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.

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.

Portrait drawing on Strathmore toned paper

"The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create the reality of the same intensity."
Alberto Giacometti

Strathmore 400 series Toned Gray paper is working for me. I am enjoying doing portraits on them. It is a 118 gsm, acid free paper, and is excellent for creating white highlights and dark shadows using graphite and charcoal. So far I have been using this paper for my charcoal and white pastel drawings. However I do plan using graphite pencil for creating my next portrait.

Today I am posting a "Portrait drawing" of a young and beautiful girl, with the traditional white bangles on her hand. She is waiting for the celebrations to begin, all dressed up and ready.

Looking pretty

A charcoal and white pastel drawing

Size 5.5" X 7"

I love doing both "Portraits" and "Landscapes". I do not want to give up on any one of them. It gets very difficult at times to keep pace with both these subjects, but my passion for each of them helps me keep the balance. 

Thanks for visiting my blog and if you wish to purchase any of my works, you can mail me at manjupanchal5@gmail.com and I shall get back to you as soon as possible.

Milind Mulick and his water colour paintings

Milind Mulick - An artist who inspires me.

Art brings happiness into my life. To paint on a regular basis I need to stay motivated and this motivation at times comes from browsing through the works of other artists. I admire a lot many artists and hence, through my blog I am making an attempt to share some beautiful works by world famous artists. My last post was on Leonardo Da Vinci, a master artist from the Renaissance period. Today I am posting about a renowned water colour artist from Pune, Milind Mulick.

Milind Mulick is the son of a well known illustrator and painter, Mr Pratap Mulick. He has been drawing since the age of five and started painting water colour landscapes at the age of thirteen.
After completing his degree in Engineering, later in life he shifted to his passion art, creating stunning artworks mostly in water colour medium.

Milind Mulick's paintings are in the collection of many private individuals and a few Corporate houses in India, USA, Europe as well as Japan and Singapore. Vibrancy of colours and an ability to capture the essence of the subject are the hallmark of his paintings.

( COURTESY:  JYOTSNAPRAKASHAN , www.milindmulick.com )

I am posting below some of the water colour paintings by Milind Mulick which are my personal favorites. The cityscapes, the seascapes, the fields and a portrait work.

Jyotsana Prakashan has uploaded some videos where you can watch the water colour paintings being created by this great artist.

If you wish to read one of Milind Mulick's interviews which was taken by a Russian artist Konstantin Sterkhov , CLICK HERE. 

I recently happened to purchase a book by Milind Mulick, on a very challenging subject "Perspective". Be it nature or portrait drawing, knowing perspective helps a great deal. The book has all the information required in a very simplified manner and I refer to it as and when required.

You can find more of his books on sites like AMAZON.

A book on Perspective by Milind Mulick.

Thank you for visiting my blog. 

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. 

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.

Charcoal Drawing Sketch book

"I sometimes think there is nothing so delightful as drawing." Vincent Van Gogh

Posting two of my recent charcoal drawings in my "Charcoal sketch book" using charcoal pencil, willow charcoal and kneaded eraser. This particular sketch book has a history. I created it in Sept 2015, when I was travelling. At that moment I was looking for a book with butter paper in between for protecting my study works from smudging. When I did not find one, I went on to create one myself. CLICK HERE to read more about this book.

 By creating these small value studies, I get to simplify the landscape that I am working on. Now that my preliminary drawing is done and I am happy with the design, composition and placement of values, I can go ahead and recreate these paintings in a larger format in any medium that I desire.

A seashore at Langkawi

Size 4"X 5"

A scene from West Sikkim

Size 4" X 5"

Painting is fun but as mentioned in the quote as above by Vincent Van Gogh, the pleasure of getting back to simple drawings is something cannot be described in words. Another beautiful quote which speaks of significance of drawing is "Drawing is the bones of art. You have to be able to walk before you can run."Dion Archibald

Check out my "ART WORKSHOP" page to know about some of my upcoming workshops in this month and October.

Thanks you all for browsing through my artworks.

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.

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.

Leonardo Da Vinci

"The painter has the Universe in his mind and hands." Leonardo Da Vinci

My today's post is about the world famous artist Leonardo Da Vinci whose drawings, paintings and other artworks have inspired artists around the world.

Leonardo Da Vinci ( 1452 - 1519 ) was a leading artist and intellectual of the Italian Renaissance who is known for his enduring works "The Last Supper" and the "Mona Lisa". He was a painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, military engineer and draftsman and the epitome of "Renaissance man". With a curious mind and keen intellect, Da Vinci studied the laws of science and nature, which greatly informed his work. His ideas and body of work have influenced countless artists around the world.
( COURTESY: www.biography.com )

Posted below are a few drawings by Leonardo Da Vinci which covers diverse subjects such as portraits, head study, anatomy drawings, machinery drawings and still life drawing. Every work is a masterpiece and it is such a pleasure to browse through each one of them.

Leonardo's study of nature and anatomy emerged in his stunningly realistic paintings, and his dissections of the human body paved the way for remarkable accurate figures. All in all, Leonardo believed that the artist must know not just the rules of the perspective, but all the laws of nature. The eye, he believed was the perfect instrument for learning these laws, and the artist the perfect person to illustrate them.

Head of a girl

 ( Coutesy: www.webneel.com )

Study for the head of Leda 1505 - 7

 ( Courtesy www.drawingsofleoardo.org )

Self portrait

 (Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Head of a young woman

 (Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Cross bow machine

 (Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Water lifting devices

(Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Woman's head

 (Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Study of hands

 (Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Skull study

( Coutesy: www.webneel.com )

Heart and its blood vessels

(Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Drawing of drapery

(Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Head of a man

(Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Profile of an old man

(Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Anatomical studies of the shoulder

(Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Drawing of a botanical study

(Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Black berries

(Courtesy: www.leonardodavinci.net )

Browsing through artworks created by world famous artists like Leonardo Da Vinci is a great way of starting the day. Who will not get inspired by such brilliant works? 

When I am not painting, I take out time on a regular basis to go through the works of artists I admire. I shall be posting about some more artists very soon.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

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.

Making small changes in an "Old Portrait Artwork"

"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough, we must do." Leonardo Da Vinci

While browsing through some of my old artworks, I came across the portrait of a young woman which I had created last year on Canson Mi Teintes paper. It was meant to be a simple study work. I looked at it for a few minutes, analyzing and evaluating it and then got tempted to make a few changes.This happens all the time. You begin to see little faults in older works.

Posted below is the "Portrait" after a little touch up with General white pastel pencil and Camel charcoal pencil.

Portrait study work

Charcoal and white pastel drawing on Canson MT paper

Size 5" X 7"

I am very fond of Canson MT paper and use it a lot for my soft pastel paintings and portrait artworks. Of late I have started using Strathmore toned paper too. The Strathmore paper has comparatively a smooth surface, nevertheless with a change of pencil I get the effect that I desire.

Thank you for browsing through my artworks.

Charcoal and Graphite Portrait drawing of a boy

"I am interested in art as a means of living a life; not as a means of making a living."
Robert Henri

Some months back I had purchased Canson Bristol paper from "Art Lounge" with an intention of trying it out for my graphite and charcoal artworks. It is an extra white paper with a very smooth surface. I used it initially to do my "Eye studies" and later started a portrait of a young boy which for various reasons never got completed. Therefore I decided to put in a few hours on it and finally completed it. In this particular drawing I have used a combination of both graphite and charcoal medium.

In conclusion, I love the Canson Bristol paper for its extra white colour. However since I have not worked much on a very smooth surface, I am feeling a bit uneasy at this stage. In fact all the papers that I have used in the past have a textured surface and so I have got very comfortable using them. But at the same time, I do not want to give up on this paper and may try one or two more portraits to make a final conclusion ie to keep it as a preferred choice for future or to let it go.

CLICK HERE to know about the papers that I use for my charcoal drawings.

Young Boy

Charcoal drawing on Canson Bristol paper

Size 5" X 7"

Posted below is the image of the Bristol paper by Canson

I enjoy doing both landscapes and portraits. However landscapes take much lesser time as compared to doing portraits. My portrait drawing happens in stages. I never complete it at one go. I take my time and as and when I am in the right frame of mind, I sit at it and little by little I add the layers. It is interesting to see the portrait develop and when it finally completes it seems like a big achievement. 

 If you wish to purchase any of my artworks, you can browse through them on my INSTAGRAM page. I shall communicate with you regarding the availability of the painting, the shipping procedure and other details.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Portrait drawing on Canson Mi Teintes paper

"How we spend our days is how we spend our lives. What we do this hour and that hour, is what we are doing." Annie Dillard. ( Courtesy: Skinny Artist )

I love to start my day with a good "Quotation." It has now become second nature to me. The above quote throws light on a very important aspect of our life. Living life everyday, and taking small decisions which go a long way to keep you happy and satisfied. I try to paint and draw on a daily basis and the days I am really busy, I take to my sketch book, creating some small study work in it. It keeps my art passion alive.

Today I am posting a "Portrait drawing" which I have created inspired by a lively old woman, I met up in the mountain slopes at Hee Bermiok in West Sikkim. We were climbing up the hills in order to get a clear view of Kanchenjunga Mountain peak, when we were greeted by her and her granddaughter.

She was out in the front yard of her home, relaxing. Looking happy and exuberant, she readily posed for me and when I expressed my desire to create her drawing in future, she immediately went and changed into her traditional attire ( Including the jewelry ). That gave me the opportunity to click more of her photographs from different angles and I am waiting to try them all.

In the drawing as below, she is facing the sun and to avoid the glaring sun rays she squint her eyes. I loved this composition, hence this is the first of her portraits that I have done to start with. Getting to know a person before doing the portrait helps in capturing the inner soul of the person in the drawing. I have tried to do just that.

Facing the morning light

Charcoal and white pastel pencil drawing on Canson MT paper

Size 5" X 7"

Next I am working on few more portraits, so keep browsing and if you are interested in attending any of my art workshops please drop me a mail and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Thanks for visiting my blog.