Summer sun and Olympic fun!

Hello everyone, and welcome back to this week’s edition of what’s going on in the Loose Watercolour world: end of July edition. It’s been gentler weather this week, so Toby and I have been setting up in the garden, enjoying the summer sun, and enjoying a Magnum ice cream or two. You can’t beat ice cream in the shade, I’m afraid! It’s also the ideal temperature to get out and practice a few plein air paintings (equipped with a hat and plenty of water, of course), so why not give it a go yourselves this week? Soak up the sun and enjoy recreating the beautiful natural world that’s all around us.

If you fancy a bit more guided practice this week, the live broadcast is on tonight at the usual time of 8pm GMT. Last week’s broadcast, ‘Picket Floral Border’, was a whole lot of fun, with lots of painting done! This week’s session is ‘Shadow & Shade Floral,’ and you can paint along by following the link here: https://loosewatercolours.com/live-broadcast/

‘Picket Floral Border.’

There’s also a new tutorial available on Patreon, the one and only ‘Scruffy Cat.’ This is a slightly more cartoon style, yet still with the same looseness and bright colours that we all know and love. He’s a perfect little picture for cat-lovers and animal enthusiasts alike! If you’d like to paint along, just follow the link here: https://www.patreon.com/andrewgeesonloosewatercolours

‘Scruffy Cat.’

Scruffy Cat was created with the special help of Dangerous Dave and Mini Dave, and if you fancy treating yourselves this summer, why not get a set to send your painting skills to the next level? You can get your hands on a set here: https://loosewatercolours.com/product-category/loose-gang

If you’d like to be notified as soon as new tutorials are posted, why not join in the fun over at the Beginners Watercolour Group on Facebook? There’s links posted to all of the new videos, as well as handy tips and tricks as to how you can improve your painting skills. And did I mention that it’s an incredibly friendly group of almost five thousand beginner watercolour artists, so it’s a lovely and supportive community in which you can hone your skills? If you’d like to join, here’s the link: https://m.facebook.com/groups/753969806117098/?ref=share

In terms of my painting this week, I’ve been out and about in the warm weather, making the most of the rays whilst it lasts. I thought I’d paint some rather more interesting buildings this week, so I painted a windmill at Wymondham, near Norfolk, and practiced some plein air in the gardens at Stapleford Park hotel. If you’re UK-based, I’d certainly recommend painting in the gardens at your local National Trust properties – these are always beautiful old houses with lots of interesting history, and there’s always an interesting detail or two in the buildings themselves. The gardens are always incredibly impressive as well, with bright blooms of colour bursting full of watercolour inspiration. Here’s my two attempts – which one do you like best?

Windmills at Wymondham.

Plein air in the park.

And that’s all from me this week, as Toby and I are off to soak up the sun and catch the last few hours of the Olympics this evening – the sports are my favourite thing about summer, and I’m always incredibly impressed with the athletics in particular. But the 2024 games are off in full swing, so it’s a fun fortnight ahead!

As always, there’s an exclusive tutorial featured at the end of this post for all of you paid subscribers, as a huge thank you for all of your support on this Substack – I hope you all enjoy painting along to ‘Cornflower Days’ with its beautiful orange tones – I was inspired by summer sunsets for this one.

Until next time, though, it’s goodbye from Toby and I, and happy painting! We hope you all have a great week!

‘Cornflower Days.’


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