his works on Pixabay so that artists like me can use them as a study reference. This scene gave me the opportunity to work on the background trees and bushes with lost edges, fog in the distance, reflections in the water and branches drooping low in the foreground. I have used charcoal pencil and willow charcoal to create the dark leaves and branches which pushed the background in the distance creating depth.

A charcoal drawing is all about "Mark making techniques". We all hold the a pencil in a different way, creating strokes and marks that we feel is appropriate for a particular element. For instance, in charcoal drawing as below I have used "Willow charcoal" extensively. I used its tip to create the foliage, whereas for the background I used it sideways. I am creating marks to convey the shape, the rhythm and the energy in the elements in the scene. This is my way of working with the willow charcoal and being self taught, I do not follow any particular rule. Tomorrow I may change my style a bit if I find it better. This the journey of art and I am enjoying every moment of it.

The Haze

Charcoal drawing on Cartridge paper

Size 6" X 8.5"

In my next charcoal drawing, I plan to use the General's Compressed charcoal which helps create a very dark black and is great to create textures while using sideways.

Thank you all visiting my blog and keep browsing for more charcoal works that I will be posting soon.

Portrait study work on Canson Mi Teintes paper

"If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all." 
Michelangelo

Today I am posting a small quick "Portrait study" of a pretty woman I met at Thangu, where we halted to have breakfast before moving towards Gurudongmar Lake. She was friendly with a pleasant personality. I interacted with her and took her photographs from different angles. Before starting her front face profile I decided to do a quick study of the side face using minimum brush strokes.

For my charcoal and white pencil portraits I have more or less shortlisted two papers. The Strathmore gray toned paper and Canson MT series. For my present work I have used Canson paper. Both these papers are available on Amazon.in.

Portrait study of a woman from Thangu, North Sikkim

on Canson Mi Teintes paper

Size 5" X 7"

This portrait study was more about getting to know her features and I have not spent much time getting into the details. I am almost done with another of her portraits and shall be posting it soon.

Presently I am also busy doing some charcoal landscape works in preparation for my upcoming one day Charcoal drawing and sketching workshop on the 17th of December at Art Station, Andheri west.

Thank you for browsing through my artworks.

Trying out "Cloudy sky" in water colour medium

"Every painting is a voyage into a sacred harbour." Giotto di Bondone

Some months back a friend of mine visited Maldives for a holiday and sent me a few photographs from her visit. The place is beautiful with stunning beaches and I have already painted one scene earlier. My today's water colour painting is yet another scene from Maldives and I selected this scene in order to get a better understanding of painting clouds, its shapes and shadows.

As I wanted the sky to be the main focus of the painting, I avoided painting too many boats in the foreground, keeping just two boats at the distance on the left. For this painting I have used a very limited palette of colours such as Ultramarine blue, Cerulean blue, Crimson, Indian red and Burnt Sienna.

Water colour study of Cloudy sky

on hand made paper.

Size 5"X 7"

When it comes to water colour medium I am still on the experimental stage and am busy doing the "Seascapes" and "Mountainscapes". It is a challenging medium and there is so much more to learn, be it colour mixing or the different techniques like wet in wet, wet on dry etc. I believe in taking it slow, one step at a time. I am keen on doing forests too but have not got started with that subject as yet but plan to do so very soon.

Thank you for visiting my blog and browsing through my artworks.

Patong beach, Phuket

"The flow of water and paint can be uncontrollable and crazy, but it is also freedom, an escape, a therapy, joy, and, oh yes, very sensuous!" Angela Lynch

The above quote says it all. Water colour medium is challenging and the outcome so unpredictable. Yet you cannot help but fall in love with it.

Today's water colour painting is a scene from Patong beach, Phuket. This beach was right across our hotel and at around ten in the morning, the water level had receded a bit, which made the distant rocks and trees clearly visible. I have used a mix of Camlin and Winsor and Newton paints to create this artwork.

At Patong beach, Phuket

A water colour painting on Fabriano paper

Size 7" X 9"

Painting a beach scene such as above gives me the opportunity to try out many different elements such as the water, the sky, the rocks, the foliage and reflections. 

Thank you for visiting my blog and browsing through my paintings.

Sunset at the beach - A watercolour painting

"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

Painting a sunset scene has been on my mind since long, therefore I decided to create one on handmade paper. I chose handmade paper since it stays wet for long and I can keep dropping in colours which blend smoothly into the background. If the paper does not have water holding capacity then I it starts drying up quickly and that leads to some unwanted hard edges.

The sky in this particular painting has a mix of warm and cool colours, so I mixed up enough colour in the palette before beginning the painting. In water colour painting, I have realised that I need to have a definite plan in my head regarding the steps that I am going to follow or else the painting gets ruined. For the sea weeds I picked up dry paint from the palette and used my coarse flat brush sideways and to create the tall grass blades I have made use of a rigger brush. It was fun creating this work using Camlin Artists water colour tubes.

Sunset at the beach

Created on handmade paper

Size 5"X 7"

Hand made paper is great, however it is important to know if it is acid free or else over a period of years the paper colour turns a pale yellow. I have some old papers in my collection and since they are not acid free I use them for my study works. The paper that I have used for my above work seems to be acid free and I have purchased it from Himalaya Stationery at Fort.

To know more about my upcoming Art Workshops CLICK HERE and thank you for visiting my BLOG.

Johnathan Harris - An artist from USA

"Colors speak all languages." Joseph Addison

My today's post is about an artist from USA, Johnathan Harris. I recently came across his stunning vibrant artworks in INSTAGRAM as well as FINE ART AMERICA. The landscape paintings by Johnathan Harris are visually stunning, unique and very inspiring. He has his unique original style and I am fascinated by his landscape interpretations. His color palette has a great appeal and you get naturally drawn towards all his works.

In his Artist's statement Johnathan Harris says" Creating artwork is my passion, a refuge from the modern world, a time for me to reflect and express; an absolute necessity for me to feel complete. I try to give the viewer a window into a perception of a reality in which I find solace. I prefer to focus on Southwestern landscapes and European landscapes not only for the naturally beautiful compositions, the colors and endless inspiration but also because of the effect of the seasonal changes and variations due to light in those magical parts of the world."
( COURTESY: Johnathan Harris )

Posted below are some of the artworks by Johnathan Harris which are my personal favorites and to view all his works you can visit his website jhfineart.com . 

Through his landscape paintings, Johnathan says, he has tried to capture the sensations and revelations that he experiences when he is in the in the midst of nature. His works are greatly influenced by his love for nature.

I am grateful today for being able to do what I love doing most. ie "Drawing and Painting". I am also grateful to interact with other artists around the world whose works inspire and motivate me to continue my passion. Having a blog is helping me to share the works of artists whose works I admire and I am looking forward to creating more of such posts.

Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you too have enjoyed the beautiful works by Johnathan Harris. 

Painting a forest scene in soft pastel medium

"The artist is always beginning. Any work of art which is not a beginning, an invention, a discovery is of little worth." Ezra Pound ( Courtesy: skinnyartist.com )

The paper that I use most often for my soft pastel works is "Canson Mi Teintes" which fortunately comes in assorted colours. This works as an advantage because choosing the right colour for the subject makes a lot of difference. To know more about the different shades and its specific names you can visit the site DICKBLICK. I normally use Twilight, Tobacco, Sand and Moonstone but I am open to experimenting and exploring with the other colours as well.

For my today's soft pastel painting I decided to go with black Canson MT paper as I wanted the foreground and part of the middle ground to be dark and in shadows. This is a beautiful scene from Karnala Bird Sanctuary and I love this place as I get to walk through different muddy pathways. It is densely populated with trees and in the morning hours I get the perfect light and shadow scenes. 

I have titled this painting "A walk through the shadows" as it reminds me of those beautiful moments in the tranquil nature. 

A walk through the shadows

A soft pastel painting on Canson MT paper

Size 5"X 7"

The soft pastel painting as above progressed in stages and the images can be seen as below. The broken pastels that can be seen around are from Mungyo, Gallery, Camlin and Koh-I-Noor. I also have a set of 24 dark Sennelier pastels which I use towards the end as they are very very soft.

Step 1. Creating the basic outline of the main elements

using white soft pastel pencil and blocking in the colours

of the winding pathway and the distant foliage.

Step 2. Blocking in the major shapes with respective colours

keeping in mind the source of light and atmospheric perspective.

In the final stages, I redo the layering of colours, making changes where ever required. All the detailing happens in the end.

Before I begin any painting, I create small "Thumbnail sketches" or "Tonal value studies" which help me understand the subject well and these little ten minute works enable me to decide on the best composition. Two of the small quick art studies can be seen below. The black and white study has been done using a single Staedtler 8B pencil. I have started using this pencil quite recently and am enjoying it. Both are sized 2" X 3".

Tonal value sketch & Thumbnail sketch

of a landscape.

Thank you all for visiting my blog. If you are into soft pastel medium I would love to know about the papers you use. Do leave in a comment. Browse through my other artworks on my INSTAGRAM page.

Milind Mulick and his water colour paintings

Milind Mulick - An artist who inspires me.

Art brings happiness into my life. To paint on a regular basis I need to stay motivated and this motivation at times comes from browsing through the works of other artists. I admire a lot many artists and hence, through my blog I am making an attempt to share some beautiful works by world famous artists. My last post was on Leonardo Da Vinci, a master artist from the Renaissance period. Today I am posting about a renowned water colour artist from Pune, Milind Mulick.

Milind Mulick is the son of a well known illustrator and painter, Mr Pratap Mulick. He has been drawing since the age of five and started painting water colour landscapes at the age of thirteen.
After completing his degree in Engineering, later in life he shifted to his passion art, creating stunning artworks mostly in water colour medium.

Milind Mulick's paintings are in the collection of many private individuals and a few Corporate houses in India, USA, Europe as well as Japan and Singapore. Vibrancy of colours and an ability to capture the essence of the subject are the hallmark of his paintings.

( COURTESY:  JYOTSNAPRAKASHAN , www.milindmulick.com )

I am posting below some of the water colour paintings by Milind Mulick which are my personal favorites. The cityscapes, the seascapes, the fields and a portrait work.

Jyotsana Prakashan has uploaded some videos where you can watch the water colour paintings being created by this great artist.

If you wish to read one of Milind Mulick's interviews which was taken by a Russian artist Konstantin Sterkhov , CLICK HERE. 

I recently happened to purchase a book by Milind Mulick, on a very challenging subject "Perspective". Be it nature or portrait drawing, knowing perspective helps a great deal. The book has all the information required in a very simplified manner and I refer to it as and when required.

You can find more of his books on sites like AMAZON.

A book on Perspective by Milind Mulick.

Thank you for visiting my blog. 

Leonardo Da Vinci

"The painter has the Universe in his mind and hands." Leonardo Da Vinci

My today's post is about the world famous artist Leonardo Da Vinci whose drawings, paintings and other artworks have inspired artists around the world.

Leonardo Da Vinci ( 1452 - 1519 ) was a leading artist and intellectual of the Italian Renaissance who is known for his enduring works "The Last Supper" and the "Mona Lisa". He was a painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, military engineer and draftsman and the epitome of "Renaissance man". With a curious mind and keen intellect, Da Vinci studied the laws of science and nature, which greatly informed his work. His ideas and body of work have influenced countless artists around the world.
( COURTESY: www.biography.com )

Posted below are a few drawings by Leonardo Da Vinci which covers diverse subjects such as portraits, head study, anatomy drawings, machinery drawings and still life drawing. Every work is a masterpiece and it is such a pleasure to browse through each one of them.

Leonardo's study of nature and anatomy emerged in his stunningly realistic paintings, and his dissections of the human body paved the way for remarkable accurate figures. All in all, Leonardo believed that the artist must know not just the rules of the perspective, but all the laws of nature. The eye, he believed was the perfect instrument for learning these laws, and the artist the perfect person to illustrate them.

Head of a girl

 ( Coutesy: www.webneel.com )

Study for the head of Leda 1505 - 7

 ( Courtesy www.drawingsofleoardo.org )

Self portrait

 (Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Head of a young woman

 (Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Cross bow machine

 (Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Water lifting devices

(Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Woman's head

 (Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Study of hands

 (Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Skull study

( Coutesy: www.webneel.com )

Heart and its blood vessels

(Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Drawing of drapery

(Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Head of a man

(Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Profile of an old man

(Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Anatomical studies of the shoulder

(Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Drawing of a botanical study

(Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Black berries

(Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Browsing through artworks created by world famous artists like Leonardo Da Vinci is a great way of starting the day. Who will not get inspired by such brilliant works? 

When I am not painting, I take out time on a regular basis to go through the works of artists I admire. I shall be posting about some more artists very soon.

Thank you for visiting my blog.