painting holiday in france - june 2024

 

In June 2024 I'm planning to go back to wonderful Perigord Retreats to guide another small group on a painting holiday in France. Based on the last trip I guided there, I can honestly say this will be an experience of a lifetime!

We will have 9 days for a beautiful blend of studio time, delightful excursions, cultural experiences and of course, plenty of free time to rest and explore! We will travel into the lovely countryside to paint and visit some of the most scenic towns in Southern France. We will spend time painting and picnicking along the Dordogne River and throughout the valley.

Why not join us? Small group of 12 only. Details here.

terraced houses in chulilla, spain

 

Little houses at the bottom of the village, Chulilla, Valencia, Spain

I've been sketching for a number of weeks in lovely Chulilla in Valencia, Spain. The white terraced houses, combined with terracotta roofs, are so fresh and bright.

The town is built onto a steep slope, with cliffs all around. Some days I'll stand or sit at a distance from the town, looking across at the houses until one, or a group of them, catches my eye. Then I get lost in sketching the details.

These particular houses caught my interest because they're not quite as tidy as some of the others - with a combination of stonework and rough white plaster. Plus the set of stairs leading up to the terrace in front really adds a wonderful compositional element - leading you up onto the terrace.

Here you can join me sketching this scene step-by-step exactly as I normally do in my sketchbook. It's a sketch, not a painting. Quick and loose. The idea being to capture the scene while the light is just right - shadows maketh the sketch ;-)

Full tutorial, and downloadable reference photo, on my Patreon.

Step-by-step urban sketch

magical morocco - painting holiday october 2023

 

Join me in Morocco for a 9 day painting holiday

Visiting Morocco has been on my mind for years! The vibrant colours, the culture, the architecture and landscapes - all so different to anything I've ever sketched before. I'm really excited to announce that, together with Tedrart & Morocco Ecoway, I'm planning a painting holiday for this October.

9 days painting in Marrakech & Essaouira

We're putting together a wonderful itinerary starting and ending in Marrakech, and with 7 days in the historic fortified port town of Essaouira (with it's UNESCO heritage old city). There will be traditional artisan markets, old ports, boats, little alleyways, mosques, sea and beaches. There will be camels and goats. There will be luxury accommodation and wonderful local cuisine shared together. And, of course, we'll put putting all of this into our sketchbooks!

Proposed dates : 01 - 09 October 2023
Estimated cost : approximately US$ 2,900 pp
Cost will include luxury accommodation, daily painting tuition from me, an English-speaking local guide, all local transport, all meals and drinks. Maximum group size 15.

Details will be finalised soon.

Interested?! Contact me and let me know if you have any questions.

stonework and brickwork in pen and watercolour

 

how to paint stonework and brickwork in watercolour and pen

It's not necessary to paint every single stone or brick ;-) 

In this skills lesson I show you how to simplify stonework and brickwork in pen and watercolour. First we'll do a few of small exercises for each and then we'll use the skills to paint two pretty little buildings.

There's a downloadable worksheet for you to print out and keep.

Full video tutorial here.

a barn in a field of dandelions

 

Pen and watercolour painting tutorial

Here's one of the happiest paintings I've done in a while! A barn in a field of dandelions. I just want to run through and set them all off :-)

There are a lot of wonderful parts to this painting - big areas of wet-in-wet, wet-on-damp, dry brushing, and effective use of masking fluid. There's a wooden barn, trees, bushes and a field of weedy dandelions.
Having said all that, it's not a complicated lesson at all!

Happy painting!

Full video tutorial, reference photo and drawing to trace on my Patreon.