Sunday, 15 March 2026
Art quotes ( My favourite ones )
Saturday, 23 March 2024
Figurative study works on Chitrapat handmade paper
Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Step by step soft pastel painting - Road to Spiti
Step 1. I lightly draw the outline using a white pastel pencil on a medium toned Canson Mi Teintes paper
Sunday, 5 November 2023
Golden Gate Bridge - A watercolor painting on Chitrapat handmade paper
“ Watercolor condenses time and consolidates experience.” Frank Marcello
PIXABAY is a free stock photography and royalty free stock media website. It is used for sharing photos, illustrations and a lot more, under the custom PIXABAY License, which generally allows the free use of material with some restrictions. I personally enjoy browsing through this site for some interesting reference photos of places that I haven’t visited so far but would love to paint them anyway.
I have already painted the “Golden Gate Bridge” ( “A suspension bridge that connects the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. ) on earlier occasions but the photo that I found recently caught my eye mainly because, it had quite a different composition as it was an evening scene and also captured the cars racing across the bridge. This scene looked a bit challenging as I decided to use the watercolor medium and had to capture the racing cars, which were going to be gestural strokes and not too much of details.
I finally painted it on Chitrapat handmade paper using my usual Winsor and Newton Cotman and Camlin Artists water color tubes.
After having completed a painting, every artist looks back and reflects on the entire process of creating it. I do the same. I haven’t painted this kind of a scene before and by the time I completed it, I was happy. Trying something new and different is always very exciting. It motivates you further to pursue the journey.
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.
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.
Sunday, 18 October 2020
One Step at a time - A soft pastel painting
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.
Thursday, 7 May 2020
Rocky Seashore - A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper
When I like a paper a lot and it agrees with my kind of techniques, I make it a point to buy a good number of them for long term use. So during my initial years of pastel days, I went ahead and purchased quite a few of them in different shades. Then as I began my pastel journey, I realised that some dark toned shades went well for “Forest paintings” whereas “Seashore” subject did well on pastel toned papers.
Today after years of my working experience with pastels, I have realised that I love “Twilight” toned Canson MT much more than other colors. However, I am now left with one last sheet in this shade. My stock of other sheets too has diminished. So once the Covid Lockdown is over, I will be placing my order for my requirements. In the meantime I am trying to work small, ie 5” X 7” or 6” X 8” sized works.
Today’s soft pastel painting is inspired by the beautiful rocky seashore at Bogmolo in Goa. I have used a mix of Mungyo, Sennelier Toison Dor and Sennelier soft pastels for the artwork.
Monday, 4 May 2020
The Morning Calm - A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper
Friday, 1 May 2020
Deeper into the forest - A soft pastel painting
Of late, I have restarted working with my “Soft Pastel” medium. I began my journey with Mungyo pastels and then like any other artist, went on to add other brands like Kohinoor Toison Dor, and Sennelier. Now I use a mix of all these brands to complete a painting.
Today’s post is a complicated scene in my “Forest” series and I have used the textured side of Canson Mi Teintes paper for a change. In general I go with the smooth textured side. However I know of many artists who regularly use the textured side and I wanted to give it a try.
Tuesday, 28 April 2020
Frothy Sea waves - A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper
Today’s soft pastel painting is inspired by the beautiful “Frothy sea waves” which reach the shore after a long journey. When observed closely, the froth creates interesting shadow patterns on the sands below. Soft pastel, I feel, is a great medium to capture the beauty of these waves on paper.
If you have been regularly watching my blog and INSTAGRAM feed, you will know that for most of my pastel paintings, my preferred choice of paper is undoubtedly “Canson Mi Teintes” which is available in many different shades. I settled for this paper for the following reasons:
1. It is an acid free paper, guaranteeing longevity
2. Available easily on many online stores in India
3. It is available in 42 different shades which helps the artists in picking the right one depending on
the subject.
4. This paper has a dual surface, a rough textured the and smooth textured. Both sides are usable.
5. As compared to many other papers, Canson Mi Teintes is very reasonably priced and for beginners
it is an excellent choice.
Monday, 27 April 2020
One Morning at Bogmolo beach in Goa ( Chitrapat handmade paper )
When I started with watercolors, a few years back, I decided to work with many different papers available in the market. ( Check out on my INSTAGRAM page for my works and reviews of different papers ). Over a period of time I realised that I enjoy working with only a few of them. Chitrapat handmade paper is one of my preferred choices for the following reasons:
1. It is very reasonably priced as compared to imported papers.
2. It has good water retention quality
3. It is an acid free paper so helps preserve the quality of artwork in future
4. Works good for wet on wet technique
5. Easily available online in many art stores across India
Friday, 28 February 2020
A water color painting on Chitrapat paper
Boats in the distance
Water color painting on Chitrapat handmade paper
Size 5" X 7"
Sunday, 3 November 2019
Sailed out - A water color painting on Chitrapat handmade paper
It’s a morning scene, with a little warmth in the sky and a few clouds scattered across. A small cargo vessel is headed towards its next destination. This painting to me is the story of this shipping vessel and it’s journey ahead.
Sunday, 20 October 2019
About Fabriano Aquarello water color paper
- It is acid free
- The colors stay bright on the surface
- It is made of 25% cotton, is a student grade paper but a high quality paper to begin with.
- Very economical compared to many other similar papers.
Sunday, 7 July 2019
Watercolor Still Life painting of "A Slice of Apple"
The Light and Shadow
Water color painting on Arches Cold Pressed paper 300 gsm
Size 4" X 5.5"
Monday, 1 July 2019
Dramatic sky at the beach - A water color painting
There are days when you get to witness the dramatic sky at the seashore. The diffused sunlight through the clouds, reflecting on the waters below made for a good composition. Inspired by this scene ( Photo reference: minera13/Pixabay ) I created this watercolor painting on Fabriano Acquarello watercolor paper.
I got more involved with watercolor quite recently and before getting into this medium, I went on to purchase many different brands of watercolor papers. Fabriano Acquarello happens to be one of them. So in the past few months I have tried all the papers at hand, and got to know so much about each one of them. ( Check My INSTAGRAM account ). Now that I have resumed my blogging I will try and post a little about each one of them.
Fabriano Aquarello ( 200 gsm ) is a student grade watercolor paper, however in this category I find it pretty good to use. It is a professional grade, acid free paper and economical too.
Dramatic sky at the beach
A watercolor painting on Fabriano Aquarello paper
Size 5” X 7”
Wednesday, 26 June 2019
A watercolor painting on Chitrapat handmade paper
Field of Crops
A water colour painting on Chitrapat handmade paper
Size 6” X 8.5”






































