Colouring In With Kabuki
PREMIUM: Prints of Japanese Kabuki actors are masterpieces of colour and line and are a great way to practice watercolour techniques. In this article I show you how to paint your own.
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Today’s Blog (Feat. Alizarin Crimson)
Here is a sketch of my girl Olivia, or Liv, which I did on Sunday morning. The sun was streaming in through the window and she was all lit up. She was patient for about ten minutes, so I had to be very fast. I was pleased with the sketch but then my cough was…
DetailsBeautiful Art And A Paper Heart
This is the Palace Cinema, where I went to see Call Me By Your Name yesterday with my pal Lorraine. It’s very tall and thin, rising up three floors and down two, so if you want to go anywhere you have to channel “medieval lady of the manor” and haul yourself up and down millions…
DetailsReality Is Sooo Boring
I started a new children’s art class today. Like yesterday’s new class, it’s one I haven’t taught for many months. This time it’s in the Gaelscoil in Oranmore, which is the Irish-language-only school that my kids went to. I had figured on taking about 12 children in total, and then I agreed to take an…
DetailsNever Always Work With Children And Animals
(Never) Always Work With Animals And Children Yesterday I saw some beautiful beech leaves that I wanted to paint. There was something so magical about them. The colours, the hues…I don’t know. I did try to go out and paint – I had been stuck in front of a screen all day – but God…
DetailsGeology: A Symphony Beneath Our Feet
I met my fellow artists, USk Galway, today for a sketch-out under the archways of National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). We huddled together from the cold under stone arches and sketched the beautiful 19th-century courtyard, called the Quadrangle, or Quad for short. It was a trip down memory lane for me: I walked through…
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Let It Glow: Five Watercolour Techniques for Beautiful Painting
PREMIUM. When it comes to bringing out the beauty of watercolour, good timing is of the essence. Five easy techniques, with practice will enable the best from this beautiful medium.
DetailsMy Girls Are A Force Of Nature
Anyone who has followed my work for a while will know that I have always been very discreet when it comes to posting pics of my children online. I can relax now, partly because they don’t mind and are already out there all over the place, and on a more practical level, because my eldest,…
DetailsReuben Isn’t Waterproof
There’s a beech hedge at the bottom of my drive. Over the last few weeks it has been a riot of flame-coloured leaves and every time I drive past, I think I really must sketch it. Days passed and I did no such thing, even though I knew they were starting to blow off with…
DetailsViva España! A Spanish Vibe in Galway’s Film Fleadh
I occasionally teach Spanish to young people. It’s hard to get a fun vibe when you’re teaching a language outside of the country where it’s spoken, as it can be a little dull by comparison to be taught by one person. Learning Spanish in Spain means the following: – sun – warmth – fab new…
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