Techniques

Most of my paintings are in watercolour as I have used the medium for over 50 years and like to think I understand how the paint handles. It can be a challenging medium, since traditional watercolour painting uses no white – highlights are made by allowing the unpainted surface to shine through, which means that the highlights become the first areas to define, not the last as in oil painting.

I have also included a Digital drawing I made on the spot in one of the greenhouses at Kew Gardens.  This requires a good electronic tablet and the right drawing software.  I use an iPad Pro and pencil with a Procreate app which I think is absolutely amazing.  To be honest I have not even started to explore all the facilities of this tool, but the possibilities are endless.  The technology moves so fast, but what I like is that I can draw and colour much like I would with pencil and paper.  It is wonderful to use for quick on the spot sketches rather than have to take pens, brushes, stretched paper, water and paints – everything is on the one tablet.  

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