Step by step - A watercolor painting of a beach scene

“The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.” Neil Garman

I recently completed one of my watercolor paintings on Canson Moulin du Roy paper and fortunately remembered to photograph the stages. It was an early morning scene, when we were at Colva beach and it was not crowded. The stretch of sand far across, and the misty look in the distance motivated me a lot and I decided then and there that I shall paint this scene one day. The actual painting starts in the mind, the moment you set your eyes on the place that you love.

The choice of paper is often decided by the technique that I plan to use for that particular painting. For the painting as below, I needed the misty look in the distance and hence was going to use the graded wash technique on wet paper, for which I think Canson Moulin du Roy works good for me. I used a mix of both Camlin and Winsor and Newton Cotman colours.

A Misty Morning at Colva beach

A watercolor painting on Canson Moulin du Roy paper

Size 5.5” X 8”

Step 1. Created the sky using a mix of warm and cool colours, and added the distant foliage on the left. Used wet on wet technique as I did not want to have hard edges in the distance.

Step 2. Created the bushes on the left ( Camlin Artists water color tubes ), the sandy seashore and the ocean. At this stage I have not added details anywhere.

Step 3. Added layers of colours to the bushes on the left to create the form and shadow, and flat wash of colour on the sandy seashore. Added details to the figures on the beach.

Thank you for browsing through my artworks. To browse through my artworks in all the different mediums that I have been working with since long, visit my INSTAGRAM page.

Step by step, A Landscape Charcoal drawing using willow charcoal

"To live a creative life we must lose our fear of being wrong." Joseph Chilton Pearce

Zero Point, ( 15,300 ft ) also known as Yume Samdong, is a small mountain village in North Sikkim. It is about 118 kms away from Lachung. Most tourists spend a night at Lachung before proceeding to Zero point in the morning. Zero point offers stunning views of snow clad mountains and soaring coniferous trees.

The charcoal drawing as seen below is inspired by my journey to Zero point. This is one of the scene that I came across while we were on the move and it appealed to me a lot. The mountains, the low lying clouds and the coniferous trees in the foreground, it was nothing short of a paradise. These are the moments in life when you truly are in awe of nature's beauty.

For this drawing, I decided to use "Willow charcoal" as a tool because it helps to create a great texture for the mountain slopes. Apart from willow charcoal, I have also used Camlin charcoal pencil and charcoal powder to create the other elements in the scene.

At Zero Point

Charcoal drawing on Cartridge paper

Size 6"X 8" 

I decided to photograph the drawing in stages so that the viewers can see the simple techniques that I have followed in order to complete this artwork.

Step 1. Created a faint outline and then used willow charcoal

for the background mountains.

Step 2. Additional strokes using willow charcoal to block in

 the darker values in the foreground.

Step 3. Lifted out clouds in the distance using kneaded eraser

and used charcoal pencil in the foreground to

to create the coniferous trees and foliage.

In the final steps I added details where ever necessary. In conclusion I have used more of willow charcoal in this artwork and the more I use it the more I discover the advantages of using this tool in combination with the others. Exploring each tool by using it frequently in the artworks, helps to get a better understanding about it. Once you get to know it, you can use it at the right place and create marks that make all the difference. 

VAAYU, the annual festival of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management studies ( NMIMS ) is being held from 13th to the 17th of December, 2017. It was an honor to be invited as a judge for their event in Fine Art Category, titled "La La Land" on the 13th of December. The competition was unique as it was based on music and art combined together. The students were also required to sculpt a candle. It was a very innovative theme and I enjoyed being there and it was a pleasure to judge the participants. 

If you wish to know more about the events being held in NMIMS, you can visit their Facebook page.

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

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.

Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary - A soft pastel painting

"There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, thanks to their art and intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun." Pablo Picasso

Blessed with enchanting beauty, Dalhousie in Himachal Pradesh is built on and around five hills. Eight kilometres from here, is a beautiful wildlife sanctuary, the Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary which is covered with thick forests of pine and deodhar trees. The undergrowth in the forest is well developed and the view all around is mesmerising. The forest has well laid out trekking trails for those who are the adventurous kind. I was more interested in walking around and soaking in the beauty of the surroundings.

The soft pastel painting of one of the scenes that captured my heart is as below. I have also added images of the step by step technique that I followed before I reached the final stage.  

Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary

Soft pastel painting on Canson MT paper

Size 6" X 8"

Step 1. Basic outline and adding a few colours

Step 2. Simplifying the shapes keeping in mind the perspective

Step 3. Almost all the colours are laid down and only

detailing left for the final stage.

To know more about the papers that I use for my pastel artworks you can CLICK HERE.  I have not created a post on the pastel brands that I use, but plan to do so very soon. I have a miscellaneous collection that I purchased over the past five years. By now I know the individual shades of each brand that I use the most and hence I have created a palette where in I organise all my pastels together ie a mix of different brands. The turquoise blue that I use in ocean is not available in the Koh-I-Noor Toison Dor and similarly the violet shade which is predominant in most of my works is a part of Mungyo collection. In conclusion, every brand has its own value and I enjoy using them together as it works well with my artworks.

Thanks a lot for browsing through my artworks.

Step by step drawing and painting - A seashore

"When you start a painting, it is somewhat outside you. At the conclusion, you seem to move inside the painting." Fernando Botero

Painting to me is a vision, a thought process, an idea that develops in the mind and then takes shape on a piece of paper. I paint a scene from nature, inspired by its beauty.

The scene below is from Bamboo island, five kiloimetres off the northern tip of Koh Phi Phi Don, in the Krabi province of Thailand. The island has stunning beaches with beautiful rocks, white sand and limestone cliffs behind. In the painting below the beach is covered by the shadows cast by the tall cliffs behind. The source of light ie the sun is behind the cliffs and the beach is on the west side of the island.

I decided on this scene as it gave me the opportunity to work on perspective, rocks and waves hitting the shore. Moreover this scene has a very interesting design and composition.

Reaching the destination

Soft pastel painting on Canson MT paper

Size 6" X 8"

I titled the painting as "Reaching the destination" with reference to the beautiful waves which travel a long distance and finally reach the shore. It is a beautiful feeling to be at a place like this and to hear the sound of the waves splashing against the rocks, and then gently kissing the white sand and merging with the land.

The soft pastel painting on twilight Canson MT progressed in stages and the step by step images can be seen below. Its a small sized painting so I did not use my Easel. My table is my workplace.

Step 1. Creating the basic outline

using Camlin charcoal pencil.

Step 2. Blocking in the major shapes with respective colours

 keeping in mind the values. Using the soft pastels

from mixed brands.

Step 3. Adding details and final touch up.

At this stage I use pastel pencils at several places.

Of late I have started uploading my works on INSTAGRAM and I find it very convenient to do so as most of the paintings are photographed and edited on ipad itself. I am beginning to like Instagram as it helps one to browse through all my works in a Gallery format. 

My Blog has completed a little more than three years and it has recently crossed  50,000 page views. It makes me happy, although having more page views was never the "Goal" when I started blogging. Blogging happened, because I wanted to keep myself focused in my artwork and grow as an artist. It also provided me with a virtual workplace where I could upload and maintain a record of my artworks. It has been a beautiful journey and I shall write a detailed post on my "Art Blogging" soon. 

Thanks to everyone who has been part of this journey and I truly appreciate the support provided by all of you. 

Step by Step - Charcoal demo of a landscape during an art workshop

 "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

During one of my "Two days Charcoal workshop" I created a 12" X 16" quick charcoal sketching on cartridge paper. The reference photograph has been taken from"Geotripper" with prior permission from Garry Hayes ( Geologist ). I love the blog as it has some of the most inspiring photographs of nature and the posts are very very informative.

Charcoal landscape drawing

Demo work on cartridge sheet

Size 12" X 16"

Step 1

Using willow charcoal, blocked in the major shapes.

The sky was kept very light using my blending tool ( Cloth )

Step 2

Blending the willow charcoal

and adding strokes using pencil to show crevices.

Foliage was created using willow charcoal

and pencils.

This kind of a demo takes about forty to forty five minutes. The time is not enough to do the details but the demo helps in understanding the steps involved in creating a charcoal landscape painting and the techniques involved in creating it.

CLICK HERE to read through another post in which I posted about my step by step creating of charcoal art in my sketch book.

You can browse my works on Deviantart, Instagram and Facebook.

Thanks for visiting my blog and would love to read comments from you.

Step by step - charcoal study sketch of a tree trunk

" Creativity is intelligence having fun." Albert Einstein

Creating a simple value sketch in a short duration of fifteen to twenty minutes helps me to simplify
the painting process. My charcoal sketching workshop is coming up in the next week so I decided to spend some moments with the charcoal medium.

I am posting below two different quick tree trunk sketches that I created using willow charcoal and a normal charcoal pencil. These sketches need to be sprayed with a fixative to avoid the sketching from smudging OR as an alternate solution one can keep it protected under butter paper.

Step 1. Applied willow charcoal and smudged it using finger.

Step 2. Created an outline of the tree trunk.

Step 3. Added the darkest values and the highlights lifted using eraser.

Step 4. Added midvalues using willow charcoal and charcoal pencil. A few

details using eraser and pencil.

Step by step charcoal study sketch

created on Favini paper

Size 4"X 5"

Creating a small sketch helps me understand the steps leading to the final execution of the artwork.

Therefore when I start the sketching on a bigger scale, I don't have to think a lot about the value variations as I have already worked on it earlier itself. Both the tree trunks were captured on my mobile while I was in Lonavala recently.

CLICK HERE to see one of my step by step charcaol sketching that I posted earlier in Jan 2016.

I have lately started using "Willow Charcoal" a lot for my quick sketches as it covers up the paper fast and is easy to blend and control. The only drawback is that it smudges a whole lot. Therefore I avoid using it on my final art work except at places where I need to create foliage etc. I will learn more about it as I continue to use it and explore some other possibilities. The paper I have used for the above sketching is an acid free paper from Italy, Favini.