Archives for January 2020

Watermill watercolour painting tutor Milind Mulick, who will be joining us in glorious Tuscany, Italy this autumn, shows you how to create a stunning landscape painting, step-by-step. Milind used Daniel Smith watercolours for this picture and our thanks to them for the preparation of this blog. I also made one of those short, fun Facebook slideshows, which you can see by clicking here. The scene is the town of Valdemossa in Mallorca, Spain and the painting is a studio version of Valdemossa Light, painted from a photo reference.

Milind says: “Most of the time when I paint in-studio from a reference photo, I refer to some sketches done on the spot or rely on my memory of the feel of the place.” He adds: “As I had already almost a finished painting on the spot itself, the feel of the location was easy to recollect. The photo reference will give you all the information needed but I think the experience which we have with all our five senses … smells, sounds, etc. are also important. These things that we recall make a difference in the painting.”

Stage 1 – Pencil sketch

“I blocked in the major shapes of the scene. Usually my pencil work is quite random and more of a loose approximation. I am not that patient, so rather than spend a lot of time doing the pencil work, I prefer to focus on the general space division, a general movement, and interlocking of shapes in the painting.”

Stage 2 – Laying out my colours for the painting.

“Here I lay my colours in the palette…. though I have all the paints of my choice in my box , I still like to use limited shades for every painting in a separate palette. If I need any extra accents, I keep a standard box of paint alongside for easy access. The shades here are Cobalt Blue, Phthalo Blue (Green Shade), Phthalo Green (Yellow Shade), Permanent  Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Sienna and Hansa Yellow Light.”

Stage 3 – Starting with basic washes.

“The basic wash starts from the top with mix of Cobalt Blue and a touch of Phthalo Blue (GS) blending with Burnt Sienna and bit of orange created by mixing Hansa Yellow Light and Permanent Alizarin Crimson. Below that I add a fresh green, obtained by Hansa Yellow Light and Phthalo Green (YS) in different  proportions. Further down I add hints of a reddish yellow and some neutral achieved by blending Burnt Sienna and Cobalt Blue.”

Stage 4 – Adding the background.

“Here I’ve started with background cluster of distant buildings. If you notice it is one uniform variegated wash. I have used a transition of warm and cool colors, a warm mixture of Burnt Sienna, Hansa Yellow Light and Permanent Alizarin Crimson, and a cool mix mainly using Cobalt Blue and Permanent Alizarin Crimson. Permanent Alizarin Crimson being the common color in warm and cool, but not showing anywhere in an isolated hue. Care was taken in leaving the shining roof shapes alone.”

Stage 5 – Building up areas.

“At this stage there is a slow and deliberate build up of the shadow areas of the trees and foreground buildings and a mountain behind. While a transition of warm and cool shades, tonal variation is important here…. mostly leaving accurate negative shapes (or positive) of light areas is the most important thing here. Most of the painting is accurately built here and all that is needed further is the details.” 

Stage 6 – Final touches

“Tiny additions of dark windows and accents, with some sharp line work. Consciously keeping the economy of details and yet not making an understatement is the challenge at this stage. The darks are created using either Burnt Sienna and Phthalo Blue (GS) which is warmer or Phthalo Green (YS) and Permanent Alizarin Crimson for strong cool dark.”

We are delighted to welcome Milind Mulick, a watercolour artist from Pune in India, to the international team of Watermill painting tutors. Milind has gained a remarkable reputation in his own country and, increasingly worldwide, for his atmospheric paintings.

That is another of them below: Wildflower Fields.

And here is Milind’s take on one of the sensational seaside villages of the Cinque Terre, one of the venues for our Wednesday excursion during our painting weeks.

Milind has been painting in watercolours for more than 30 years. His artistic journey began in childhood, following his father, also a painter. As well as being influenced by the great British watercolourists like Edward Wesson and Edward Siego, Milind has absorbed the styles of Indian artists too. He has won many awards and written a dozen books on watercolour painting.

Milind has also been teaching for many years. “Teaching gives me great pleasure: I love meeting new people and helping them realise their artistic potential.” As a previous student says: “Milind pours his heart and soul into his paintings and believes in spreading his knowledge.”

Milind will be with us for his course, which he calls Colourful Watercolours, from Saturday 3 October to Saturday 10 October and already we have seven people booked in, so we have room for four or five more painters (and their non-painting partners, if they’d like to join them) this. You can find out more about Milind and his course at the Watermill by clicking here.

Everything is included in the cost of your holiday at the watermill: tuition, accommodation, pre-dinner aperitifs, all meals and wines (including outings to charming local restaurants) and all local transportation.

You get to Pisa, Italy, we do the rest!

This atmospheric painting by Watermill tutor Carl March, which we used in a blog and Facebook post a few months ago, proved so popular, especially on Facebook, that we make no excuse for using it again. It is called Gateway to memories and it certainly certainly seemed to evoke lots of fond memories among our fans and followers.

I have another, ulterior, motive for using it: tidiness! We only have one bedroom left for Carl’s course here this spring and I would love to fill it. We can take a painter on his/her own, or even more fun, you may like to bring a partner, whether or not he or she is a painter.

Carl’s course is called ‘Drawing and Painting for Pleasure’ and it will run from 18-25 April 2020. Eleven people are already booked in, so why not come and join us and make your own memories of the Watermill, its gardens and the stunning unspoiled countryside of rural Tuscany which surrounds us? Being spring, there should be plenty of daffodils:

Drawing and design are Carl’s passions: he likes to experiment with various drawing mediums, combining them with traditional watercolour painting processes to create distinctively subtle works. They are regularly to be seen at the Royal Academy summer exhibitions in London. Like most of our tutors, Carl likes to carry a sketchbook with him wherever he goes. Here a rural view. (I like the horse!)

Carl is also a great teacher. He says: “I love the genuine satisfaction in passing on my knowledge to others. For example, demonstrating a ‘step by step’ exercise, then witnessing students repeat the exercise for themselves. Suddenly the penny drops, and it all makes sense. Surely this is the real reward for any teacher.”

Here’s a comment from a previous student: “Carl has a gentle but effective way of teaching and we have learnt a lot from. Most importantly, however, under his guidance the class always becomes a very sociable and happy group. Quite simply, his classes are not only well planned and informative but also great fun.” 

And another says “When I went on my first painting holiday with Carl, I had never picked up a paintbrush other than to paint a ceiling. But within a day I had produced my first ever watercolour and the result was beyond my wildest dreams. Since then I have spent two further holidays under Carl’s tutelage, each time learning new skills as well as refreshing my knowledge of basic techniques. Thanks to Carl’s endless patience and encouragement I have become an enthusiastic watercolour painter and look forward to further enjoyable holidays led by this inspirational teacher.” 

Here’s a watercolour sketch by Carl, called Sarah’s Lilies, a study showing great spontaneity.

So why not help me tidy up my booking form, grab the last place(s) on Carl’s course and make your own springtime memories in glorious Tuscany?

Everything is included in the cost of your holiday: tuition, accommodation, all meals and wines (including outings to charming local restaurants) and local transportation. You get to Pisa, we do the rest!

You can find out more about Carl at his course at the Watermill by clicking here. We would love you to join us.

What is a ‘successful’ plein air painting? That’s the question that our enthusiastic new painting tutor Mary Padgett has been asking. And when we have come up with an answer, how can we achieve success?

Mary says: “Success for me means making a painting that captures and communicates certain characteristics of a place.” It is not necessarily a three-dimensional representation, but rather bringing out the qualities of the scene that appeal to the artist, continually evaluating and interpreting your response to what you see. It is also important, says Mary, a passionate pastellist, to preserve the aesthetic integrity of the medium in which you are working.

The most important criterion for success is choosing the right subject: one that appeals to you on a personal level. The two pictures above are good examples. They are paintings of the trees at the southern end of Cazenovia Lake, in Madison County, New York. Mary says: “I’ve painted this scene many times, the juxtaposition of the trees in front of the lake and sky appeals to me.” In the upper painting, made in August, Mary felt intuitively that the monochrome green trees made the composition rather dull, “though the bright yellow green cedars on the far right provide some relief. The painting’s interest comes from the formal play with the placement of those trees. Yet the painting feels static and weighty to me.

“Far more successful in my opinion is the lower painting, done a few months later as the leaves were changing.” The variations in the trees enabled Mary to choose colour and value options that captured the energy of the landscape. She says: “I had better raw material to work from. The painting is more dynamic and the technical handling of my medium much more interesting.”

Contrast is another secret of success. Below are two of Mary’s recent favourites, where the combination of dark values light ones, and architecture with nature gave her an opportunity to broaden her palette with different colours and values, and to vary shapes within the composition.

Mary says: “The moral here is to spend time carefully looking for a subject and then to maintain an active dialogue with it determining what to include and what to exclude. All the while listening to the voice we have inside!”

Mary Padgett is a passionate advocate of painting en plein air. And she will undoubtedly find many subjects were successful paintings full of contrast and energy, in the unspoiled Tuscan countryside of Lunigiana surrounding the Watermill. And she is keen to help you to do the same and to produce your very best painting. Mary’s students love her teaching. As one of them says: “Your gentle nudges have given us all better way of seeing.”  Another says: “You went out of your way to help beginners as well as more advanced artists.” Mary says: “My role is to create a supportive working environment, encouraging creative exploration, and furthering each participant’s evolution as an artist.”

Mary will be tutoring a week-long course in pastels*, from Saturday 26 September to Saturday, 3 October 2020. *While pastels are her passion (and she will work in soft pastels during her week-long course at the Watermill), Mary is also happy to teach in other portable media, too, such as oils and acrylics, in which she is also a skilled practitioner. You can find out more about Mary and her course by clicking here. We already have eight people booked into Mary’s course, three full non-painting partners, so we have room for another five or so painters (and their non-painting partners, if they would like to join them).

Here is a Tuscan hillside that Mary painted in a previous visit. This one celebrates the rhythmic pattern of dark vertical cypress juxtaposed against soft organic blue-green olive trees, and the geometric shapes of terracotta roofs.

Our friend and Watermill painting tutor Mike Willdridge is visiting his grandchildren at the moment and, practising what he preaches, taking his trusty sketchbook with him everywhere. He has just sent me one of his latest sketches and there are no prizes for guessing where he is!

Mike tells me: “This was drawn at St George’s, Sydney whilst waiting for the outdoor film showing of ‘Judy’. The rain (welcomed by almost everyone) had just started and soon we were all to be covered in white plastic sheets. Soon the audience looked like something from. Ku Klux Klan gathering.“

“So, with just under half an hour to spare before the screen seemed almost to rise out of the sea and with an imminent downpour, there was plenty of time and encouragement to make a drawing. I used only a water-soluble pen and a small rigger brush – water was freely available!”

As we have often said, Mike is a great believer in carrying his sketchbook with him everywhere and he will encourage you to do the same when you join his Watermill week here with us this year. Mike will be back with us from Saturday 29 August to Saturday 5 September 2020, and we’d love you to join us for his fun-filled, sun-filled, inspiring week. There are more details and links below.

Here are a few of his sketches, made when out ‘on location’ during one of his courses, one for each day. Each was painted rapidly, merely to give an impression of the scene. First, here are some houses in our village of Posara: we paint in and around the mill on Sunday.

The sketch below, in watercolour and Indian ink, was made on Monday, when the group goes out to paint at the castle and village of Verrucola.

On Tuesdays we go to the nearby walled Medieval town of Fivizzano to enjoy the sights and sounds of the weekly market there.

Wednesday is excursion day, when you have a choice of going to the seaside villages of the Cinque Terre or the quintessential walled Italian town of Lucca.

Below is a sketch in the tranquil monastery of the Convento del Carmine, a few miles from the Watermill, where we take you to paint on Thursdays:

And here is a striking sketch, in watercolour and Indian ink, of olive trees besides the hilltop village of Monte dei Bianchi, where we paint on Fridays before enjoying lunch in a gourmet restaurant with wonderful views over the mountains.

Mike Willdridge works and in a wide range of media and is an enthusiastic and energetic tutor, often encouraging his students to be bold and to take chances. His classes are always light-hearted and fun, with the ‘teaching’ tailored to individual needs. He will concentrate on watercolours, but is also happy to help with gouache and acrylics too.

Some comments from previous guests: “A wonderful holiday. You were such generous and friendly hosts and Mike was an excellent painting tutor.”  Another said: “The food was exceptional and the mill itself is great, in such a beautiful setting. A truly wonderful week in every respect.”

Everything is included in the cost of your holiday at the watermill: tuition, accommodation (including all linen and towels), pre-dinner aperitifs, all meals and wines (including outings to charming local restaurants) and all local transportation (including transfers to Pisa airport and an excursion by train to Lucca or the Cinque Terre). You get to Pisa, Italy, we do the rest!

29 August to 5 September 2020 

Mike Willdridge

Watercolour and drawing (also gouache and acrylics)

To learn more about Mike and his course at The Watermill, please click here.

Come and paint with Mike for creativity, conviviality – and fun!

Chatting in the sunlit Watermill courtyard.

We produce a Watermill blog every day, many of them telling you about our inspiring painting tutors and their sun-filled, fun filled week-long course is with us. I thought it might be fun today to look at one tutor’s courses from a different perspective: her own!

So instead of writing about Maggie Renner Hellmann’s courses (she’s coming for two weeks in September) I thought I’d let her tell you about them in her own words. This is what she says on her own website:

“Ever wanted to paint Tuscany without the crowds of tourists?

“We will paint mediaeval castle towns, walled Tuscan villages, ancient monasteries perched above olive groves, alongside gentle rivers. We’ll paint majestic views of Tuscan alps above charming hillside villages. Each painter also has the choice on Wednesday to go either to the Cinque Terre or to Lucca, to add even more excitement to the week-long fun adventures!”

You’ll enjoy all this, says Maggie, as well as learning:

“How to increase your colour courage and improve your paintings through colour harmony and colour contrasting techniques. “

She adds: “It’s a perfect blend of art adventure with a delicious Italian immersion into the Epicurean joys of life. Truly a bucket list experience.”

Maggie says: “Beginners, intermediate and advanced painters welcome. Working your choice of medium. Mediums to consider: Oil, Acrylic, Watercolour. I will demo in oil, acrylic and watercolour but can assist and teach in all mediums. No experience necessary! Spouses and partners welcome! Only 12 spots available! Our emphasis will be on learning the core elements of successful paintings: colour, composition, focal point, light source, values, positive and negative shapes, volumes, edges, brushwork and perspective – and much else beside.”

She adds: “I will share with you my craft knowledge of the important foundations of painting and help you to free yourself from stagnant colour choices. I will also share with you colour theory and the concept of using colour contrasts to push and pull elements of your painting. Each day we will have the opportunity to paint in different beautiful Tuscan locations.”

And of the Watermill itself she writes: “Comfortable and beautiful modern rooms with private bathroom and showers. All meals included: gourmet cuisine, farm to table, wine, aperitifs, after-dinner digestifs, and all local transportation and instruction included. You get to Pisa, Italy! We will take care of the rest!”

I couldn’t have put it better myself!

Maggie’s week-long courses in oils, acrylics, watercolours and pastels will run from 12 September to 19 September 2020 and from 19 September to 26 September 2020.   

You can see more about Maggie and her course of the Watermill by clicking here.