Hello everyone, and welcome back to another Loose Watercolour week! Hopefully you’re all well and settled into the new year now, seeing as it’s now February (hasn’t it just flown by)! If you close your eyes and wish hard enough, it almost feels like there’s a slight spring breeze in the air, and I’m actually starting to be able to brave painting outside again. Which, in my book, is a momentous occasion.
Last week’s live broadcast was ‘Valentine’s Roses,’ which proved to be quite popular. It was fantastic fun to paint, and it was great to see so many of you join in. And I always love to see your work, so I’ve been enjoying seeing all of your paintings on the Facebook group, especially as we head into the Valentine’s season. Why not gift your painting to someone special to show how much you care?
As always, tonight’s live broadcast will be going ahead at 8pm GMT. The theme this week is ‘Garden Corner,’ so why not potter around your own gardens this afternoon for some floral inspiration? You can find the link to the broadcast here.
There’s more news this week! As part of the website upgrade (which is still chugging along behind the scenes!), the free tutorial previously available has ben changed to a new video, ‘Single Loose Floral.’ So you can try it out today! Follow the link here to find the video.
If that wasn’t enough painting practice this week, there’s also a new tutorial on the loosewatercolours.com website aimed at beginners. Do you ‘Know Your Onions’? Well, you can find out with this quick and easy tutorial. Plus, it’s a good subject for any Easter-themed cards you might be planning on making. Are onions associated with Easter? Well, they certainly remind me of spring.
For those of you on Patreon, there’s also a new picture that’s been uploaded this week. Now, this isn’t a tutorial yet, but there’s a line drawing available. So if you’re feeling brave, why not give it a go and try and paint it? You’ve got the watercolour foundations, you’ve got the skills, so I’m sure you can create something amazing. And don’t worry if it doesn’t look exactly like mine – no two loose watercolour paintings ever look exactly the same – it’s part of the nature of them being loose.
Looking forward to summer, I’ve also got some exciting news. I’ve been asked to run a painting holiday in the UK! So if you fancy a trip over to the isles this summer, why not come and paint with me? I’ll let you know the details when I know more, but for now, keep it pencilled in your diaries as a vague possibility if you fancy a trip to Britain this year. I’m sure we’ll all have great fun!
Toby and I ended up taking a scenic tour of Yorkshire last summer. It was his first time on a train, and it seemed like he quite enjoyed it! I would definitely recommend Yorkshire as a holiday destination if you’ve never been. It’s got beaches, shambling old buildings, old churches – anything you could ever want to paint! There’s inspiration everywhere, and plus, they’ve got lots of chocolate shops – so really all I ever want in a holiday.
That’s all from me this week, as I’m off for an afternoon run – I’m making the most of the warm weather for as long as it lasts. Keep your eyes out for more loose watercolour fun later this week – they’ll be reminders on the Loose Watercolours Facebook Group so you don’t miss anything.
As always, there’s an exclusive tutorial at the end of this post for all of you paid subscribers – after all, I couldn’t run this Substack without all of your generous support. I hope you enjoy painting along to ‘Sweet Pea Beauty’! There’s some extras coming your way this week too, so watch out for a loose look at Perylene Green, and a sneak peak at a day in the life of a (loose watercolour) artist, aka. what exactly I get up to in a day.
Until next week, though, it’s goodbye from Toby and I, and in the meantime, happy painting!