Water colour painting inspired by the white sandy beaches of Florida

"There are no half measures when it comes to watercolours. Watercolour demands constant devotion." Pierre Tougas

Yesterday I completed my second water colour painting on Arches cold pressed paper. I love the beaches and have done a series on them. Be it in Goa, Phi Phi island or Florida, they are all beautiful in their own way.

The 7" X 9" watercolour painting below has been inspired by the beautiful white sandy beaches of Florida. I have painted a lot of them before on hand made paper. Now I am trying out my new works on Arches, Fabriano and other acid free papers. Shifting from one paper to another gets a little tricky as the paper surface, it's water absorbing quality etc is different and hence it takes a little time getting used to it.

In the painting below, I tried to do the sky using wet on wet technique and I had all the steps planned out in the head, but as the paper started drying up it led to a little confusion and then the brush strokes were just spontaneous. Next time probably I will keep the spray bottle by the side to keep the paper wet for a longer time. Like I always say, every painting is a new learning experience and I am always looking forward to painting something new and challenging.

Morning at the shore

Water colour painting on Arches cold pressed paper

Size 7" X 9"

My next painting that I have already worked out in my mind is a beach scene from Goa and also another landscape scene from Sikkim. I also plan to check out the "Fabriano Artistico" hot pressed paper which I recently purchased from the Himalaya Stationery store at Fort.

Thanks for browsing through my works.

Using Arches 300 gsm cold pressed paper

"Master water first and then paint." Josh Goldberg

Gurudongmar Lake is a stunning lake situated at a height of 17100 ft above sea level in north Sikkim.
The lake can be reached by road from Lachen via Thangu. The approach road from Thangu to Gurudongmar passes through a rugged and enchanting terrain with high alpine pastures covered with many rhododendron trees. It is a difficult journey and most tourists leave Lachen early morning by 4 or 5 am as it takes three to four hours to reach the lake. However once the destination is reached it is an unbelievable sight and the beautiful view all around is mesmerising. To me it was like a dream come true.

Before creating any painting, as a rule I always create a few study works which helps me simplify the shapes, understand the values and colours. Creating a study work also helps me to decide on my technique that I would apply in order to create that particular work. Sometimes it is wet on wet and other times I go with wet on dry technique. I have used my newly purchased Arches cold pressed paper for this painting and if everything works out well I may use it as my preferred choice for water colour medium.

Gurudongmar lake

Water colour painting on Arches cold pressed paper

Size 7" X 9"

In conclusion, I enjoyed working with Arches cold pressed paper. It has a great textured surface which is ideal for landscape painting and being 300 gsm, it can hold water for long and does not buckle much. I am planning to create a seashore painting next on the same paper. After creating a couple of works on this paper I will be able to understand its quality better.

Thanks for visiting my blog and browsing through my artworks.

Mobor beach, Goa - A water colour painting

"Watercolour is a lifetime pursuit..........mostly uphill." Robert Wade

I love the quote as mentioned above. After having done a lot of charcoal and pastel artworks, I definitely find water colour more challenging, however it has its own advantages. What I love most about this medium is that it gets done fast and I do not have to worry about its getting smudged. I can conveniently store it in a folder.

Mobor beach is a beautiful serene beach in the south of Goa. I visited this beach during the monsoon and enjoyed the views around. It was a cloudy day and the distant trees and mountains got reflected in the still waters. I decided to use water colour medium to capture the mood and atmosphere of the moment.

This painting also gave me the opportunity to paint a cloudy sky and the reflections in the water. I tried the wet on wet technique for the sky and had to be pretty organised and quick in adding the colours. I need to work on many more such landscapes to understand the painting technique. It is more about understanding the paper, the amount of water in the brush and how dilute is the paint. I am loving this medium and plan to continue with it for a few more paintings.

Mobor Beach, Goa

Water colour painting on Fabriano paper

Size 6.5" X 9"

I painted Vaddi beach, Goa, some time back and to view the same CLICK HERE. 

Presently I am using Camlin artists water colour tubes and am exploring all the different papers that I have in my collection. Over a period of time I have purchased hand made paper, Fabriano , Arches cold pressed paper, Campap and Brustro water colour paper. I may finally settle down for the one which works best for me depending on my technique.

Thanks a lot for viewing my artworks.

An early morning view at Temi Tea Garden, South Sikkim

"If you hear a voice within you say ,'You cannot paint', by all means paint and that voice will be silenced." Vincent Van Gogh

While in Sikkim, we decided to spend a day at Temi Tea Garden in a homestay. When we reached there it was late evening and the weather was a bit dull and cloudy. The distant mountains and valleys were all covered in fog. Hence the morning sight took us by surprise as we were greeted by a clear sky, bright sunlight and it was a pleasure as we watched the scene change slowly.

Morning at Temi Tea Estate

Water colour study work on Campap paper

Size 5" X 6"

I enjoyed working on Campap paper. The wet on wet technique worked pretty well on this paper.
Presently I am working on some more water colour study works in my sketch book. After having done a couple of them I plan to create paintings sized 7" X 10" or more.

If you are interested in attending a workshop organised by me visit my ART WORKSHOP page to know more details.

Thanks for browsing through my works.

Gurudongmar Lake and Zero point - water colour study works

"All my life through, the new sights of nature made me rejoice like a child." Marie Curie

The above quote says exactly what I feel while I am in the arms of nature. My recent visit to North Sikkim made my dream come true as I got the opportunity to visit Gurudongmar lake, Yumthang valley and Zero point. Words cannot express the beauty of these places and as I always write in my posts, one has to be there to feel it and live it.

I captured the beauty of north Sikkim in my Camera ( Cannon and Sony ). Gurudongmar lake is the second highest lake in India, at a height of 17100 feet above sea level. It is one of the most beautiful, spectacular and sacred lakes surrounded on all sides by snow capped mountains.

Legend has it that, Guru Padmasambhava ( also known as Guru Dongmar ), touched and sanctified the lake, and thus even in extreme winter, a portion of the lake does not freeze. The lake is also one of the sources of river Teesta, which flows through Sikkim, West Bengal and Bangladesh to merge with the Bay of Bengal.

Given below are a few water colour study works of Gurudongmar lake and scenes from Zero Point in north Sikkim. Study works help me to understand the composition, brush strokes, colour mixing etc so that when late I am trying to recreate the same scene on a larger scale I will know the exact technique to follow.

Gurudongmar Lake 

Study works on cartridge sheet

Size 4" X 5"

At Zero point ( North Sikkim ) 

Study works on cartridge sheet

Size 4" X 5"

After having done the "Study works" where in I tried out different techniques to get the scene as desired, I shall now decide on creating a larger painting on "Arches 300gsm cold pressed paper". 

I purchased a few sheets of Arches paper some months back but have somehow not gathered the courage to start on it. It is an expensive paper and I wanted to have the free and loose brush movements, and a little bit of experience in handling the water colour medium. It is time now to shift from handmade paper to Arches and I will know the difference once I paint on it. I would love to create a "Gurudongmar lake" painting on it soon.

Thank you all for your support and keep browsing.

Step by step -Water colour painting on hand made paper

"The artist does not see things as they are, but as he is." Alfred Tonnelle

It feels good to be blogging once again after a long number of days. I have not painted much for a while as I have been busy travelling. 

The water colour painting that I am posting today got completed last month just before I left home for my holidays. Its a painting which has been inspired by "A Journey to Ladakh". Ladakh is one of my dream destinations and some day soon I plan to visit this place with famuly and friends. The reference photograph for the painting below has been provided to me by a close friend and I am thankful to her for the same.

It is a 11" X 14" painting on hand made paper and I have used Camlin Artists water colour tubes for the same. To view my Palette, CLICK HERE. 

The road to heaven

A water colour painting on hand made paper

Size 11" X 14"

Posted below are the steps involved in creating this water colour painting. I have used both, the wet on wet and wet on dry techniques to complete the above painting.

Step 1. Wet on wet, creating the sky and distant mountains

Step 2. Adding the foreground using flat brush and painting the 

mountain in the foreground using warm colours

Step 3. Adding details on the mountain slopes using

wet on dry technique

While I was away, I carried my small travel sketch book, water colour palette, two round brushes, few pencils and an eraser in order to create some plein air paintings provided I got time and opportunity. Fortunately on some days I did get a good view from the Homestay where we were put up and I managed to create a few small water colour study works. I shall try and post them soon.

In the meantime I am also gearing up to get started with my portrait works. I also have plan to create a few landscapes especially with reference to some beautiful photographs that I took while I was at Gurudongmar Lake in North Sikkim.

Thanks for browsing through my works and do visit my ART WORKSHOP page in case you are interested in taking one of my workshops to learn the basics of different mediums.