Watercolour Workshop for Day of People with Disability

Wesley Mission and I will run a watercolour workshop for a community event to celebrate International Day of People with Disability at Kingsgrove Community Aid Centre on 30 Nov. 

11 am to 2 pm, 2 sessions (1 hour each). Free. Materials are provided. Simple designs and easy steps. Anyone can make cards! A watercolour artist Sadami Konchi and Wesley staff will assist you. All welcome, particularly, people with disability. Some of my former clients of Building Dreams project are coming. One client, who could hardly move his body, is coming. I gave him my watercolour painting of his dream, "riding a horse." Wesley staff said, "A client looks very happy to see you again." I look forward to seeing them! 

I'm very happy and grateful that Wesley has brought me this opportunity to contribute to society. Friends, see you there this Wed! 

Watercolour Workshop for Day of People with Disability

A moody portrait, Helen Chamberlin

I've been enjoying creating Helen Chamberlin's portrait, whilst working on other projects : the illustration for "My Dog Socks," a commissioned portrait and a watercolour painting workshop for people with disability public run by Wesley Mission. Busy, but fun. Helen is so kind. She lets me draw as I like. 

In this Helen, I felt like making a moody background. I darkened her clothes and made a background. When I study portraits and research them, modern portraits often do not have backgrounds or blank. I prefer a blank or a simple background until I have an inspiration of a background. 

These days, I feel like creating "my own say" in portraits. I want to go one step beyond. I want to show a model's inner world, not a simple resemblance. I just keep drawing and exploring what I'm wanting to do. I'm sure I'll make "tons" of messes. I fell down and sometimes it's painful. It's a journey. But it is much like an exciting adventure for me and a great fun, eventually. Or optimism is my compass?!    

How is your drawing journey going? Take care, Friends. I hope you, too, enjoy your journey.

Happy Painting!   

  

A moody portrait, Helen Chamberlin

Big Waves at Narrabeen

The picture book illustration of "My Dog Socks" is ongoing steadily! In a break, I love capturing waves by watercolour. Waves never bore me. So beautiful, magical, energetic, emotional and full of life. Hard winds swirled up waves at Narrabeen beach. Waves changed into white with bright colours that picked up sands. Colours were different from a usual ocean around at 4 pm, which fascinated me. (*Usually, waves begin to turn to dark blue.) Many people were looking at waves with awe. Too big waves and we could not swim. Instead of a swim, I enjoyed sketching.  

Capturing waves by watercolour painting is not easy, at first. 
But perseverance is my assets. Where there is a will, there's a way. I really, really wanted to GRAB waves on papers. I wanted to depict lively waves, their movements and a drama. When I look up my old sketches, improvement is found. 

These are my solutions.  Friends, bring a good paper to a beach! My starting point was this sketch on a thin sketch book paper. It was a stormy sea that excited me. Unfortunately, a sketch book paper was too thin to hold washes! I could not depict a rough sea enough. Yet, I found the technical solution. White crayon/wax and colours are helpful. A bitter experience taught me the importance of a good/thick paper. Ever since, I bring my favourite 300 gsm which holds washes well.  

Another, a physical issue was, hey, it was impossible to stand on a windy beach. I sketched a rough sea from the inside of my car, aw, cosy and snug! This is the work.  

These days, we haven't had much rain. A dry weather helps my watercolour painting at a beach. (*Sometimes, humidity makes me wait until washes get dry enough to move on to another brush strokes on a beach.) I love looking at waves after swimming at a beach as well as others. Waves wash away all the heavy stuff from our chests. Waves are born, come closer, go away...and perish. They look like us, humans. 
Friends, Happy Painting! 

 

Big Waves at Narrabeen