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.

A Slice of watermelon

A water colour painting on Chitrapat handmade paper 

Size 5” X

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

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

About Fabriano Aquarello water color paper

“Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art.” Leonardo Da Vinci

I have not posted anything in my blog for a long time now. However I have been painting and uploading my works regularly on my INSTAGRAM page, which takes a little less time and is fairly simple. Moreover it also helps me keep a record of my paintings, papers and paints I use etc.

Today’s post is a Still life painting of “A slice of Apple” on Fabriano Aquarello 200 gsm paper. I placed this cut apple near my kitchen window in the direction of sunlight, to get the desired composition.

I have been using Fabriano Aquarello 200 gsm paper for a quite some time now. I find this paper very good for the following reasons:

• 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.

 This is my personal evaluation and from artist to artist the opinion always differs. I purchased my Fabriano Aquarello pad from Amazon.in , however there are many different online art stationery stores which sell this paper today and it can be 

A Slice of Apple

A water colour painting on Fabriano Aquarello 200gsm paper

Size 5” X 7”

The paints used for the above still life painting are Winsor And Newton Cotman tubes and find them really good for the price that I have paid for it. I purchased individual tubes of those colors which I use predominantly in most of my paintings. 

Thank you for browsing through my artworks and do go through my INSTAGRAM feed to view some of my latest works and techniques.

Watercolor Still Life painting of "A Slice of Apple"

"The only time I feel alive is when I am painting." Vincent Van Gogh

The above quote is so very motivating. Anyone who is passionate about painting will connect with it immediately. I try to paint a little every day and it drives up my spirit instantly. I always look forward to painting a new subject everyday, be it still life or landscape.

Today's post is a still life painting of "A Slice of Apple", which when placed near my kitchen window in the direction of the sunlight, cast beautiful long shadow across the table. I wanted to capture this moment using watercolor medium. I created this artwork on Arches cold pressed paper,

which is a great acid free, high quality paper and I plan to use it a lot in the future.

The Light and Shadow
Water color painting on Arches Cold Pressed paper 300 gsm
Size 4" X 5.5"

I love working with still life objects as it gives me the freedom to experiment and explore. It provides me with unparalleled learning opportunities be it design and composition, mixing colors or understanding more about depth and perception. When I get saturated with my "Landscape" and other works, I take a break to do a still life painting and it immediately refreshes me.

Thanks for browsing through my artworks. To see all my artworks, visit my INSTAGRAM profile.

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.

Two Lemons - A water color painting on Chitrapat handmade paper

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

The quote is worded so well and it describes the medium perfectly. I am a big fan of Nita Engle’s artworks. To check out some of her works CLICK HERE

I created today’s water colour painting “Two Lemons” on Chitrapat handmade paper ( Rough ) while I was at my friends place, who herself is a passionate artist. When we meet, which happens once in two months or so, we spend hours together discussing and painting art. The last “Meet up” was to spend time with watercolor medium which has been my latest fascination after charcoal and pastels.

For this particular painting I needed to create a hazy background for which wet on wet technique seemed to be a very appropriate choice, hence I decided to go with “Chitrapat” paper. This paper is 270 gsm and stays wet for quite some time which helps in dropping more paint slowly at the desired areas. I am quite happy with this paper and would definitely recommend it to other artists as well.

Two Lemons 

A water colour painting on Chitrapat handmade paper 

Size 5” X 7”

I have used the Camlin Artists water colour tubes to complete the above artwork. Apart from Camlin, I have also started using my Winsor and Newton Cotman tubes which are in my possession since a very long time and I am worried that if they are not put to use, they will eventually dry up. I have also added some new tubes of the same brand in my collection and I shall write more about it soon. 

In you wish to see my latest water colour paintings you can visit my INSTAGRAM feed and if you happen to like my works, please share. Thank you for all your support in my art journey.

An Orange - A still life painting

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." Edgar degas

During a recent water color workshop, I created a still life painting of an orange using wet on wet technique on handmade paper. In the background I sprinkled table salt to get the textured effect. 

My palette for this work was very limited and it comprised of Camlin Artist's water color tubes. 

An Orange

A water color painting on handmade paper

Size 5" X 7"

Presently I am more into doing portraits and landscapes. But I enjoy doing still life paintings too. Therefore when I have a workshop, I plan out different subjects including "Still life". Moreover the participants who come over to learn the basics have their own likes and dislikes. Therefore as a normal routine we do a still life, a floral and a landscape which covers up a lot of different techniques in the medium. 

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 visiting my blog and browsing through my works.

Watercolour Artist - Sadhu Aliyur

"In art, the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can imagine." 
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Instagram is new to me and I have started posting my works on this social media quite recently. Blogging is about my art journey wherein I share my art, my techniques, my experiments and my general thoughts and feelings about creating my art. Instagram on the other hand is a faster way of uploading my work and most important, all my works can be seen in a gallery format. In conclusion, as an artist, I am enjoying being a part of Instagram.

Through Instagram I am getting to meet many different artists from India as well as all around the world. Some of them have inspired me in a lot many ways and I have decided to create a post about each one of them. Today I am posting about a great water colour artist Mr Sadhu Aliyur.

Mr Sadhu Aliyur is a Kerala based water colour artist. His finely honed skills, astute observation and refined aesthetic sensibilities help him capture the essence of a scene in a few strokes. He makes the common look uncommon. He transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.

In his hands, nature comes alive in all its richness, textures, hues and forms. With a wash here and a dab there, the overwhelming beauty of the monsoon, skies and rain drenched dwellings are frozen for all time for the eyes of the connoisseur. Read more about him.....CLICK HERE.
( COURTESY: SADHU ALIYUR )

All works created by Mr Sadhu Aliyur are absolutely vibrant and stunning. His thoughts, feelings, conviction, and many moods seem to come alive with bare minimal strokes. The simple landscape scenes capture the mood and atmosphere so well. I have been following his works for quite some time now and decided to share some of them with you.

Check out his other works on his official website.

Each and every painting by Mr Sadhu Aliyur is so unique in itself, be it a still life, portrait or landscape, that you can't help but fall in love with it. 

Follow my latest works and techniques on INSTAGRAM , where in I post my latest artworks regularly. 

Thanks for browsing through my blog.🙏

Soft Pastel Workshop

My plan was to continue doing portraits but it got interrupted as a Two days Soft Pastel workshop came up for a private group of four people.It was a welcome change as I got to know people who are passionate about art and I got the opportunity once again to share my knowledge and ideas with them. I basically introduced them to the pastel medium and demonstrated my technique by doing a few demonstrations on different subjects and guided them to pursue their passion.

They did four small pastel works on different subjects using Mungyo, Gallery and Kohinoor soft pastels. The papers used were Fabriano Elle erre, Fabriano Tiziano and Canson Mi Teintes.

Few Quick Demo's done by me as shown below.

Quick Soft pastel Demonstration works

done during a Soft Pastel workshop.

Charcoal drawing of a "Glass and Cup"

"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working." Pablo Picasso

I am always on a lookout for a subject for my next painting. This time I decided to do a Still Life Painting of a transparent glass and a ceramic teacup using the charcoal medium.The paper I have used for this work is FABRIANO ACADEMIA. which has a little texture and I love the effect created on this paper.

Everytime I do a charcoal painting I experiment a bit with my technique trying to get new effects, new looks and a different work.

A glass and a teacup

Charcoal painting on Fabriano Academia paper

Size 5" X 7" ( Excluding mountboard )

Thanks for browsing through my works. If you intend to attend my "Art Workshop" which I normally conduct during the weekends you can drop in a mail to me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

My works can now be seen on my INSTAGRAM page. If you like them, please share.

Still life - charcoal painting of an apple by Manju Panchal

Demo work done during a workshop

Viewing the apple from the top, created this charcoal painting of an apple as a demo work during a Charcoal Painting workshop. Apart from using Fabriano and Canson paper I also use cartridge sheet as in the book whose image I am posting below. It is a simple Navneet drawing book and I like the cartridge sheets in it.

This book costs just Rs 18 and I use it frequently to do my rough sketches. The apple sketching has been done on a cartridge sheet from this book. Not recommended for serious work as it is not acid free and will turn yellow over a period of years.

 

Apple - upper view

Charcoal sketching on cartridge paper

Used CONTE charcoal pencil and kneaded eraser for the creation. The technique involved blending

and scribbling with the pencil to create the values.