Ganpatipule beach - Watercolor paintings

 “ Colors like features, follow the changes of emotions.” Pablo Picasso 

Ganpatipule beach, located on the Konkan coast of Maharashtra, is a clean, tranquil, and pristine beach known for its scenic beauty, coconut palms and the historic 400 year old Swayambhu Ganpati temple. 

We were at this beautiful beach last August and and I captured the monsoon landscape at different times of the day and so began my series of Watercolor paintings on my most favourite subject “Seascapes”. I got everything that I was looking for. 

Water, the elixir of life, one of the most fundamental requirements for life in any form, is somehow my source of inspiration. Moreover, I spent all my life close to sea and I feel, painting a seascape is more about capturing water and sky. It is about expressing emotion, movement, and silence all at once. Through these simple limited palette paintings, I get to explore color, light, texture and atmosphere in unique ways.

In most of my paintings below I have mostly used  Chitrapat handmade paper  . The size of the paper varies in each of them. This paper can be easily purchased online from different stationery branded stores. I normally buy the rough textured pad from Himalaya Fine Art which is situated in Fort area. In fact, the store comes up with sale every three to four months and I love the discount offers that they provide and moreover the products are genuine and great quality. Would definitely recommend everyone to try it out once.

If you wish to read a little more in detail about each of the paintings below, do visit my INSTAGRAM profile wherein I am more active. However, I do plan to create a post very soon on my “Limited Palette” exploration which I began a few months ago after getting inspired by world renowned artist Hazel Soan.

Using a limited palette has given a new direction to my watercolor techniques. I now use just about three to five color hues and that keeps my work simple. I get better color harmony and avoid muddy effects. Watercolor medium is challenging by itself and using a lot of color pigments can complicate it further.

Shimmering Silence 

Watercolor painting on Chitrapat handmade paper 

Size:  4.5” X 6.5”

Afternoon Sparkle

Watercolor painting on Chitrapat handmade paper 

Size: 3.75” X 5.5”

Coastal Monsoon

Watercolor painting on Chitrapat handmade paper 

Size: 4.5” X 6.5”

Monsoon vibes at the beach 

Watercolor painting on Chitrapat handmade paper 

Size: 4.5” X 6.75”

A tree by the shore

Watercolor painting on Chitrapat handmade paper 

Size: 3” X 4”

Quiet Reflections 

Watercolor painting on Chitrapat handmade paper 

Size: 4.75” X 6.75”

Rocks and waves

Watercolor painting on Chitrapat handmade paper 

Size: 4.75” X 6.75”

( Painting with my reference photo )

( Painting with my reference photo )

A Rocky beach

Watercolor painting on Chitrapat handmade paper 

Size: 4.75” X 6.75”

( Painting with my reference photo )

I have not been very regular at writing posts for my blog. However if you love my works you can follow me on INSTAGRAM . Thanks for browsing through my blog posts 🙏

Sunlit Branches- A watercolor painting on Chitrapat handmade paper

“Art is as natural as sunshine and as vital as nourishment.” M F Kohl

A morning scene from Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary ( Also known as Keoladeo National park )  The sunlit branches glistening in the morning rays of the sun inspired me to create this artwork. In order to create the texture of the foliage I decided to use the fan brush and the rigger brush and was happy to get the desired effect. I have used a limited palette and mainly the warm colors in this landscape painting. In most of my water color paintings I limit myself to using as few colors as possible. It helps in simplifying the painting process.

The two papers that I love to work with are Arches cold pressed paper. and  Chitrapat handmade paper . Arches however is very expensive and hence I use more of Chitrapat paper these days but very soon plan to shift to Arches paper. For its price, I would definitely Chitrapat paper to all beginners. It can be easily purchased from online stores in India.

Sunlit Branches

A water colour painting on Chitrapat 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. 

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 and I appreciate your support in my art journey.

The Pine Trees ( Roghi Village, Himachal Pradesh )

“Art is a space in which freedom tests its wings.” Marty Rubin

The ride from Kalpa to Roghi village in Kinnaur valley, Himachal Pradesh is an amazing experience. Today’s soft pastel painting is a small study of what I saw on my way. 

We have been to Himachal Pradesh many a times and road travel helps us to witness some stunning views on the way. While on our way to Roghi Village, I remember having stopped at this place and the “Pine Trees” against the sky looked magnificent. It almost felt as if they were reaching for the sky. 

I have used the twilight shade of Canson Mi Teintes paper. This is a medium toned paper and it goes well for most of my paintings where I have to work on subtle shades of color. However when I intend doing a forest where a major part of the landscape requires dark tones, I go in for either black or dark brown paper. Selection of the right color of paper makes a big difference in the painting.

Reaching for the sky

A soft pastel painting on Canson Mi Teintes paper

Size 4” X 5.5”

For most of my pastel works I use the Mungyo pastels in the beginning to block in the major shapes and later I use the Koh-I-Noor and Gallery pastels. During my final touch up I make use of my recently purchased Sennelier pastels.  

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.

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

“In the mind of every artist there is a masterpiece.” Kai Greene

Today’s water color painting has been inspired by the “The Golden Gate Bridge”, a suspension bridge, one of the most internationally recognised symbols of San Francisco, California and the United States of America. I have not been to San Francisco but I always wanted to paint this Bridge, so I have used a reference image from “PIXABAY” and I am grateful to them for sharing the photographs with everyone for free usage. 

This is my first painting in the “Bridge series” and a change of subject is always a little challenging. However I believe that working on something new helps you learn a lot more new things and it is a an essential step towards evolving as an artist. I have used very few colors to execute this painting and prefer this minimalist approach to avoid complications. The Bridge and it’s reflections has been the focal point in this painting.

Golden Gate Bridge 

A water colour painting on Chitrapat handmade paper 

Size 5.5” X 7.5”

I enjoy water color medium as much as pastel medium, and these days I am managing to do both. Often people ask me which medium I like the best. It’s a difficult question to answer because I am passionate about each medium, including charcoal. Every medium has its own highlights and no two mediums can ever be compared. End of the day, the art that gets created, no matter which medium, speaks a universal language and sparks the happiness in you.

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. 

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 and I appreciate your support in my art journey.

Three seashore paintings in water colour

"The vision must be sharper than the pencil." Bob Brendle

Painting seashore using Camel Artist water colour tubes.

All three paintings as below are sized 4"X 5".They are done on different papers like Canson Montwal, Canson Vidalon, Handmade paper etc. Every paper is different with respect to its texture, thickness etc and I like to experiment with my techniques in order to get a better understanding of the paper.

After having done a series of such small works I may settle down with the papers which suit my style of working. Presently I have small samples which I picked up some time back from ART LOUNGE, the art stationery shop at Churchgate.

The top two water colour paintings are from Goa reference and the lowest one is from Langkawi beach. I am working on some more water colour painitngs of landscapes and seascapes and will be posting the images soon.

My works can be seen on Instagram and Deviantart as well.