Appropriately enough for bonfire night, this weeks drawing lesson was on colour theory. I've made my own colour wheels before but not for a long time and not with acrylics so it was a fruitful exercise and absorbing after the initial struggle with a recalcitrant school compass. I've never been good at filling in paint neatly between lines so it was good for me! It got me thinking about the various colours that would result from a range of media and combination of different primaries so today I've been experimenting with watercolours(below) I will have a go with my Golden fluid acrylics which I imagine might work out somewhere between these 2 examples.
It's a while since I've done much pure watercolour as opposed to mixed media so when I fished out my Holbein metal palette(used with tube water colour) , 2 of the blobs of paint had gone mouldy!! Time to scrape it out and replace with different colours! When I painted more seriously in this medium, I got fed up of plastic palettes and invested what seemed a huge amount in this Japanese enamel metal folding one but I've always gained great pleasure in using it - it's lovely to mix colours on and feels balanced in the hand
My main watercolour box used on my travels is this Winsor and Newton 'bijou' (it's only 8 x 6cm large!) It takes 1/2 pans and I tend to have 9 standards and then ring the changes with the others - my current new trials are with light red , oxide of chromium and cobalt green .
This folding'Rembrandt' metal box holds the rejects from the bijou- either colours that have almost run out or that have been ejected for various reasoms eg failed attempts to find a substitute for my beloved brown madder alizarin which is discontinued. This box lives on my studio table so ironically probably gets used more than the 'proper' ones more recently.
There might be some swapping of pans before I go to Tunisia. My main concern is trying to find the right format of watercolour sketchbook - the A5 bound ones I prefer are no longer made, might have to attempt making my own. Why is that despite the plethora of art supply companies (currently drooling over the recently arrived Jacksons catalogue), you can never find quite what you want?!
Today I was playing with a potential new toy at work - a compound microscope ( for slides and sections). Isn't this moss leaf cool when magnified 400 times?! Even better when I've 'adjusted' it in Photoshop! Hope we have the money for it in the next financial year
I was thinking how well cells work as inspiration for textiles. I've done a few small quilts before based on bits of plant and lab equipment, mainly as leaving presents for staff/students.
Off tomorrow to 'Country Living Fair' (not sure it's quite my thing but I received a complimentary ticket) and for preview of Margaret's Foundation Course Exhibition. Having followed her work with baited breath I'm looking forward to seeing the results.
