Kathryn Green Artist

Landscape and building themed paintings in my Redbubble shop, available as prints and on a range of gift and homeware products. View my shop: thryngreen.redbubble.com Over 40 different paintings featured.

Work in progress: We painted some little beach huts in my Watercolours for You Course and this inspired me to start a larger picture in coloured pencil. Eventually the doors will be all different colours.

Some of the flower designs in my Redbubble shop: thryngreen.redbubble.com Ideas for gifts – clothing, homeware, bags, cards and prints.

A messy, but fun morning trying out different little tests with the watercolour paints. Putting the paint on the paper and running water through it to create different effects. A great way to learn about what the paints do, how the different colours mix with each other and to get creative ideas, as well as being relaxing. I recommend it!

See my birds and wildlife collection on Redbubble, featuring my paintings. Gift and homeware ideas. Visit my shop: thryngreen.redbubble.com

An apple a day. No apple was wasted in the making of these drawings! Over a few days I sketched apples using different materials. First I used a 2B pencil and shading to create a monochrome sketch of an apple, concentrating on creating different tones (or shades) to capture the light and shadow and give form to the apple. In the second study I used a fineliner pen and cross-hatching to capture a similar effect. In the third study I moved into colour using coloured pencils and then finally I decided to cut an apple and draw half of it, again in coloured pencil.

'My Friendly Little Teddy' design is now available on more products in my Redbubble shop. Lots of gift ideas. Other designs featuring over 40 of my paintings to choose from. Visit my shop: thryngreen.redbubble.com

I spend many happy evenings making cards. These were made using rubber and gel stamps on different papers with some coloured pencil work. Putting colours together and assembling the various elements is something I find relaxing and creative. And it is good to then be able to share it by sending the card to someone.

Sketchbook work – canal scene
Drawing from my A6 sketchbook made as we sat just down from the Lock Cottage. Unfortunately as we were sketching a boat came along and moored up completely blocking a large section that I had previously started drawing (on the left-hand side). One of the hazards of sketching on the spot! Fortunately it is local so I can finish the drawing another time from the same spot. Although a problem could be the changing season now.

Last week we finished my Zoom Watercolour Taster Course ‘Watercolours for You’ and it felt really good to share my love of watercolours with the group along with basic techniques and a little painting each week. The group found that the lessons worked well through Zoom with the camera focused on my demonstration, and they also liked the fact that they could paint without anybody watching them. Sign up here to learn about future Zoom lessons: https://mailchi.mp/10ad7a599b72/arty-tortoise
This was the painting we did at the midway point, and probably my favourite because it involved mark making with various materials as well as brushes (coins, cardboard and sponge). It was a lot of fun to do.

Here is my completed painting of Autumn leaves. I finished off with some darker areas in between the leaves to add contrast and show up the colours, and a few leaf vein details.

Here I am, hard at work on my autumn leaves painting! Continuing to build layers and have drawn some more leaves in that will lie underneath the original ones. Then adding darker washes in between the leaves to push the colours forward. Have also strengthened some areas of the original leaves. If you have a leaf that isn’t standing out, it can help to glaze over it in one colour to unify the area. (A glaze is a very thin layer of wash – a little paint with a lot of water) At this stage take care not to disturb the paint underneath. A soft brush and light touch will make the difference. The original wash will show through the glaze.

A recent sketchbook drawing - Stocks - coloured pencil on toned paper.

Here is the next stage of my autumn leaves painting, please feel free to follow along. I have next added more washes over the top of the first wet-in-wet wash. I am working an area at a time, carefully blending the edges so that I don’t create any hard lines where I don’t want them. A lot of the work is around the outside edges of the leaves, painting negative space – the space around the leaves. Gradually the initial leaves are emerging and this is a process of trying to find a balance of colour and tone to enhance the composition.

After the sketchbook and drawing stage collecting drawings of leaves, I am now ready to paint.

I’m going to break the painting down into stages so that if you want to, you can follow the stages to create a similar painting. The materials needed are:
watercolour paper (preferably stretched on a board), watercolour paints, brushes and palette, water in two containers, some leaf drawings and tracing paper to trace them over to the watercolour paper. (See below)

First I mixed various autumnal colours in watercolour to create a wet-in-wet wash over the whole sheet of watercolour paper. This involves dropping colours into each other whilst the paint is wet. I love working this way, it is so relaxing and free, watching what the paint does and sweeping brushstrokes across the paper with a favourite brush. If you decide to try this painting, it is worth using the back of an old painting to practise on first. This allows you to try out the colours and is a good warm-up.

As you can probably see I have flicked and spattered paint and encouraged back-runs (extra marks in the wash) by dripping water in various places as it was drying. Great fun! Even if you don’t do the whole painting, I recommend having a go at this!

Once this wash had dried thoroughly, I transferred some of the leaf drawings using tracing paper, positioning them to make the most of the chance effects in the wash and to make an interesting composition. (The traced outlines are transferred by scribbling on the back of tracing paper, then drawing back over the lines)

More reference material for my new painting – this time leaf prints that I made and used to create some different leaf outlines. My plan for my new painting is to use different shaped leaves and to create some layers by painting around the leaves (the negative space).

Have found a couple of paintings of autumn leaves that are useful as reference material for my new painting. These were drawn from the leaves in front of me and then painted wet-in-wet (water added to the leaf and then paint dropped in and allowed to merge). There is also some spattering and scratching out (for the leaf veins). Adding the shadow on the LH two leaves helps to lift them from the page and look more three dimensional. Leaves often curl up a bit and often don't lie completely flat, the shadows help to show this.

A simple conker, but when you hold it up to the light, it is a beautiful object. See the shine and the ripple of those reddish-brown shades across the surface. It looks as though it has been polished. Hold it in your hand and enjoy the feel of it. Perhaps it takes you back to conker fights as a child. What are your memories? As we move into Autumn, it offers new objects and colours to observe and enjoy.

I’m all set up and ready for action – my Watercolour taster course begins tonight. Looking forward to it.

Getting ready to begin a new painting of autumn leaves, it is a favourite subject of mine. I started with a new drawing of a leaf that I picked up in Bramcote Park and then have also collected together various reference drawings that I made previously in my sketchbooks.

We will keep thoughts of summer holidays going as we paint beach huts in my Zoom Watercolour Taster course which starts at the end of this month. For details click here: https://payhip.com/b/uZqia
In the fourth lesson we will learn how to paint flat washes of colour to create a painting of beach huts. From Thursday 28 Sept at 7.45pm for five Thursdays. Suitable for complete beginners. Watercolours for fun and relaxation. Learn from the comfort of your own home. Step-by-step live demonstrations. Videos of the main techniques to watch in your own time for practice. No need show your work to the group unless you wish to. Book via the link above. Any questions please contact me.