Easy techniques on how to paint trees in watercolour

Looking back at the photo from the last blog of the slender tree, I thought it may be a good exercise for my Total Beginners on line course. Trees can be a bit of a nightmare but if you keep them simple and think of them as shapes and not trees it can help. The background is the famous Catbells. If you fancy joining up to the course just click on www.watercolourcourse.co.uk to see how it's done in easy steps. It's going really well are the Watercolours online I've got students in Amercia, Canada and Turkey and Keswick! The projects are mainly the wonderful Lake District in all seasons.


Caught the sunset last night down at the Lake, you can't beat those lovely warm evenings.

Artists walk, Derwentwater

This is my frequent walk or sometimes run down to the lake it's about a 3 mile circuit. Walking down the old bridleway covered in wild flowers towards Borrowdale. After a mile you reach a road take a right and the view above greets you. There's an old gate to lean on and take in the view down the field under the pretty copse of trees and on towards the Jaws of Borrowdale. Late afternoon and the shadows are just perfect. I think this would make lovely Oil.

You've walked down the road to a gate on your right. Walking through this small wood keep a watch on your right for Deer and also water forget me nots, there can be some big puddles down here if we've had a few days of rain. Walk over the little bridge and a field of wild flowers is on your right with a glimpse of Blencathra through the trees. I like the way you can see the light in the field which turns the it into a lovely acid lemon.I fancy doing this in pastel.

Now we arrive at my favourite lake, this 200 metre stretch to Friars Crag is probably the most scenic. From here we can see Catbells with wonderful late afternoon shadows and again peeping out is Newlands valley. I find Catbells quite a difficult mountain to paint, I think because it is full on and very long!But if you take a look down the lake towards the Jaws of Borrowdale soft mountain shapes and tones come into artists eye.

A slender tree with not an inch of fat, run round and make a wish.

Here we have a classic, the famous Friars Crag I've painted here many times, portrait and landscape but maybe a square format could work? Pastels, Oils and watercolours could be used on these shapely trees. But remember don't put all the fence in leave a gap to get through the painting. A couple of birds can work too leading you through.

On the way back you take another right at the Mountain rescue base to see the glorious Skiddaw with it's purple coat of Heather in August. Skiddaws shape comes alive in the late evening light.

Rydal Water painted in pastel

Misty morning, Rydal Water

Pastel on glass paper by Jane Ward

Really enjoyed getting the pastels out again, it's been awhile, but with all those gorgeous new colours to choose from it was great.I used to paint mainly with pastels but I've been trying out new techniques with watercolours and they are much cleaner to use! The immediacy of a pastel painting can give real confidence in your work.

Just been for my little run down to the lake, just to check it's still there! The sun was shining and there was lots and lots of puddles to negotiate. I saw a couple of butterflies landing on wild flowers a young girl smiling into her mobile phone and a old man showing his granddaughter the circles inside a tree stump. All these things made me feel happy, even though I was feeling knackered ( from the running)

Unison Pastels demonstrated by Jane Ward

Here are my wonderful Unison pastels, that I bought yesterday, it's a shame to use them really!
But I couldn't wait to get my grubby pastel fingers on them, What to paint was the next question. I had thought Grasmere and was going to use one of the watercolours that I did last week. Rydal Water caught my attention, I've never really painted this view that I was pleased with! So with a watercolour that painted last week on site and some photo's that I took in November off we went. It was lovely getting the easel out and attaching some glass paper to a board, it's ages since I've worked with pastels and with those new shades winking it was a joy to work in the conservatory with the rain pounding on the roof, oh July weather!!

1st Stage2nd Stage

3rd Stage

This is where I have got to today, an artist friend laughs at the way I paint pastels teasing me about starting in the top left hand corner and working down and finishing in the bottom right.

Not sure if I will finish it tomorrow but I hope to this week so keep watching.

Happy Birthday Blog

Today as been a mad day!! my camera broke when we went to Italy, and today I've had a right old argument with the Insurance company, I hate any friction but sometimes you do feel like you have to stand up for yourself!! so what with been kept waiting on a phone to repetitive music for 40 minutes when I wanted to paint something magical for Blogs 1st birthday. But I did manage to get down to our local art shop which unfortunately is having a closing down sale and treated blog to some wonderful Unison pastels in all sorts of shades so watch out hopefully tomorrow for some pastel action!! But here is one I did earlier!

Buttermere from Gable

Necessary Watercolour equipment for painting in the Lake District.

I've found the perfect umbrella for outdoor painting, it does look like a 70s icon but it's fantastic. I bought it off Keswick market for £2.50 a bargain not sure how long it will last, I will keep you posted!! It's been quite a week of weather up here in Cumbria, but we have managed to get out and do quite a lot of varied painting. The waterfall yesterday was spectacular at Rydal.

This is the view from the room we use to paint in at the Glenthorne, note the rain coming heavily down

Wild flowers at Rydal water

Oh by the way my blog is 1 year old on Monday I will have to think of something special

Painting at Goody Bridge in Grasmere

This is a photo and a painting all in one of where we made our 1st base camp for my watercolour course in Grasmere. I called the course 'painting en plein' thinking that the weather in July should be perfect! Yesterday was pretty good, we where out of a cool breeze and the light on the bridge and post box were magical. I love the old steps and wonder how long they've been there. A few people went by on the route up Easedale Tarn one couple were quite amazed at what we had painted.They had stopped to chat on the start of their walk, we were just starting sketching and they returned from their long walk just as we were putting our last brushstrokes down.

Today has been a little different low cloud and horizontal rain. So I demonstrated trees, mist and water all from a nice dry studio. But tomorrow could see Umbrella painting!!