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.

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.

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.

Bon Voyage - A water colour painting on Canson Moulin Du Roy paper

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

I am posting today after a very very long time. It has been a long break but I have been active on Instagram. Instagram is great for artists and other professionals as well, however I have been missing my blogging a lot and hence have decided to take out time to get started once again with my blog.

Blogging helps me to write a lot more and share my experience as I continue to paint and explore different mediums. Of late, I have been addicted to water colour medium and am creating small works on different subjects which include seascapes, mountainscapes and other landscapes as well. I intend doing cityscapes too but after a while when I get more comfortable with my brushes and palette.

Today I am posting a water colour painting that I created a while ago on Canson Moulin Du Roy paper referring to a photograph taken by my husband. The focal point in the painting is the Cargo vessel which has just sailed out from the port towards its new destination, which can take a long number of days. I used wet on wet technique for the sky as well as the mountains.

Canson Moulin Du Roy is a fairly new paper to me and I am beginning to like it. I shall write a little review about it in one of my upcoming posts. It is available on Amazon.in but I got my 9' X 12" pad from Spain through a very good friend of mine.

Bon Voyage

Water colour painting on Canson Moulin Du Roy CP paper

Size 5.5" X 8"

It takes a whole lot of paintings, to understand and feel the connection with a particular paper. I am definitely enjoying working with Canson Moulin Du Roy cold pressed paper and since I have a few sample pieces of hot pressed version of the same paper, will try out that too. 

I am planning a two days water colour workshop on the 17th and 18th of November and if you are interested in registering for the same, you can mail me or send a DM on my Instagram page.

Thank you for browsing through my artworks and being a part of my art journey.

Nikola Tesla - Charcoal portrait on toned paper

"Be alone, that is the secret of invention; be alone, that is when ideas are born." Nikola Tesla

Today's charcoal portrait drawing is a tribute to Nikola Tesla, who was a Serbian American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist and futurist who is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current electricity supply system.

Albert Einstein was once asked how it felt to be the smartest man alive. Einstein's reply was " I don't know, you'll have to ask Nikola Tesla."

I have used Strathmore toned tan paper and a miscellaneous collection of pencils to create this portrait study. Drawing and sketching is always a welcome change. I have busy with my water color studies for last few months as can be seen from my INSTAGRAM page.

Nikola Tesla

Charcoal and white pastel drawing on Strathmore toned paper

Size 6" X 8"

Strathmore toned paper is a great paper to create portrait drawings using just two different pencils, a charcoal and a white pastel pencil. Few other tools that I commonly use are blending tool, eraser, charcoal powder etc.

I have not blogged much for the last many months and it feels good to be back at it again. My plan is to be a little more consistent from now on. I am also planning a few workshops in the next coming months and I shall be writing more about it in my "ART WORKSHOP" page.

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

Portrait study

"Drawing keeps the eye fresh, the mind alive and the intuition nimble." Timothy Nero

In 2017, I did not work a lot on my portraits and one of my resolutions this year was to devote time to create a few of them. When I initially got into portrait drawings, it was mostly charcoal on white paper. It’s only a few years back that I discovered the beauty of working on toned paper. The different toned papers that I have experimented with in the last couple of years are

• Handmade textured paper
• Canson Mi Teintes paper
• Fabriano Elle Erre
• Strathmore toned paper

Apart from the ones mentioned above, every once in a while I try out a portrait study on any ordinary textured paper too like the one below. I created the portrait study below on an ordinary grey textured paper that I came across in a stationery shop. It is definitely not as good as Strathmore or Canson Mi Teintes paper, but for the price that I paid for this paper ( Rs 20/- ) it is value for money.

After creating the portrait and capturing the emotions, I decided to darken the background using charcoal powder. The charcoal powder that I normally use in my charcoal drawings is a local make and pretty good. It is easily available in stationery stores. To know more about the charcoal tools that I use for my drawings CLICK HERE.

In Silence

Portrait study on grey toned paper

Size 6" X 8"

When I was in Sikkim during my last holidays, I stayed in a homestay high up in the mountains at Hee Bermiok in West Sikkim. While I was there I got to interact with the local people and I photographed some of them with their permission. I am now using these photographs as a reference to create a few portrait drawings in the series "FACES OF INDIA". Keep browsing to see some of them soon.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Presently I am busy with my art work and other commitments, but will soon start my "Art Workshops"in different mediums. You can also know about them through my INSTAGRAM account.

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.

Mobor beach, Goa - A water color painting

“You don’t make art. You find it,” Pablo Picasso

The sky takes on beautiful shades of orange during sunset and it is a pleasure to watch the miracle unfold where nature paints the sky right before your eyes.

Today's post is a water color painting that I have created using one of my photographs taken at Mobor beach, Goa. Mobor beach is a white sand beach located at Cavelossim in South Goa. It is not too populated and is an excellent location if you are looking for some quiet moments.

After creating the sky and the sea, I added one fishing vessel in the distance, though there were many seen in the ocean near the horizon. Sometimes to keep the composition simple, I do away with some elements which I feel can distract the eye from the focal point.

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

The Evening Glow

A water colour painting on Arches CP paper

Size 5” X 7”

Presently I am working on "Portrait drawing on toned paper" which is pretty time consuming. Moreover I have started posting on Instagram regularly, so I am always running short of time. But I love blogging and will continue to do so as and when possible.

After months of experimenting with different water color papers, I have more or less decided to go with Chitrapat handmade paper and Arches cold pressed paper. But when I start with water color portraits, which I intend to do soon, then I will buy Arches hot pressed paper. As of now I am still trying to loosen up my brush strokes in water color medium. Taking one day at a time.

Thanks everyone for being a part of my art journey.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

A soft pastel study on Canson Mi Teintes paper

"Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death." Albert Einstein

Taking a break from my water color medium, I created a small 5" X 7" study of "Waterfall" using my soft pastel collection. This scene had water flowing in different directions and to capture the movement and rhythm with the pastel strokes was challenging. 

Using an orange colored Canson Mi Teintes paper for the waterfall added warmth to the painting and I feel it works well for subjects like seascapes and waterfalls. For my forest and other landscapes I prefer using either dark brown or the twilight paper.

In October 2016, I created a post in order to explain regarding how I go about choosing the right colored paper for my pastel paintings depending on the subject and the atmosphere. CLICK HERE to read more about it.

Soft pastel study of waterfall
on Canson Mi Teintes paper

At the beginning of the year I had taken a decision to continue doing my portrait works on a regular basis and I suddenly realized that I have not really done much since January. Therefore my next plan is to complete a small portrait of "Albert Einstein" which I started last year on Strathmore Artagain 400 series paper using white pastel pencil. It is about eighty percent complete and I need to spend a few more hours on it to add the finishing touches. 

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 your continuous support in helping me grow as an artist.

Another water colour study on Chitrapat hand made paper

"Logic will take you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." Albert Einstein

When a paper works for me, it motivates me to create more works on them. As I have already written in my previous posts, Chitrapat hand made paper is new to me but somehow I am loving it. However to understand it better and to connect with it, I plan to work more with it.

Today I am posting a landscape painting that I created mainly to do the cloud study. I have used a mix of warm and cool colours ( Camlin artists water colour tubes ). As can be seen in the image below, I have also started using my Raphael sable hair mop brush. It is very expensive as compared to my other brushes but worth it.

Water colour study on Chitrapat hand made paper

Size 7" X 10"

Thanks for visiting my blog and browsing through my artworks. My works can also be seen on INSTAGRAM and if you like them please share. Thanks.

My second attempt at Chitrapat handmade paper

"There is no greater harm than that of time wasted." Michelangelo

After my last experience with Chitrapat handmade paper, I was excited to try out another one. So I picked up the subject where in I could paint some mountains in the distance with its reflections in the water. 

For a small sized paper such as 5" X 7", I use just about two brushes. Both are from Himalaya Fine Art store at Fort. They have sable hair and are very smooth to use on the water color paper. They almost glide on the surface without disturbing the fibres on the paper surface. They are very economical as compared to the imported sable hair brushes.

Water colour study on Chitrapat handmade paper

Size 5" X 7"

My art workshop "Charcoal and white pastel drawing on toned paper" is coming up on the 25th of February, 2018 at Art Station, Four Bunglows. So this week I will be busy working with the charcoal medium. 

Thank you all for visiting my blog. 

Using Chitrapat handmade paper

"To draw, you must close your eyes and sing." Pablo Picasso

I love the above quote by Picasso. Painting is an amazing phenomenon. I do not know about singing but yes it does transport me to another world where it's me, my colours and my art. It is a kind of meditation which relaxes me completely. Not painting on a particular day makes me restless and so I look forward to doing some art everyday irrespective of the size and the medium.

Today's post is about Chitrapat handmade paper ( I had been reading great reviews about it since long ) which I recently purchased from Art Station. Unfortunately the stationery store did not have the Matt version so I decided to go with the rough surface pad. 

Normally when I begin my first painting on a new paper I go for a small size. It takes a couple of paintings to get to know and understand the paper. The subject I selected is “An evening sky” and I gave a suggestion of a few houses in the distance. I loved the paper and enjoyed working on it mainly for two reasons. First reason being it is great for wet on wet technique and secondly it is 270 gsm and hence does not buckle much.

An Evening sky

Water colour painting on Chitrapat paper 

Size 5” X 7”

I feel good working with this new paper and sometimes it takes just one painting to feel the connection. I have a feeling that this paper will work for my kind of techniques. Prashant Sarkar, a water color artist has posted several of his videos on youtube and he has used Chitrapat paper for most of his paintings. It is inspiring to watch other artists create beautiful works.

Posting below some images of the Chitrapat Handmade paper pad and information printed on it.

Chitrapat Handmade paper pad

Close up of the rough textured 

Chitrapat handmade paper

Info printed on the Chitrapat handmade paper pad.

When I like a particular paper then I try and include it in my "List of favorite papers" and Chitrapat is definitely going to be one of them. Very soon I shall post another work created on the same paper.

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

Monsoon sky - A water colour painting

"The reward of art is not fame or success but intoxication." Cyril Conolly

Today’s post is a water colour painting which I created to do a study of “Monsoon sky” using wet on wet technique. I have limited myself to using only four colors namely

• Raw Sienna
• Ultramarine Blue
• Burnt Sienna
• Alizarin Crimson

( Camlin Artists water colour tubes )

Monsoon

A water colour painting on handmade paper 

Size 5” X 7”

In this painting after applying the colors to the sky, I used my mini spray bottle to let the paint flow down with gravity and then I shifted the angle of the paper to direct the flow where ever required. Every new painting in water color medium provides me with an opportunity to try out something new and this adds to the fun and excitement. As I am enjoying working with this medium a lot, I plan to explore it more in the coming days.

On the 25th of this month I am conducting a one day workshop on "Using charcoal and white pastel pencil on toned paper." If interested, you can mail me for registration at manjupanchal5@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting my blog.