Need some ideas for wildlife & nature artists? At this time of year many people's thoughts turn to the coming gift giving season. A quick search of the internet will spout forth lists of 'ideal' gifts for artists, cooks, gardener, in fact every hobby and lifestyle type…
Sometimes I have difficulty deciding what to paint. Now, being a wildlife artist, the choice of subjects is a little bit more limited than if I was a more general artist (the thought of having to decide on subject matter if I was a general artists makes my head spin - millions of choices to make!) Still, there are times where deciding what to paint uses up more of my creative time than I would like. Recently, however, I discovered 'drawing idea generators' online. Oh, how I praised the…
I am often asked how to choose picture frames for watercolour art that people have purchased. Unfortunately it is one of those problems that comes down to personal taste and the environment that the art is to live in. However I have put together a few of my thoughts on the matter in the hope that it will help someone who needs some advice on framing wildlife and nature illustrations.
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Anyone who knows me knows I love animals and nature and all things wild - but not many know where my love of wildlife came from. Having been a town dwelling child for the first six years of my life, my parents bought an old farmhouse when I was about 7 years old. It was wonderful. The most magical place my young self had ever seen. A farmhouse that looked like it belonged in Wuthering Heights, old outbuildings, surrounding fields and even a little 'burn' (or stream). It was a whole new world…
This year has not been the most fun so far. My Dad had a bad fall at Christmas and I became a full time carer for the first five months. Thankfully he's doing OK and things have quietened down so I have been able to get some new painting done.
Although I have always loved drawing and painting (when I was little the all white family pyrenean mountain dog ended up with a red ear thanks to my eagerness to 'colour in' with felt tip pens), I was 16 before I picked up my first watercolour paints and wanted to paint animals. That was when I started seeking information on how to use the paints, what skills I needed to draw convincingly, how to compose a scene, paint fur and sell work. 30+ years down the line I have amassed a healthy…
