Dramatic sky at the beach - A water color painting

"Smell the sea and feel the sky, let your soul and spirits fly.” Van Morrison

There are days when you get to witness the dramatic sky at the seashore. The diffused sunlight through the clouds, reflecting on the waters below made for a good composition. Inspired by this scene ( Photo reference: minera13/Pixabay ) I created this watercolor painting on Fabriano Acquarello watercolor paper.

I got more involved with watercolor quite recently and before getting into this medium, I went on to purchase many different brands of watercolor papers. Fabriano Acquarello happens to be one of them. So in the past few months I have tried all the papers at hand, and got to know so much about each one of them. ( Check My INSTAGRAM account  ). Now that I have resumed my blogging I will try and post a little about each one of them.

Fabriano Aquarello ( 200 gsm ) is a student grade watercolor paper, however in this category I find it pretty good to use. It is a professional grade, acid free paper and economical too.

Dramatic sky at the beach
A watercolor painting on Fabriano Aquarello paper
Size 5” X 7”

In the above painting, I used both Camlin and Winsor and Newton cotman tubes. My palette consisted of very few colors and I like it that way. It helps in simplifying my painting procedure. I enjoyed working on the sky. 

As I already mentioned, I am presently totally involved in watercolor medium but soon plan to get back to my charcoals and pastels.

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

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.

Waterfall - A study work in pastel medium

“ The only source of knowledge is experience.” Albert Einstein

Before starting any artwork, I do a small study of the same to understand the subject a little better. The waterfall study ( Naga Waterfall ) as below has been created with reference to a photograph, which I took while we were travelling up north in Sikkim. This is an upper view of the fall and the perspective is a bit complicated. The water is flowing from upper left to lower right.

Creating this 4” X 5” artwork on a small Canson MT was an interesting experience.I have limited myself to using very few pastels and pencils to create this 4” X 5” artwork. ( Koh-I-Noor and Mungyo brand )

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

Soft pastel study work of a waterfall

from North Sikkim.

Size 4” X 5”

I have been using Canson Mi Teintes paper since last few years and it is a great paper for pastel and charcoal artworks. However I always wanted to try out some other brand sanded paper because when I am painting subjects like “Forest pathways” , I feel the need to apply more than two layers of pastels which becomes a little difficult with Canson paper. 

Therefore I ordered a La Carte pastel card Pad with twelve assorted coloured cards in it. I have already created two works on this card and will be posting them soon.

If you wish to purchase any of my paintings, you can browse through them in gallery format on my Instagram page. For any query regarding any of my works you can mail me at manjupanchal5@gmail.com and I shall get back to you as soon as possible.

Thank you for visiting my blog and supporting me in my art journey.

River - A water colour painting

"Sit by a river. Find peace and meaning in the rhythm of the lifeblood of Earth." Anonymous

After having done a few charcoal portrait drawings, I am back with a small water colour painting. Working too long with any medium saturates me and then I need to do something different. Now I can work with water colour medium once again with a fresh mind.

Today's water colour painting is a beautiful river flowing down a snowy landscape. I have used the brush strokes to emphasize the direction of the water flow, the rhythm and the energy.

In order to get the water spray effect at left bottom, I have used acrylic white paint spray using a brush. My initial idea was to use a masking fluid but the one that I have is leaving yellow stain on paper so I decided to avoid using it.

I have used a small Strathmore paper cutout for the same. Colour mixing gets simple in a painting such as this as I use a very limited palette, namely Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Blue, Crimson Lake and Indian Red ( Camlin Artist's water colour tubes. )

Racing downwards

Water colour painting on Strathmore paper

Size 4" X 5.5"

I have used Strathmore paper for my earlier work too and I am beginning to love this paper. Presently I have a Cold Pressed version which has visible texture, but for landscape painting, it is fine. If I want to try out a water colour portrait, then I will have to consider buying the hot pressed paper.

Thanks a lot for visiting my blog.

Rocks and pebbles at the beach - A water colour painting

"The only source of knowledge is experience." Albert Einstein

In my last post I mentioned about my newly purchased Arto Campap Cold Pressed paper ( 300 gsm ). I created a small water colour study of "Rocks" on it. I have been photographing close up of rocks since very long but never really got into creating an artwork referring to it. Rocks make an interesting subject to paint as it helps understanding the shape, shadow and textures on its surface.

I kept my water colour palette limited to just three colours, namely burnt sienna, ultramarine blue and paynes grey. Burnt sienna and ultramarine blue when mixed in different proportions create beautiful shades of grey. In fact these two are the maximum used colours in my palette.

Working on textures was lot of fun, though I need to improvise on it. In all this was a quick experimental work and it was an exciting experience. I am waiting to create some more works where in I will get to work on rocks.

Rocks and pebbles

Water colour painting on Arto Campap CP paper

Size 3.5" X 4"

In the past I have created charcoal drawing of "Rocks under the water" using my charcoal tools. 

I do get tempted to pick up my charcoal tools once again and I will do that eventually, however for now I want to spend some more time working with water colour medium.

Thank you all for visiting my blog.

The Gulfoss Water Fall , Iceland

"A man paints with his brains and not with his hands." Michelangelo

My today's post is a small water colour study inspired by Gulfoss waterfall. I have used a reference photograph taken by my husband while he was in Iceland. It is my second water colour study on Fabriano CP 300 gsm paper. 

Painting a waterfall, unlike seashore and other subjects, is a tricky affair. The brushstrokes have to be in the direction of the flow to suggest movement. This was a new subject for me, however I gave it a try. After completing it I did a little self evaluation and came to a conclusion that if I were to try a "Waterfall" again I would go in for a few changes in my techniques. 

Trying out different subjects in any medium is fun. Some subjects can be more challenging than the others, however it is a fun learning process and I am enjoying every moment of it.

Gulfoss waterfall
Water colour painting on Fabriano CP paper
Size 5"X 7"

In this painting apart from using my normal Camlin water colour tubes, I have made use of my Winsor and Newton palette as the Cerulean blue shade in Winsor and Newton is very vibrant and beautiful.

Thank you all for taking out time to browse through my artworks.

A water colour study work of A Cloudy sky at the beach

"Watercolour is probably the most satisfying of all mediums. Although difficult in the beginning, after practice its mysteries will unfold, providing the utmost pleasure for the dedicated." Robert Lovett

Water colour painting is getting fun. Painting a little every day is helping me loosen up my style. It is a great learning process. I am moving ahead one step at a time.

The painting below is something that I wanted to try out since long ie a cloudy scene during monsoon in Goa. The landscape in Goa during monsoon is magical.With the onset of rains the sky changes dramatically into different shades of gray and blue. With every new painting, I get to explore a little of colour mixing. For the grays in the sky I have used ultramarine blue and burnt sienna. The three primary colours too mix to give a good gray colour. 

The paper that I have tried out for this painting is Brustro 300 gsm. It is difficult to do wet on wet on this paper as it starts drying up pretty fast, which then leaves hard edges. Therefore for my future works I will have to rethink about this paper as I am more for wet on wet works.

Monsoon Magic

Water colour painting on Brustro paper

5.5" X 7.5"

My art is about finding simple beautiful scenes in nature and bringing them to life on paper, to relive the happy moments for ever. Presently I am trying out the seascapes and mountainscapes in water colour medium but later some day I would want to do forest scenes too. Before getting to the forest landscapes I need to get a proper understanding of the "Mixing of greens" which can be very intimidating. I am in no hurry and would love to go slow, one step at a time.

My sincere thanks to all the visitors for browsing through my works.

The snow capped mountains around Gurudongmar Lake.

"People come and go, the mountains remain. Mountains are permanent things. They are stubborn, they refuse to move." Ruskin Bond

Today I am posting a water colour painting of a scene that I came across when I visited Gurudongmar Lake in North Sikkim. At an altitude of 17,100 ft above the sea level the snow capped mountains look magnificent against the backdrop of clear azure sky. In fact every view around was picturesque in its own way.

When I painted the Gurudongmar lake, I enjoyed creating the reflections in the water. In this particular painting I tried to get the sand and rocky texture in the foreground plateau. I have used raw sienna, burnt sienna, yellow ochre and ultramarine blue ( Camlin artists water colour tubes ) in the foreground plateau.

A view from Gurudongmar Lake

Water colour painting on Fabriano Artistico hot pressed paper

Size 5.5" X 7.5"

For this painting I have used Fabriano Artistico hot pressed paper  which is great but I want to use the cold pressed version next time. So yesterday I managed to buy a sheet for Rs 415/- and am excited to try it out soon. The hot pressed paper will go well for my water colour portrait works as it has a smooth surface.

Presently I want to continue working on few more landscapes and seascapes as I am enjoying experimenting and exploring the water colour medium.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

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.

A Figurative Charcoal drawing from the past

"As a child I drew like Raphael but it has taken a lifetime for me to draw like a child." 
Pablo Picasso

I have been organising my paintings lately and while doing so came across some of my old artworks created in charcoal medium. When I first began using this medium, I had limited tools, namely charcoal powder and a charcoal pencil named AMBASSADOR. Using these two mark making tools and a set of beautiful tortillons I went on to create many charcoal artworks.

Today I am posting one of the old works, which needed little touch up. It is a charcoal drawing inspired by the loving relationship between father and son. It is the time spent with the children that creates beautiful memories.

Moment of Joy

Charcoal drawing on paper

Size 8" X 10"

I have titled the above painting as "Moment of Joy" because this image conveys a feeling which probably we have all gone through while we were growing up. It evokes our childhood memories and we try to recollect what it was like to be out with parents and the precious moments that we spent with them. Time moves ahead and we are left with these beautiful memories.

I have been juggling between the charcoal and the soft pastel medium. Both are dry mediums and being self taught, I have experimented and explored both and come up with my own way of handling it. As we continuously work with a medium, we develop a mark making technique that keeps evolving with time. The way I create each stroke be it in charcoal or pastel, now defines my works. 

Portrait and figurative works have always appealed to me and I am glad that I am finally making a serious attempt at restarting it. So my paintings now will be inspired by "People and Places". I will continue my landscape painting as well.

Thanks for browsing through my works.

Edgar Degas - an inspiration

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

My first set of soft pastels  MUNGYO ( 24 pastels ) was gifted to me by my husband some years
back who always surprises me by getting some new art stationery that he comes across,
knowing my passion for art. Back then I had no idea what pastels were all about.

It's only when I surfed the net, I realised that soft pastels can be used to create beautiful vibrant paintings and then began my journey of soft pastel art.

As an artist, I am inspired by lot of pastel artists and Edgar Degas is one of them. Hence I decided to dedicate a post to him. It feels good to know that paintings done in soft pastels have survived ages and are as durable as any other medium.

Edgar Degas ( 1834 - 1917 ) was a French artist famous for his paintings, sculptures,prints and drawings. He also was a master of soft pastels and used a unique process of boiling them ( before application ) that render his works quite distinctive. Degas is especially identified with the subject of dance; more than half of his works depict dancers and many of these are rendered in pastels.The artist went a long way toward establishing pastels as a fine arts form.
Courtesy : http://www.whataboutart.org

Blue dancers by Edgar Degas

Bowing dancer by Edgar Degas

Soft pastels are created using pure pigments and a binder, hence their colours remain brilliant and last long. Moreover unlike oil paintings there is no worry about any kind of cracking or fading. Soft pastel paintings need to be framed under glass and it care has to be taken to keep it away from moisture and sunlight.

A site that I recently came across which has a whole lot of information on Edgar Degas and his works including his drawings and sculptures is Artsy.net and you are a big fan of soft pastels as a medium, you must browse through their collection. It will inspire you just as it has inspired me.

Thank you for browsing through my works.