Showing posts with label seashore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seashore. Show all posts

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.

Step by step Watercolor painting of Senibel beach, Florida
                                                               
                                                                 Senibel beach, Florida
                                                   A water colour painting on Campap paper   
                                                                       Size   4” X 5.5”
                                            
Step by step watercolor painting by Manju Panchal

Step 1. Sky and distant buildings

Step 1. I wet the paper using clean water and then using a round brush created
the sky with ultramarine blue color. While the paper was still wet I 
added the distant buildings using a small flat brush ( Ultramarine blue and light red mix )
 I darkened the pigments at places using a thicker mix of paints to create 
different tonal valuesto suggest the towers in the distance.

Step by step watercolor painting by Manju Panchal

Step 2. The sea and the foliage on the left

Step 2. I now wet the lower section of the paper to create the ocean and 
ocean waves. I have used a mix of ultramarine blue and viridian green
for the sea waves and raw sienna for the seashore. Once the ocean was done,
I used wet on dry technique to create the foliage and branches on the 
left. I created the greens using chrome yellow and ultramarine blue.
In greens, I like the Hookers green from Camlin. I mix it
with a cool or warm color to create the shade I desire.
For the thin branches, I normally use my rigger brush
in the end.

For the final step, I added a few rocks and twigs on the sand. ( The Final painting as displayed on the top ). The wet sand next to the waves gets a reflection of sky color for which I have used ultramarine blue and light red mix from Camlin. That about completes the painting. If you happen to miss out on leaving the white of paper for the froth on seawaves, you can apply white paint directly from the tube using a stiff synthetic brush. ( I do it all the time. I have used masking fluid in the past, but from my experience I have realised that they all dry up if not used frequently and it is an expensive affair. So these days I avoid buying it. )

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

Thursday, 7 May 2020

Rocky Seashore - A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul.” Robert Wyland

Canson Mi Teintes  has been with me for a long number of years. It has been my favourite paper surface for most of my “Soft Pastel Paintings”.

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.

A soft pastel painting of Bogmolo beach by Indian Artist and art blogger Manju Panchal

Rocky Seashore
A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper 
Size: 6” X 8”

I keep my pastels organised color wise in different trays. Being in touch with each other the pastels get coated with pastel dust ( Multiple shades ), hence it requires to be cleaned up on a regular basis. Therefore every once in a way, I take a break and clean up my pastels and reorganise them so that the original vibrant shade is clearly visible. CLICK HERE to view my post on the same.

Thank you for browsing through my artworks and do visit my INSTAGRAM feed to see my latest artworks. If you happen to like my works, I would appreciate if you share it with others. Thanks.





Monday, 4 May 2020

The Morning Calm - A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

Nature is the art of God.” Dante Alighieri

Goa has some beautiful beaches and Bogmolo beach is one of them. I happened to be there last December and captured the beach at different hours of the day using my mobile. The soft pastel painting that I am posting today is a morning view of the beach from the higher floor of our beach facing hotel. I loved the white buildings in the distant hills and the morning calm at the beach. At the beach, life is different. It is always a very relaxing experience. I look forward to being at the beach again.

Canson Mi Teintes is a great paper for pastel works and I have used it once again for my present seascape painting. As of pastel brands, I start my first layer using Mungyo pastels and then go on to use the Kohinoor Toison Dor and Sennelier in the subsequent layers. To create the small figures at the beach I have used pastel pencils.

A soft pastel painting of seashore from Goa by Indian artist and blogger Manju Panchal

“The Morning Calm”
A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper 
Size: 5” X 7”

I plan to create few more paintings on “Bogmolo Beach series” soon using both water colour and pastel medium.

To know about the papers I have been using for my pastel artworks CLICK HERE. ( I have created a detailed post in the past )Thank you for browsing through my artworks and do visit my INSTAGRAM feed to see my latest artworks.

Monday, 27 April 2020

One Morning at Bogmolo beach in Goa ( Chitrapat handmade paper )

“The day will be what you make it, so rise, like the sun, and burn.” W C Hannan

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

Watercolor painting by Indian artist Manju Panchal

“One Morning at Bogmolo Beach”
Watercolor painting on Chitrapat handmade paper 
Size: 5” X 7”

For the above artwork I have used Winsor and Newton Cotman and Camlin Artists water color tubes. I enjoy working with both these brands and would recommend it to all water color enthusiasts. 

Thank you for browsing through my artworks and I appreciate your support in my art journey.

Monday, 1 July 2019

Dramatic sky at the beach - A water color painting

"Smell the sea and feel the sky, let your soul and spirits fly.” Van Morrison

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.

A water colorA water color painting of a dramatic sky at the beach on Fabriano paper, By Indian artist Manju Panchal

Dramatic sky at the beach
A watercolor painting on Fabriano Aquarello paper
Size 5” X 7”

In the above painting, I used both Camlin and Winsor and Newton cotman tubes. My palette consisted of very few colors and I like it that way. It helps in simplifying my painting procedure. I enjoyed working on the sky. 

As I already mentioned, I am presently totally involved in watercolor medium but soon plan to get back to my charcoals and pastels.

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

Sunday, 31 March 2019

Step by step - A watercolor painting of a beach scene

“The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.” Neil Garman

I recently completed one of my watercolor paintings on Canson Moulin du Roy paper and fortunately remembered to photograph the stages. It was an early morning scene, when we were at Colva beach and it was not crowded. The stretch of sand far across, and the misty look in the distance motivated me a lot and I decided then and there that I shall paint this scene one day. The actual painting starts in the mind, the moment you set your eyes on the place that you love.

The choice of paper is often decided by the technique that I plan to use for that particular painting. For the painting as below, I needed the misty look in the distance and hence was going to use the graded wash technique on wet paper, for which I think Canson Moulin du Roy works good for me. I used a mix of both Camlin and Winsor and Newton Cotman colours.


Water colour painting of a beachscene by Indian artist Manju Panchal

A Misty Morning at Colva beach
A watercolor painting on Canson Moulin du Roy paper
Size 5.5” X 8”

Step 1. Created the sky using a mix of warm and cool colours, and added the distant foliage on the left. Used wet on wet technique as I did not want to have hard edges in the distance.

Step by step water color painting of a misty morning scene at a beach in Goa


Step 2. Created the bushes on the left ( Camlin Artists water color tubes ), the sandy seashore and the ocean. At this stage I have not added details anywhere.

Step by step water color painting of a misty morning scene at a beach in Goa


Step 3. Added layers of colours to the bushes on the left to create the form and shadow, and flat wash of colour on the sandy seashore. Added details to the figures on the beach.


Step by step water color painting of a misty morning scene at a beach in Goa


Thank you for browsing through my artworks. To browse through my artworks in all the different mediums that I have been working with since long, visit my INSTAGRAM page.

Thursday, 14 March 2019

Fishermen returning home - A watercolour painting on Arches cold pressed paper

“Dance with the waves, move with the sea, let the rhythm of the water, set your soul free”. C A Martine

Today's post is a water color painting of a scene that I came across while I was at a seashore in Goa. Through this painting I wanted to capture the monsoon atmosphere, a cloudy evening sky and its lovely reflections at the beach. The fishermen are returning home after their day out at sea. The painting is also intended to tell their story. For painting the small figures in the distance, I made use of my rigger brush.

I have used Arches Cold pressed water color paper for this painting which is made of 100% cotton fiber content, acid free, pH neutral and air dried. I am loving this paper as it stays wet for long and helps me to add more colors slowly to increase the tonal values. I have used very few colours in this painting and it is almost a limited palette painting.

A water colour painting of a beach on Arches paper by Indian artist Manju Panchal

Returning home
A water colour painting on Arches CP paper
Size 5” X 7”

I take workshops in different mediums from time to time and if you are interested in learning my techniques drop me a mail at manjupanchal5@gmail.com or DM me at INSTAGRAM account.

Thank you for stopping by and for browsing through my works.

Wednesday, 20 February 2019

Sand dunes at the seashore

"At the beach life is different, 
Time doesn't move hour to hour
But mood to moment.
We live by the currents, 
Plan by the tides
And follow the sun."
Sandy Gingers

I am posting today after a very long time and I must say that I have missed my blogging sessions. However I have been very active at Instagram where I have been posting my watercolor studies and paintings on a regular basis. Blogging is different in its own unique way. In my blog, can share my ideas, my thoughts, my techniques and can write in more detail about my “Art Experiments on day today basis.” So I am glad that I am back to blogging and will try and share a lot about things that I have done in the past few months.

To begin with, I am posting a watercolor painting of a seashore today that I created on Arches Cold pressed paper ( 300 gsm ), using my old collection of Winsor and Newton cotman watercolortubes. The sand dunes and the sea oats at the beach inspired me to create this painting. Sea. oats are miraculous little plants with a massive root system capable of holding soil and sand in place during extreme weather. They may look like weeds but are vital part of the ecosystem.

Water color painting of sand dunes and sea oats at the beach, by Indian artist Manju Panchal

Sand dunes and Sea oats
A water colour painting on Arches CP paper 
Size 6” X 8”

Seascapes is one of my favorite subjects and I can never get tired of painting them. For the sea oats on the dunes, I used my flat brush and rigger brush. In the past few months I have tried out many different water color papers and will be writing more in detail about them very soon. In the meantime you can also browse through my works on INSTAGRAM, where in I try and remember to mention the paper and the colors used to create a painting.

Thank you very much for all your support and I shall try to be more regular at my blogging so that I can share my art journey with all of you.

Wednesday, 14 March 2018

An Evening at Uttorda beach, Goa

"Even when you paint, you never stop drawing." Igor Babailov

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

During our last stay in Goa, we happened to visit our friends who occasionally come to stay at their second home in Uttorda. In the evening we went for a stroll at the beach and I got to witness the dramatic shift of light in the evening sky. I decided to recreate this scene using the water colour medium on Arches cold pressed paper. 

Uttorda beach is not a tourist attraction and that makes it perfect for a serene experience. There were few people in the distance and I used my rigger brush to create few gestural strokes representing them.

A water color painting of a sunset scene at Uttorda beach, Goa. By Manju Panchal

Uttorda beach
A water colour painting on Arches cold pressed paper
Size 5” X 7”

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

Wednesday, 7 March 2018

Working with Strathmore 400 series water color paper

"Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art." Leonardo da Vinci

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

I have a lot many different kinds of water color papers in my collection and for the past many months I have been exploring all of them in an attempt to zero in on the one that works best for my technique. Today I am posting a small water colour study on Strathmore water color paper. 

This painting has been inspired by a beautiful view that we came across while we were at Langkawi island in Malaysia. The distant mountains, an anchored sail boat and foliage drooping from the upper left was an appealing composition. I have worked exclusively with Winsor and Newton Cotman colors for this work. 

A water color painting of a scene from Langkawi, Malaysia on Strathmore water color paper

Paradise
Water colour painting on Strathmore water color painting
Size 5"X 7"

Strathmore 400 series water color paper is acid free, 300 gsm and hence a great paper to work with but when compared with Chitrapat handmade paper and Arches, I found it a little difficult to work with wet on wet technique as the paper has the tendency to dry up fast. So I had difficulty in doing the sky and the ocean. However what I loved about this paper is that lifting and scraping color was quite easy. So in future probably for my still life kind of work I may use but for landscapes I have decided to go with Chitrapat and Arches CP paper.

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

Thank you for browsing through my artworks.

Tuesday, 6 February 2018

Water colour study on Vidalon paper by Canson.

"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new." Albert Einstein

The above quote is truly inspiring. When it comes to water color paintings, it is a struggle. Being one of the most challenging mediums, it is quite intimidating. It is through regular mistakes that one is forced to think of an alternative technique in order to get things right. 

The most important factor that plays a big role in getting the water color painting right is to plan the step by step process in advance and then confidently get down to the paper. It all happens too fast, especially if you are into wet on wet technique.

Today’s watercolour painting is a 4” X 5.5” study on a sample Vidalon paper by Canson. I picked this paper from Art Lounge. Like Moulin du Roy, this paper too is great with wet on wet technique. I have used the cold pressed paper which works good for landscape paintings. Being a small sized work, I wanted to keep the subject simple and so tried out a simple boat with reflections.

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

A small water colour study of boat and reflections on Moulin du Roy water colour paper by Canson.


Boat with reflections
Water colour study on Moulin du Roy paper
Size 4" X 5.5"

Water colour is a great medium and the more you work with it, the addiction increases. Presently I am also working with my soft pastels and am having fun with them but have decided to take out time on a regular basis to keep working with my water colors too. Art in any form appeals to me. 

Thanks to everyone who has been visiting my blog and browsing through my works.

My upcoming art workshop 
Charcoal on toned paper
25th of February, 2018 at Art Station, Four Bungalows 
Mail me for further inquiry at manjupanchal5@gmail.com

Thursday, 1 February 2018

Checking out Moulin du Roy, Rough textured paper by Canson

"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious." Albert Einstein

Today’s water colour painting is a small study work on Moulin du  Roy, rough surfaced water colour paper by Canson. I picked up this sample paper from Art Lounge last year. The subject that I have chosen is a “Cloudy day” at Maldives. The reference photo was provided by a friend and I am grateful to her for the same.


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

A water colour study of a cloudy sky on Moulin du Roy water colour paper by Canson

A cloudy day
Water colour painting on Moulin Du Roy paper
Size 4” X 5.5”

I have used Moulin du Roy, 300 gsm rough paper for the first time and it works good for wet on wet technique. I will create a few more paintings on some more sample papers that I have before deciding on buying the larger sheets.

Follow my latest works and techniques on INSTAGRAM and if you love my works and they inspire you, share them with your friends. Thanks for browsing through my blog and being a part of my art journey.

Wednesday, 31 January 2018

A limited palette water colour painting

“Water colour condenses time and consolidates experience.” Frank Marcello

Murud Janjira is a picturesque little fishing village on the lush western coast of Maharashtra, 150 km south of Mumbai. We visited this place during monsoon on one morning we came across this scene which inspired me to create the water color painting as shown below.

The hazy sky, the mist in the air and the distant fort made for a good composition. For this artwork I decided to go with a limited palette. The four colours I used are ( Camlin Artists water colour tubes )

  • Ultramarine Blue
  • Raw Sienna
  • Crimson
  • Burnt Sienna
A water color painting of a morning scene at Murud Janjira, Maharashtra

A Misty Morning
Water Colour painting on handmade paper
Size 7” X 10”

Hand made paper works out good for certain subjects where I need the paper to have a good water holding capacity and so it stays wet for a long time. I enjoyed working on this subject.

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

Wednesday, 22 November 2017

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.

An original water colour painting of Patong beach, at Phuket on Fabriano water colour paper. By Manju Panchal

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.

Tuesday, 14 November 2017

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.

A water colour painting of sunset at the beach. By Manju Panchal

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.

Thursday, 28 September 2017

Water colour painting on hand made paper

"The beautiful is in the nature, and it is encountered under the most diverse forms of reality. Once it is found it belongs to art, or rather to the artist who discovers it." Gustave Courbet

A quick water colour study of my favorite subject "Seashore" on hand made paper. I picked up this particular paper from "Himalaya Stationery" at Fort, Mumbai. It is a pure white paper, cold pressed and works great for landscape paintings.

Some time back I met an artist who highly recommended "Chitrapat hand made paper" for water colour paintings. At that point of time I was unable to find any information about this paper on the net. However recently while browsing through the net I came across two online sites which are selling these papers. CLICK HERE to see further details.

I may not purchase the Chitrapat paper immediately as I have a big collection of miscellaneous papers and I am already working with each one of them in order to settle down with the one which works best for my kind of techniques.

A water colour painting of a seashore at Langkawi, on hand made paper

Seashore
Water colour painting on hand made paper
Size 6" X 8"

These days I am working out a balance between my "Landscape paintings" and "Portrait drawings". Generally I finish my landscape paintings at one go, however with my portrait drawing I take frequent breaks.

As of now two of my graphite portrait drawings are in progress. After spending a few hours on a portrait, I normally keep it aside so that when I look at it with fresh mind I can clearly see the areas where I need to work on. This always helps. So a portrait takes much longer time to complete.

Thanks a lot for visiting my blog and browsing through my artworks.

Friday, 22 September 2017

Arto Campap paper - Water colour study

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." Albert Einstein

A beautiful quote by Einstein. I am a great admirer of all his quotes which are so very meaningful. 

My today's painting is a 5.5"X 7.5" water colour painting which I have tried on Arto Campap paper. It is a beautiful beach scene that I came across while I was holidaying in Goa. I had to work on the rocky landscape and the bushes on the right, which when combined together, it got a bit challenging. So for my next painting I may bring about some change of technique to tackle this situation. I call it the step by step learning process. 

I have also added two small figures in the distance using a rigger brush. There are no details and it is created using simple vertical brush strokes. Adding figures in a landscape adds to the story. I paint a particular scene because I enjoyed being present there. Through my artwork I am trying to capture those moments, the mood, the atmoshpere. The painting may evoke some other memories in the viewer's mind and that becomes his/her story. 

A water colour study of a seashore from Goa on Arto Campap paper

Walking on the sand
Water colour painting on Arto Campap paper
Size 5.5" X 7.5"

If you love creating water colour paintings, you must browse through works of Milind Mulick, Ananta Mandal, Rajkumar Sthabathy Bijay Biswaal, Ramesh Jhawar to name a few.

If you are into water colour paintings I would love to know about the papers and colours used by you. Thanks for visiting my blog and any comments shall be appreciated.

Tuesday, 19 September 2017

A beach at Maldives

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school." 
Albert Einstein

Maldives is known for its stunning beaches. The site "VISIT MALDIVES" describes it as "Where the sands are white as the smiles of the locals, where fish swim happily in the warm waters of the Indian ocean, where the weather is a dream, and the deep rays of the sun waits to engulf you in their arms."

My today's painting is created with reference to a photograph shared by a friend who recently visited Maldives and I am grateful to her for the same. In fact she sent me a couple of photographs but I chose this one to begin with as I was fascinated by the interesting patterns of shadows cast by the foliage of the tree.

An original water colour painting of a beach at Maldives on Fabriano paper by Indian artist Manju Panchal

The Silence
Water colour painting on Fabriano paper
Size 8.5" X 11.5"

The greens continue to intimidate me and in this painting too I have tried different permutations and combinations to arrive at the final results. Colour mixing is a challenge and it will take some practical experience to understand the whole process. For every painting that I begin, I try out some new colours on a test paper so that my palette gets a little different with time.

As an artist I am always looking for inspiration and now that I have regularly started posting in INSTAGRAM, I am fortunately getting to know some great artists around the world who inspire me further to pursue my passion for art.

Thanks for browsing through my artworks. Any comments would be appreciated.

Wednesday, 13 September 2017

Water colour painting of a seashore from Langkawi island, Malaysia

"Because watercolour actually moves on the paper, it is the most active of all mediums, almost a performance art." Nita Engle

The above quote truly states the beauty of water colour medium. It is a very challenging medium. I start with a very definite plan, create a small study sketch and then I paint the whole scene in my mind before I actually begin my work. But somehow you can never control the process completely. In water colour painting, I feel, art just happens. One has to be quick with the brush and the flow. It all gets over even before you know it. Water colour is fun and I am loving every moment of it.

My today's painting is inspired by a beautiful beach that we came across while we were at Langkawi island, Malaysia. It was very quiet. There were not many tourists around. The shadows of the trees, branches and the foliage mingled with the ocean waves gently crashing at the shore. I spent some great moments at this stunning beach. Through this painting, I have tried to capture those moments.

"In every outthrust of headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of the earth." Rachel Carson. Beautiful quote.


The shadows at the beach
Water colour painting on Fabriano CP paper
Size 8.5" X 11.5" 

The tree foliage in this painting was a challenge. Creating it as study work in a small sketchbook comes easy as I am more free with the brush movements. However, when I am doing a bigger size work such as above, the brush strokes kind of get a little restricted. May be it is the fear of making a mistake. With time and experience I shall be doing more loose and free brush movements which in turn will bring out some happy outcomes. Until then, I shall continue my water colour journey painting different subjects.

.CLICK HERE to view a soft pastel painting of a beach from Langkawi.

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

Monday, 7 August 2017

Charcoal drawing on Strathmore gray toned paper

"You never outgrow drawing. It's so fundamental to everything." Debra Groessner

No matter what medium I am into, getting back into drawing and sketching refreshes my creative spirit. As mentioned in the quote above, drawing is fundamental to painting any subject. We paint as we draw. 

The charcoal drawing below is of a group of rocks and pebbles at the seashore. Last time when I handled the same subject I used a cartridge paper. This time, however I decided to use the Strathmore gray toned paper in which the gray colour of the paper acts as the mid tone value and I had to add the darker and lighter values to complete the painting.

Charcoal drawing of rocks and pebbles at the beach on Strathmore gray toned paper by Indian artist Manju Panchal

Pebbles
Charcoal drawing on Strathmore gray toned paper
Size 4.5" X 5.5"

Posted below is the initial stage of the painting where I have created the outline of the rocks using a graphite pencil and added darker values at certain places.

Charcoal drawing of pebbles on Strathmore gray toned paper

Initial step
Drawing of pebbles

This is a small charcoal drawing and hence I have used only a charcoal pencil and a white pastel pencil. CLICK HERE to view all the different charcoal tools that I use in order to create a bigger charcoal work. 

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