Saturday 24 March 2018

painting mount aspiring

Mount Aspiring (centre) and Mount Avalanche (left) from Glendhu Bay, Lake Wanaka


Mount Aspiring is the gem of the mountains near my home. It even has a whole national park named after it. I was lucky enough to climb it with David and our friend Lexi in 2012 - a really stunning climb up the Northwest Ridge in absolutely perfect weather.

Of course I've painted it many times before, but seem to have done quite a few new ones in the last month.

First a sketch of it from Liverpool Ridge. David and I hiked about 25km and up and down a big hill so that I could do this sketch. That shows real love, I reckon, if David is able to indulge me in that kind of whim :-)


Watercolour sketch of Mt Aspiring from Liverpool Ridge


Sketching Mt Aspiring from Liverpool Ridge


Back home I used my sketch to do a 'real' painting...


Watercolour painting of Mt Aspiring from the original sketch done on site.


Then from Glendhu Bay with the Wanaka Painter's Group on a stunner of the day, with Lake Wanaka like glass.


Watercolour sketch of Mt Aspiring from Glendhu Bay


Wanaka Painter's Group sketching Mt Aspiring from Glendhu Bay


And the finished painting based on my on site sketch...



Painting of Mt Aspiring and Mt Avalanche from Glendhu Bay, Wanaka 



I will be releasing the 2 finished watercolour paintings towards the end of the month. Visit my website for more information.






Thursday 22 March 2018

just another mushroom

Watercolour of a forest mushroom

I'd been visiting this mushroom everyday from when I first spotted it just peeping out of the ground. Each day it was just a little bigger, and a little more perfect.

One evening David and I decided to take a photo. So there we were lying on the ground clearing the foreground carefully, snapping away when Zulu (our dog) snuffled up, nose to the ground, all curious about what we looking at. 2 seconds later the mushroom was flattened!

We looked at her in horror. ðŸ˜¯ She looked back at us with a look that said "It's just another mushroom, guys!". Then we collapsed with laughter ðŸ˜‚


So here is just another mushroom, guys!
"Amanita muscaria"
Watercolour and ink

I'll be releasing a set of watercolour paintings at the end of the month. This will be one of them. You will find them here.


Thursday 15 March 2018

a coffee cup to colour

Shiny stainless steel coffee cup and jug in ink and watercolour

Free colouring page!


I had some fun with reflections on a very shiny coffee cup and jug, and thought you might like to play along.

Here is the black and white file for you to colour yourself. Just print it out on some nice paper and colour in the medium of your choice. You could try watercolours like mine, or coloured pencils, or felt tip pens.

I'd love to see your version. Share your completed painting on my Facebook page.


Line drawing of reflections in a stainless steel cup for you to colour yourself.


To save the image...
Click on the black and white image above to enlarge it.
Then right click and choose "Save image as..." to save it your computer.